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Matt Damon Says 'Bourne Legacy' Makes It Hard for Him to Return

by Ethan Anderton
December 4, 2012
Source: The Playlist

Back this summer, before The Bourne Legacy even hit theaters, producer Frank Marshall talked about the possibility of Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner teaming up for the sequel. The producer said, "You see there are several different programmes in the movie with different skill sets. All possibilities are open. My dream is that in the next one we see Matt and Jeremy team up.” However, The Playlist recently interviewed Damon as he does the rounds for Promised Land, and the actor doesn't seem too keen on returning to the franchise. More specifically, he thinks The Bourne Legacy makes it harder for his return.

Damon has watched The Bourne Legacy, and this is what he said about how it effects his return:

"I think it's going to make it harder for us to make another one. I'm just trying to figure out like… Because they used our characters, anything that happens in that world, that's the 'Bourne' world now. So the pill popping and all that stuff happens. I don't know what that story would be. I love Jeremy and I'm a huge fan of him and I know him personally and love him outside of work, too. But I just don't know what that story would be. I could never see Bourne teaming up with anyone. And all he said was – he wanted out, he wanted out, he wanted out. So how do you get that character going again?"

Surely a good writer could figure something out, but I like that Damon is so dedicated to the story that he doesn't just want to team-up with Renner for the box office or because it sounds fun. The way he talks, it doesn't sound like he's that big of a fan The Bourne Legacy, even if he's friends with Renner. Damon even recalls that they had issues getting a Bourne sequel that he would have done with Paul Greengrass off the ground, mainly because they didn't think they had a good enough idea. But Universal wanted their cash cow to remain alive, and The Bourne Legacy was made for better or worse. There's probably another Bourne movie on the way at some point. Do you still want Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner to team up?

Filed under Movie News

From around the web:

http://www.facebook.com/matt.peloquin.14 Matt Peloquin

I thought the first Bourne film and the last one were the best in the series. I know I'm in the minority there, but I liked how they treated Jason Bourne as a beta model and the new program had been refined more since him to allow for more control over the agents.
- Reznik
  
  Identity and Ultimatum are my top 2, with Supremacy and Legacy at 3 and 4. Legacy was good for about the first 45 minutes, then it wasn't so interesting, but that's just me.
Nielsen700

I guess he has a point, but I really want to see him return to the franchise again.
Phillip Gockel

I'll be perfectly content to watch a sequel with or without Damon. I love the original trilogy, but if his heart isn't in it, it would probably only hurt any further sequels. Also I think Renner is perfectly capable of carrying on the series in his stead as he proved a capable lead.
juepucta

in the books he also wanted out and managed to get pulled back in way into his 60s... they'll find a way if they really want to (and are willing to dish out the $$$)
- kash
  
  Yes, he thought he was out, he had retired, changed his identity, he could grow old with his family in peace....but they pulled him back in, threatened his family...and then, BAM!! enter Liam Neeson, its TAKEN!
  - Bwakabwakabwaka
    
    They SHOULD have atleast got Renner and Damon make eye contact from a distance, heck maybe bump into each other. Two men on a mission. that way it'll narrow itself down. Renner would then try to figure out what's really going on. He was curious for the slightest. He accepted what he did and that they wanted to kill him, but like "WHY?" never popped into his head. I'm a fan of the Bourne franchise. Damon should come back. as for him screening in his 60's that should wait. In Legacy he's been going around handling stuff. we need know from a 3rd person point of view on what's been going on. now is the time for Bourne to get some in-sight on what been going on since he went rouge.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
      
      Cross understood what was going on quite well. Did you see how his ears pirked up when he saw Jason Bourne on tv? He remembered the name carved into the wood in the cabin at the lake. But he doesn't strike me as the stupidly curious type. He knew that somehow the program was trouble for the CIA and it was being scrubbed. What else did he need to know?
dgeet

So he is basically saying if Greengrass is on board for another one...Damon would do it haha
BloodwerK

Sounds like he's saying if there's a decent enough idea he'd do it...
http://blog.cwl.cc/ Kevin Costain

I haven't read the books, but who's to say a new Bourne movie doesn't pit them against each other? That might be interesting..
Rain Spider

Damon Trumps Renner. All day every day. They can continue the bourne Franchise, but if it doesn't have Damon, then I'm not gonna bother.
med Dee

