Since the last Jason Bourne movie was released, everyone has wondered when another sequel would be made. With the huge worldwide box office grosses and critical success, you’d think it would be easy to get another sequel off the ground. But time and again, Matt Damon has said they’d only do another sequel if the script was good. Add to that, director Paul Greengrass recently said he wasn’t going to do another Bourne sequel.

So when I sat down at today’s press junket for Green Zone and was able to participate in small roundtable interviews with the star and director, the one thing I really wanted to know was what exactly was up with another Bourne sequel. Thankfully, I was able to ask both of them that question. Unfortunately for fans of the Bourne franchise, it’s very bad news.

First off, Greengrass told me he’s definitely not making another Jason Bourne movie. And on top of that, Damon told me he would never make another Bourne movie without Greengrass. So…that’s it. The nail is in the coffin. I hope you enjoyed the three Bourne movies cause it’s over.

Or is it? Hit the jump for more:

While Damon said he was done with Bourne, he did tell me an idea for more Bourne movies without him in it. Here’s what he said:

Collider: So does that mean there’s no more Bourne?

Damon: Well, I think that they have a good way to do a prequel with someone else, and basically make it about the Bourne identity, the actual identity. What any studio is interested in is making it like an evergreen, so it can just go on, and on, and on, and it never will with our character because he’s going to resolve himself and he’s resolved his issues now. He’s got his memory back three times. I don’t think anybody wants to see me say, “I don’t remember” again. But I think what we could do, is like, you know, so you can do some movies with another actor, anyway, whether it’s Ryan Gosling or Russell Crowe or Denzel Washington, and he’s Jason Bourne. And then at the end of his one movie, or two movies, or three movies, you see them getting ready to pass the identity on to me, so it just becomes like a 007, it becomes a name that they give this certain person who’s uniquely positioned. Right? And so then, if Paul and I come back and do a fourth one in 10 years, right, we’ll pass it on to someone else, and then it can kind of go on. But I think the only way to make it go away from us is to say no.

I guess he’s trying to say Universal might make more Bourne movies with another actor playing a Bourne type character. While that might be cool, one of the reasons people love the franchise is Matt Damon playing the role. Who knows if another actor playing that kind of part would even work.

On a positive note, Damnon revealed that he’s been talking to Greengrass about doing another film together and it’s about the economic meltdown. While it’s not another Bourne film, I welcome with open arms any future collaboration.

Here’s exactly what they both said on the Bourne franchise. I wish it was better news.

MATT DAMON ON BOURNE

Collider: I’m going to ask the question, I’ve asked you this a few times in the past, about Bourne. We spoke to Paul today, and he was like, “I’m out. You know, it’s done.” So the question then becomes, are you willing to make a Bourne movie without Paul.

Matt Damon: No.

Collider: So does that mean there’s no more Bourne?

Damon: Well, I think that they have a good way to do a prequel with someone else, and basically make it about the Bourne identity, the actual identity. What any studio is interested in is making it like an evergreen, so it can just go on, and on, and on, and it never will with our character because he’s going to resolve himself and he’s resolved his issues now. He’s got his memory back three times. I don’t think anybody wants to see me say, “I don’t remember” again. But I think what we could do, is like, you know, so you can do some movies with another actor, anyway, whether it’s Ryan Gosling or Russell Crowe or Denzel Washington, and he’s Jason Bourne. And then at the end of his one movie, or two movies, or three movies, you see them getting ready to pass the identity on to me, so it just becomes like a 007, it becomes a name that they give this certain person who’s uniquely positioned. Right? And so then, if Paul and I come back and do a fourth one in 10 years, right, we’ll pass it on to someone else, and then it can kind of go on. But I think the only way to make it go away from us is to say no.

Collider: So what would be the title then, I mean, with James Bond it’s James Bond, 007. How would it be in the title what they are thinking about going with?

Damon: I don’t know. I have no idea.

Collider: The Bourne Infancy

Damon: Yeah, it’s like a Look Who’s Talking.

Collider: You and Paul have a phenomenal working relationship, how much, when you guys talk about other things, how much do you want to continue in the vein you have been going in, or possibly just go and branch into a whole new direction with his style?

Damon: Well, I think, what we have been talking about is something, maybe a movie, about the economic meltdown, and trying to figure out what the way in is. But yeah, I love making these movies with him, and they give us… and we’re making them for pretty good budget so we can kind of tell it on a bigger scale. This is a big movie, you got helicopters blowing up and it’s like a big deal. So hopefully we’ll be able to keep making big stories, but I’ll kind of go anywhere he wants to go. I think he’s a great director and I learn a ton, every time I work with him, about directing and about acting. So I’ll follow him pretty much anywhere.

PAUL GREENGRASS ON BOURNE

Collider: I’m going to ask the question that every fan out there of the Bourne franchise wants to know. Are you definitely not doing another one? Can you give people the status what’s up with that.

Paul Greengrass: What happened was that I just felt, listen, I love the Bourne franchise, number one, a great deal, and I gave my all on the two films that I made. But when I was honest with myself, in the last autumn, and I was starting to get going on other things, you just can’t top once you’ve realized you’ve done it. You don’t have anything more to contribute to the franchise that needs to continue, obviously. And in order for a franchise to continue it needs to be rebooted and reenergized by new perspectives. I just felt that I had done it, and there’s nothing unnatural about that. To make a film, it’s 18 months of your life, seven days a week, 20 hours a day, you got to have real, real…and there was just too many other things I was interested in. I felt I had a wonderful, wonderful time, loved it, and I want it to continue. So, in the end, contrary to reports, there was never an argument with the studio of any kind at all. I was, I did spend some time thinking that I might, and sort of getting myself to a place, you know, “what would it be,” and that was really it. It’s only when you do that that you actually find, “you know what? I’m sort of gone. I’m on top of things.” We had a really nice discussion, they were completely understanding, and I said, “you know what? We’ll make some other movies.”

Collider: So this is it. We can put a nail in the coffin, this is official, you are definitely not doing another one.

Greengrass: I’m doing some other things.

Collider: Which is the follow-up. What are you thinking about for other projects?

Greengrass: ‘Dunno. Haven’t gotten anything definite yet, but I’m enjoying reviving, you know, doing some…those four films…

Question: What was it? Like eight years?

Greengrass: Yeah, I mean it’s, Supremacy…actually six…Supremacy, what are we now?

2010.

Greengrass: Supremacy, 93, Ultimatum, Green Zone. I think this is also part of my sort of feeling, although I didn’t realize it then, but you sort of sit down and go, “Actually, it’s like the end of a chapter.” They’re all four films that are really about this decade and they’re all sort of interlinked in a funny kind of way, even though some of them are quite different from the others. They are all really sort of about those years, and that world, and that sort of a film, the big, high-octane, action movie type of thing, so I just thought I need to find some new tricks for this old dog. Well, not so old. So you kind of go, actually, I need to do some different things, engage in some new material. I’d like to do something that’s a bit more with boys and girls, and men and women. Love.

Romantic comedy.

Greengrass: You never know. A family film…you know, listen, I’ll still make, I want to do…Matt and I want to do some things, continue our partnership. We’ll certainly be doing that. You know, it’s just time to move on. That’s what happens. Listen, you be the first to say if I came back and did a bad one, you’d go, “they should have found somebody else.



