Jason Bourne (film)

Jason Bourne is an upcoming 2016 American action spy thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass and written by Greengrass, Matt Damon and Christopher Rouse. It is the fifth film in the Bourne film series and the sequel to the 2007 film The Bourne Ultimatum. The film stars Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones, and Vincent Cassel.

Principal photography on the film commenced on September 8, 2015. The film is set to be released on July 29, 2016 by Universal Pictures.

The title of the film was officially announced as Jason Bourne on February 7, 2016 during Super Bowl 50.

Cast

 * Matt Damon as Jason Bourne / David Webb

Production
In May 2007, prior to the release of The Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon claimed that he would not be interested in returning for a fourth Bourne film, stating (of his participation in the Bourne franchise): "We have ridden that horse as far as we can." Damon said in August 2007: "I think in terms of another one, the story of this guy's search for his identity is over, because he's got all the answers, so there's no way we can trot out the same character, and so much of what makes him interesting is that internal struggle that was happening for him, am I a good guy, am I a bad guy, what is the secret behind my identity, what am I blocking out, why am I remembering these disturbing images? So all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is not there, so if there was to be another one then it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know, where do you go from there? For me I kind of feel like the story that we set out to tell is has now been told. I love the character, and if Paul Greengrass calls me in ten years and says, 'Now we can do it, because it's been ten years and I have a way to bring him back,' then there's a world in which I can go, 'Yeah, absolutely.' We could get the band back together if there was a great idea behind it, but in terms of now and this story, that part—the story's been told..."

However, on February 22, 2008, Variety reported that a fourth film was indeed in the works, with both Damon and Greengrass on board.

On October 16, 2008, it was announced that George Nolfi would write the script, with Frank Marshall producing, and Jeffrey Weiner and Henry Morrison executive producing. Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, and Paul Greengrass were also attached to the film. Joshua Zetumer had been hired to write a parallel script—a draft which could be combined with another (Nolfi's, in this instance)—by August 2009 since Nolfi would be directing The Adjustment Bureau that September. That December, Greengrass announced that he had decided not to direct the fourth Bourne film, saying that "[his] decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge."

On February 1, 2010, Damon, speaking at the UK premiere of Invictus, revealed that a follow-up to The Bourne Ultimatum was "at least five years away". Greengrass, also at the premiere, re-stated that he would not be part of any further Bourne films "unless the right script came along". However, Damon revealed that in the meantime there may be a Bourne "prequel of some kind, with another actor and another director". Damon reconfirmed this on a March 10, 2010 appearance of Today and that he would only be involved if Greengrass was directing.

In June 2010, it was announced that Tony Gilroy would be writing The Bourne Legacy and it would have a 2012 release date. That October, Gilroy was announced as the director of The Bourne Legacy; he confirmed that Damon would not return for this film and that there would be "a whole new hero": "This is not a reboot, it's a whole new chapter. The easiest way to think of it is an expansion or a reveal. Jason Bourne will not be in this film, but he's very much alive. What happened in the first three films is the trigger for The Bourne Legacy, and everyone who got into them will be rewarded for paying attention. I'm building a legend and an environment and a wider conspiracy. We're going to show you the bigger picture, the bigger canvas... The world we're making enhances and advances and invites Jason Bourne's reappearance somewhere down the road.""

The Bourne Legacy was released in the U.S. on August 10, 2012. It stars Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross.

Universal confirmed at a media conference in Los Angeles, California, that they have plans to release more Bourne films, despite Legacy being given mixed reviews by critics. In a December 2012 interview, Damon revealed that he and Paul Greengrass are interested in returning for the next film as Jason Bourne and the director respectively. On November 8, 2013, Deadline reported that the fifth installment in the franchise will feature Renner's Cross, with Justin Lin directing. Andrew Baldwin was attached for the film's screenplay writing, and the release date was set to July 16, 2016.

On September 15, 2014, it was announced that Damon and Greengrass will indeed return for the next Bourne film, taking the release date, with Renner returning as Cross in a separate film at a later date. In November 2014, Damon confirmed that he and Greengrass will return with a script from themselves with the film editor being Christopher Rouse. On May 23, 2015, Deadline.com reported that Alicia Vikander was in talks to star with Damon in the fifth film. On June 19, 2015, Deadline reported that Julia Stiles had confirmed to play the role of Nicky Parsons in the film, she previously played the character in the first three films. Viggo Mortensen was in talks to play the villain role. Later on June 23, 2015, Vikander was confirmed to star in the film while she was also in talks for the Assassin's Creed film, which she passed on. On July 28, 2015, Tommy Lee Jones joined the film's cast to play a CIA superior officer. On September 1, 2015, Vincent Cassel was cast in the film to play the villain role of an assassin who tracks Bourne. On September 15, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that actor Ato Essandoh was cast in the film as an unspecified character. On October 20, 2015, Scott Shepherd was added to the cast to play the deputy director of the CIA. On November 4, 2015, Variety confirmed that Riz Ahmed had signed on to play the role of a tech specialist at the CIA.

Filming
In August 2015, producers met with Clark County, Nevada officials to get approval to shoot on The Strip, requesting a shut down of Las Vegas Boulevard for several hours a day for seven to ten days. It was not clear on whether the producers obtained a license to do such. Damon told Buzzfeed that the film would start production in September starting from Greece and end in Las Vegas, and would have Bourne in "a post-Snowden world".

Principal photography began in September 8, 2015. In early November, filming took place in Esplanade MRT Station in Singapore. Mid-November, filming therefore moved over to Bidor, Malaysia. In early December 2015, filming began at Washington D.C., which is at Constitution Gardens. Filming at Las Vegas is from January 14 to 21, 2016. Using the Las Vegas as an example, it doubles as a Grand Theft Auto IV explosion.