Legacy was absolute shite. The characters were shallow, the "I want my drug" storyline preposterous, the ending nonexistant. Plus it ruined the ending of Ultimatum, which was PERFECT.
- Morgan
  
  Completely agree. You said it all!
- Martine
  
  Its not a"I want my drug" storyline. Its "I want to live independently, and can not do so if my IQ drops to twelve points bellow average". I think Cross had a far better reason to fight for his mental stability then Jason Bourne's idiotic quest to find himself. Anyone with even a teeny bit of sense would have realized that Bourne's past was to be run away from not towards pretty quickly. I suggest you read "Flowers for Algernon". Then you might think what wouldn't YOU do to keep your IQ from going to the point where you had to live in a group home? And how did it ruin anything about Bourne? It just showed what consequences to other people Bourne incurred.
http://www.facebook.com/dmelges Dave Melges

I hate to say it because I love Damon, but it sounds a lot like he doesn't want to "share" a movie. I can think of a dozen ways this could work in the first 30 seconds I'm considering it, so clearly, it's not that hard to come up with an scenario.
- Cody W
  
  O its very easy to come up with a scenario, but not one that isnt totally cliche and will ruin the integrity of the trilogy. I just imagine it:Bourne finds a new love, love gets killed, Bourne wants revenge etc......its over.
  - http://www.facebook.com/dmelges Dave Melges
    
    lol, I think when I say it's not hard to come up with a scenario, "good scenario" is implied. What they need to do is leave women out of it....if the series has a flaw it's that it tries to WEDGE a woman in. It's pandering to an extra fanbase. The best idea, literally, is to make the operatives USEFUL. Quit treating the government as always being BAD. Have some kind of dangerous opposition to world peace that they NEED to bring these guys together to thwart....let them succeed in act TWO, then spend act THREE trying to extract themselves from the system because ONE corrupt federal employee see's the potential of re-igniting the program. Act one: Recruit three very different former members of variations of the program. Damon and Renner discuss the dangers of allowing themselves to be entangled in the new agency. Act two: Unite them to fight a common threat, they succeed but one of them dies. Act three: Damon and Renner have to work together to free themselves of the system they knew they'd be stuck in if they agreed to help. Because it's Hollywood they'll feel obligated to make the third operative a woman, and probably a minority. Wasn't hard at all.
    - koolnightes
      
      I like it.
    - Cody W
      
      Bu...but your implying hollywood has this much common sense....lol. Otherwise I like it, but I dont think anything like this will ever happen.
      - http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
        
        Hollywood has plenty of creativity. People like to moan, but the truth is even bad Hollywood films often compare well to the best art house films.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
    
    Te Bourne films may have been good, but they were also cliche. A guy with amnesia finds out he is a bad ass spy killer is cliche. Cliche doesn't mean it can't be done well. Matt is just jealous I think.
- Davis
  
  Kind of agree with you. I didn't even need 30 seconds for it. The Bourne Legacy was about Aaron Cross and Marta Shearing running for their lives. The Sequel could be something like : Aaron wants to understand what happened, why they want him dead. So he goes find the only person who could answer his questions, aka Jason Bourne.
jantje

Its just not the same without him
Thexn

I really enjoyed the Bourne Legacy and I thought their handling of the tie-in to the main franchise was well handled. The inclusion of the idea that there were more than one program which the government was developing fit, and allowed for a reasonable explanation for Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross. While I would love to see Damon take up the role again in a sequel, I have to agree with Phillip Gockel's opening post that states if his heart isn't into making another Bourne movie then it's best if he doesn't. Let's let Renner run with this franchise ball for a bit and see how that goes.
http://www.facebook.com/patty.dang Patty Dang

I think Renner did a better job so if Matt is in or out doesn't really matter to me. Renner just seems more natural in this type of role and has a believable skill level of fighting, guns and just about everything else. Matt just comes off as good, not great and something learned as opposed to Renner's naturalness of these unique "spy skills"
Elbak

Sounds like an excuse. In the books, Bourne is always pulled back in by some emergency, and he often works with others. However, the Legacy movie had nothing in common with the book, so maybe they're only using story lines from the ones penned by Ludlum. The fact remains, though, that a story could easily be written to bring him in if they wanted that. But I don't really care if he comes back. I thought Legacy was the best in the series since Identity, anyway.
AS

