10 Things Only Die-Hard Fans Know About The Jason Bourne Movies
There may not be any more movies on the horizon for the amnesiac assassin but the sometimes chaotic production made for some interesting trivia.
Although the Jason Bourne movie series is on an indefinite pause, its influence can be seen in the gritty, stylish action widely adopted by movies since, including the Daniel Craig Bond movies. Created by novelist Robert Ludlum, the character played by Matt Damon for four movies and Jeremy Renner for one has left a lasting impression on fans of the franchise.
Many factors went into the success of the action-thriller movies and things didn't always go smoothly during production. As a result, there are a lot of fascinating details about the production known only to the most hardcore of Jason Bourne fans. These are just some of those obscure facts.
Russell Crowe Or Sylvester Stallone Could Have Played Bourne
Although the chance to play Bourne eventually went to Damon in The Bourne Identity and the rest is history, things could easily have gone in a very different direction. The Good Will Hunting star wasn't known as an action hero at the time and, as a result, wasn't the obvious choice for the all-action thriller.
Director Doug Liman told the BBC that he met with stars including Russell Crowe and Sylvester Stallone, both older action veterans. In the end, Matt Damon's understanding of the character won out, and it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of the central character of the Bourne movies.
Matt Damon Had A Hands-On Approach
Matt Damon had already established himself as a talented dramatic actor before The Bourne Identity, having received a nomination for the Best Actor Oscar for Good Will Hunting several years before, but he was also a skilled writer and filmmaker. Damon had won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the same film and he was heavily involved in the production of the four Bourne films in which he starred.
This meant a close collaborative approach with director Paul Greengrass that proved a successful formula for the sequels. Having never been in such an intensive action-focused movie before, Damon trained properly and ended up performing on a lot of the Bourne stunts himself.
The Original Score For The Bourne Identity Was Rejected
For the first Bourne movie, Carter Burwell joined as the composer and wrote a traditional orchestral score for the action thriller. Having worked on a huge variety of movies, including some critically acclaimed collaborations with the Coen brothers including the film Fargo, Burwell seemed an easy choice for a memorable action soundtrack.
However, Doug Liman rejected the score despite its quality as it apparently wasn't what the director was looking for. British composer John Powell stepped up to create something more unique, as he told The Independent, and despite some serious budget constraints he managed to deliver. Powell went on to score all of the Matt Damon Bourne movies.
The Films Took Inspiration From Documentary Film-Making
British director Paul Greengrass replaced Doug Liman for The Bourne Supremacy after the chaotic production of The Bourne Identity. Greengrass had gained a reputation for edgy realism in his historical film Bloody Sunday and it was felt this style would be perfect for the Bourne sequels.
The director's background in journalism and investigative film-making for a current affairs show called World In Action in the 1980s meant he had an eye for realistic action. His commitment to the grittiness that is at the heart of the Bourne franchise is a big reason why he became synonymous with the series, directing two further films.
The Ending To The Bourne Supremacy Was Changed Less Than Two Weeks Before Its Release
Many movies have been saved by last-minute changes but it's often forgotten that The Bourne Supremacy was one of these in 2004. Just two weeks before The Bourne Supremacy was to release to an anticipating public, Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon had a conversation that resulted in a plan for a new ending.
As Greengrass told The Guardian, the plan would cost $200,000 dollars and interrupt shooting for Ocean's Twelve, another big franchise that Matt Damon was a part of. Ultimately, the risk paid off for them, as the new ending proved popular with audiences.
Damon Refused To Do A Bond Film Without Greengrass
The collaboration between the director and star had already resulted in the incredibly successful and widely acclaimed The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum in 2009. In fact, the pair worked so well together that it became hard to imagine a Bourne movie with one but not the other.
Damon certainly felt this way when he told the press that he had no interest in a future Bourne movie that didn't have Paul Greengrass involved, as reported by Entertainment Weekly at the time. Although they are a director-actor combo not many people know about, the success the two found together speaks for itself.
A Matt Damon Bourne Sequel Was Already Planned When The Bourne Legacy Was Announced
The Bourne Legacy was announced in 2010 as a prequel to the later Bourne movies and featured an entirely new main character who would be played by Jeremy Renner. The movie was to be an entirely new direction for the franchise and directed by previous series writer Tony Gilroy.
However, this didn't mean the new protagonist Aaron Cross was intended to replace Damon's Bourne, which was a worry of fans at the time. In fact, even as the film was announced Damon made it clear in a BBC interview that he intended to do another film when they had a script. Although Damon estimated the film was 5 years away, it was eventually released in 2016 as Jason bourne.
The Bond Connection
When Daniel Craig took over the role of 007 in the intense Casino Royale, it was clear that the direction of the franchise had permanently changed. Influenced by the new taste audiences had for the more gritty spy action popularized by the Jason Bourne movies, Bond became a new beast entirely.
This wasn't the only connection the two spy mega franchises had. Rachel Weisz, who starred alongside Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy, is married to Daniel Craig in real life, meaning Bond may have made an appearance on the Bourne set. Additionally, Weisz even adopts the open-palm running style that her husband used for Bond for her appearance in the movie.
A High Action Sequel To The Bourne Legacy Fell Through
Whilst the focus of the Bourne films was generally on brutally realistic action, the series also had plenty of spectacular stunts. This could have been taken to the next level in a sequel to The Bourne Legacy, which was reported to have Justin Lin, who helms the Fast & Furious franchise, on board as director and producer.
The film was expected to have an August 2015 release, as reported by Deadline, but unfortunately, the plans seemed to fall through as the series switched focus back to Damon's character. Having gone six years without a new Bourne movie, fans of the series may hope that the plans get revived at some point in the future.
The Production Of The Movies May Have Been Even More Chaotic Than We Know
With behind-the-scenes clashes, stars airing public grievances, directors being replaced, last-minute changes, and an attempt to reboot the franchise, it's fair to say the Jason Bourne films had a somewhat chaotic production. With so many big personalities at the heart of the series, some of the issues with the franchise have been public knowledge for a while.
Writer and director Tony Gilroy suggested in an interview with the Washington Post that the dramatic history of the series could even make a book long in the future, implying there may be more that isn't known about. Nevertheless, the franchise achieved a huge amount of success during its lifetime and produced some of the best must-see action movies.
