That film was delayed and over budget. But something odd happened in the summer of 2002.

The movie’s mix of visceral, kinetic action and contemporary political concerns felt fresh to audiences. Jason Bourne was a new kind of action hero. He didn’t punctuate his pummeling of foes with well-aimed quips. And he wasn’t kitted out with the latest technological marvels or a souped-up Aston Martin; he made do with found objects or whatever car he could steal.

Though “The Bourne Identity” performed only decently on its opening weekend — “Scooby-Doo” nearly tripled its box-office take — word of mouth buoyed the movie, and it ended up making more than $120 million domestically.

The studio quickly set out to make more. Mr. Greengrass, coming off “Bloody Sunday,” his dramatization of a massacre by British troops of Irish protesters in 1972, was recruited for the 2004 “Bourne Supremacy.” Critical acclaim joined box-office success for “Supremacy” and, in 2007, “The Bourne Ultimatum,” which won Oscars for film editing, sound mixing and sound editing.

But Mr. Greengrass was burned out on Bourne.

The films were not only grueling to make, but the original trilogy also felt of a piece, one unfolding story when watched in succession. At the end of “Ultimatum,” Jason Bourne remembered everything about his past as a highly trained government assassin and swam off in the East River, having dispatched the corrupt agency officials who had tried to have him killed. A new film would require a new motivating set of circumstances.

The studio gave Mr. Greengrass time, and he gave it a shot. But when it became clear that he couldn’t find an idea that excited him, Universal Pictures — facing a contractual deadline with the Robert Ludlum estate to produce another film — went to Plan B. Not keen on recasting the role, the studio then released an offering from the screenwriter of the first three films, Tony Gilroy, who conjured up another black ops agent, Aaron Cross (played by Jeremy Renner) for “The Bourne Legacy.”

But Donna Langley, the chairwoman of Universal Pictures, never gave up hope. After all, franchise sequels are the lifeblood of today’s movie business.