Hire Ben Affleck as the director, Damon would definitely do it
koolnightes

Matt and Jeremy both had help... both times it was from a woman...they could bump into one another and could actually help each other... love to see them both in it. As for the pill popping... Jeremy got cured right? Come on Matt, Jeremy... let's get it done....see you in the theaters.. By the way... Jeremy was good and I would watch him in another "Bourne" movie.... BUT, Matt will always be Jason Bourne.. he was great...
Rosalee Adams

more whining coming from same person who whined about the new Bond replicating Bourne.............If I had not heard him with my own ears I would never have believed it..........also comparing Damon with Renner is like comparing apples and oranges.
- bwakabwakabwaka
  
  You're right, cannot compare the two. Bourne is like underground lvl 10 and Renner is like a daywalker lvl 5, unbeknownst to his surrounding or plot
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
    
    I am really glad I don't know what that means.
http://twitter.com/MarkDarkStory Mark Dark

Matt is making the right choice IMO. The first trilogy was superb and work he can be proud of. Why try to add to something already awesome?
bwakabwakabwaka

Legacy?? Too soon to decide that. Now what? they live happily ever after and like the previous movie plot. she dies? or plot twist; he dies, then what? her personality doesn't seem like the type who would want to take revenge or find out what's really going on. Bourne fans want moreeeeeee i'm much much sure of that. I wasn't satisfied, but Renner was good. Instead of legacy, should've been like Bourne: The Insight on a 2nd Cousin. i'd like to get back to the original story. atleast let's get Jason's perspective on the whole blue-green drug. He'll know he's not the only one. if bourne really is trying to take down Treadstone, won't he then realize that there's a bigger challenge? that he's only taking down one branch. If by legacy they meant what they made in terms of a better weapon. what the stem left behind, which was nothing. They should have made the movie where Renner tries to kill Bourne and while bourne finds out about the whole operation, gives renner a headsup saves his life, heck maybe they knew each other.
Javert

I didn't care much for Legacy. Unless Damon makes a follow up, I doubt I will watch it.
nigel stoles

if they wanted to bring matt damon back in how about coming to the rescue of pamela landy as the y are trying to bury her in bourne legacy, this could then lead to the latest issue LARX to be sent after bourne and then aaron could come to assist bourne or something along these lines and then maybe do further spin offs alternating the usage of bourne and aaron
MCM

I personally feel like Renner was more believable, but they're each too powerful an actor to be in one movie. But honestly, I'd like them to pull from Ludlum's "Materese Cirlce". Even MOAR epic (I'd like to see these Bourne-esque agents turn into the American James Bond )
Mark

I would be glad to see a sequel, or more appropriately another episode, starring Matt and Jeremy. Bourne has teamed up before and as the Legacy cover says "there was never just one". My ONLY beef with the movie adaptations is killing Marie in Supremacy. And mental and physical conditioning and adaptation has always been in the series. It's just that the pill popping is a little easier to "swallow" for most people than brainwashing
Matthew

Damon needs to come back!!! He was awesome as Jason Bourne. Ultimatum and Legacy both set up a return movie for Damon. Aaron Cross and Jason Bourne can team up in the fifth or sixth movie.
Davis

I loved the Bourne Series. But the Bourne Legacy is definitely my favorite. Jeremy Renner was amazing in it. At first, I had my doubts, because how could they make another movie without Matt Damon? But I loved the way they made the movie happened during the "Bourne Ultimatum". In fact, I loved every single thing about this movie. Jeremy and Rachel were great. So yeah, I wouldn't mind another movie with them.
- Net Guy
  
  But the ending was too abrupt.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
    
    I had no trouble at all with the ending!!!! WHY? They lost the tail and now are free to do whatever they want as long as they don't return to the USA? What did you want the film to do? Follow them til they were old? Didn't you hear Eric Beyer? He said "The cops lost the trial." Then the LARX guy died....so they can no longer find them. The film ends with them no longer being chased and getting to know one another. Are people too slow to get that?
John Smith

It would be cool if they picked up the Eric Lustbader novels from Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renners character tagging along.
Pukapants

Matt Damon is the man!!! I hope he returns for the sequal. Damon, personally was born into that Bourne legacy. Millions of fans will agree, bring back Damon!
BourneJunkie

