'Jason Bourne' News, Spoilers: Matt Damon Explains Fifth Film's Title
Matt Damon has explained that the reason behind the simplicity of the upcoming "Bourne" film's title is that the filmmakers wanted to separate it from the four previous installments.
The "Bourne" franchise includes "The Bourne Identity" (2002), "The Bourne Supremacy" (2004), "The Bourne Ultimatum" (2007), and "The Bourne Legacy" (2012). Damon last appeared as the secret agent in the third film, sitting out "Legacy" which, instead, starred "Avengers" actor Jeremy Renner, who played the role of Aaron Cross.
This year, the "Elysium" actor makes his much-anticipated return as ex-CIA operative Jason Bourne after almost a decade.
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Speaking to Empire during the Jameson Empire Awards in London on Sunday, March 20, Damon discussed the fifth film's title, giving fans a hint as to what the movie will be about.
"We talked about calling it 'The Bourne Something,'" Damon teased, "but I think the idea was to separate this film from the others, because so much time has passed since we did one."
"Ours are really about identity, and the guy's search for identity, and at the end of the third one, he says 'I'm no longer Jason Bourne,'" he said. "So without giving too much away, the new one starts with the implications of that: okay, then who is he? What is this identity that's just sitting out there unclaimed? What does it mean?"
As the actor explained, the new title will make sense when "Bourne" fans get to see the movie. According to Damon, the title "felt right" because it was "pertinent" to the upcoming film's story and because it is different from the rest of the titles in the franchise.
In a BuzzFeed interview in August 2015, the actor explained that "Jason Bourne" (previously called "Bourne 5") will be set in a financially unstable, "post-Snowden" world.
The first official trailer for "Jason Bourne" dropped during Super Bowl in February.
Paul Greengrass, who helmed "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum," returned to direct "Jason Bourne." The film will co-star Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel, and Riz Ahmed. Julia Stiles reprises her role as Nicky Parsons in the film.
"Jason Bourne" hits theaters July 29.