The two of them teaming up? What happened to "we work alone, we always work alone"? I think they're both great, but very different. IMO, Jason Bourne was always fantastic because he was always so unassuming, unpretentious and laid back, whereas, Jeremy Renner is so cocky and full of himself, like so may of his other roles, but he does it very well. If my Bourne trilogy, or Hurt Locker were on VHS, they'd be worn out by now. Put either one of them in an action movie and you can bet I'll watch it, put them together, not so sure.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
  
  When did Cross ever say 'I work alone"? He was thrilled to find someone else in the program. He obviously doesn't like to work alone, as he very easily teamed up with Marta. And I don't remember Bourne ever saying he liked to work alone either.
UncleTed

There skill sets together would be devastating to the private government sectors. The should wait to join Renner and Damon together until the last movie of the whole series so they can take down the people who did this to them and so they can clear their names and live happily.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
  
  Well, Bourne really is a traitor. I mean sure I understand him not wanting to kill an evil dictator so that his evil kids wouldn't get upset, but he was given an assignment, he accepted it, and then he didn't complete it on purpose. So his name can't be cleared. He did it to himself.
http://www.facebook.com/francis.short Francis Short Jr

One senerio would be have both cornered in same area.both need to cooperate to stay alive
Martine

I think its time to go in a different direction with Jeremy Renner, and leave Matt in the past. The original movies are very good, but there really is no reason to go backwards. Especially if Damon isn't into it. I actually liked the last movioe better then the others upon re watch.
nick meyer

I think renner should come to Damon for advice in the movie, and by coming to him, inadvertently drags Damon back into the fight.
brn

It does not make it a great movie because u like damon or Renner. the only thing that matter is who plays good portraying the role. I think matt damon nailed it portraying jason bourne. let's not forget it is a BOURNE movie and how many trained agent are going to want out or tried to be assassinated by the same agency that trained them. its like once out of the shit story. the writer put the main character in a shit that he can not get out of and he can't get him out so he writes the sequel saying once out of the shit. The Bourne legacy is a shit movie
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin
  
  I have no idea what you are trying to say. is English your first language?
Mike

Heck yeah! Bourne Legacy wasn't near as good as the first three and if he and Damon team up together in one sequal, now that's a movie I would DEFINATELY see.
Ciara

Before finding out that Matt and Jeremy could possibly be in the 5th Bourne together, hopefully if there is a 5th, I was actually thinking of how awesome that would be. Even if they don't team up, I and many other huge fans of Matt Damon and The Bourne Movies would surely love to see him in the sequel. I love Matt and in my opinion, he's my favorite actor. No matter what though, I will still never stop loving the movies and Matt. Please make a Bourne 5! (:
adam murphy

yes bourne wanted out but like he could still be getting chased and bump into cross even just come back 4 one film then if you dont want to do more get killed off it in the legacy2
http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin

Can someone explain why people didn't like the ending? They made it very clear that they were no longer being chased, so they can now take time and get to know one another. They are safe from Eric Beyer. As long as they don't go back to the USA they can do what they like. What more did people want?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Maria-Shavzin/1507654721 Maria Shavzin

Ok...In all of the original Bourne movies there were the very flimsiest of reasons for Bourne to be involved at all. That never bothered Matt before.
http://www.facebook.com/selena.williams3 Selena Williams

I enjoyed Legacy but not as much as the trilogy with Matt Damon. Nearing watching the end of Legacy I was thinking wouldn't it be great if they did a sequel to Legacy with Matt Damon & Renner teaming up in the aid of helping out Joan Allen.
Bored legacy

The problem with any great trilogy is that one more guy thinks he can make an even better 4th movie, as is always the case, it's always a huge letdown. Damon made the Bourne series into what it is and he will have dedicated followers, Renner did what he had to and therefore he'll have his crowd. Legacy was a major letdown and clearly ends with the intention of a sequal. Damon will commit Bourne suicide if he jumps on the set with Renner. Personally I feel that this movie could have been called something completely different and could have been a franchise on it's own. I don't think Renner is great, he does not feel the character and is just another fast paced action man. Damon had depth and character, you could see his internal turmoil while doing what he was trained for. I will not sit through anothe Bourne film if it is not with Jason Bourne.