Summary
- Matt Damon’s return to the Bourne franchise could only work if the franchise presents a compelling and satisfying final chapter.
- The missed opportunity of a crossover between Jason Bourne and Aaron Cross is the biggest void in the Bourne franchise so far.
- A potential story for Bourne 6 could involve Aaron Cross seeking out Jason Bourne for an alliance against their common enemies, providing an impactful and exciting conclusion to the series.
Matt Damon may or may not return to the Bourne franchise, but if he does, it could only work be implementing one key element. Damon first took on the role of the lethal assassin David Webb a.k.a. Jason Bourne in 2002’s The Bourne Identity, based upon Robert Ludlum’s eponymous 1980 novel. The Bourne franchise would subsequently grow into a popular action movie series, but since 2016’s Jason Bourne, there has been much uncertainty about whether Jason Bourne will return for another mission.
Both Matt Damon himself and director Paul Greengrass have cast doubt upon the idea of Bourne 6, suggesting that the Bourne franchise might have finally run its course by Jason Bourne. However, there is one story left for the Bourne franchise to tell that could be one of its most enthralling. Indeed, it would also arguably be the only one to justify another entry in the Bourne series, and would need to make clear that it is the franchise’s final chapter.
The Jason Bourne Franchise Needs To Move On From Matt Damon
When the Bourne franchise first began with 2002’s The Bourne Identity, Matt Damon’s portrayal of the deadly assassin was a much bigger novelty than it seems two decades hence. At the time, Damon was known for primarily for his dramatic in movies like Good Will Hunting and the odd comedy like Kevin Smith’s Dogma. That would only make Damon’s performance as Jason Bourne that much more impactful, due to Damon diving head first into becoming an action hero and making quite the impression once he did.
However, with Damon’s subsequent Bourne performances and his work in other action-oriented roles, his ability to carry an action movie is all but taken for granted. Moreover, Bourne himself has largely completed his own arc of recovering his memories of his past and defeating the Treadstone agency. With Bourne having few places left to go in the Bourne franchise, the best option for Damon’s last appearance would be for it to be Bourne’s last ride, and the series has already made it obvious what that story should be.
Why Jason Bourne & Aaron Cross Need To Appear Together
With Damon having walked away from the Bourne franchise at the time, 2012’s The Bourne Legacy would tell a side story of Bourne’s fellow assassin Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). With Cross similarly rebelling against the organization that made him into an assassin, he and Bourne are kindred spirits as two assassins turning against the programs they were once a part of. Damon would not appear in The Bourne Legacy, nor would Renner in 2016’s Jason Bourne, and the duo’s unrealized meeting is thus far the Bourne franchise’s biggest missed opportunity. That is also something that Bourne 6 could change.
While Jason Bourne would carry the marketing hook of Damon’s return as Bourne, Bourne 6 would need a distinction of its own in order to stand out from its predecessors. What could be better than Jeremy Renner returning as Aaron Cross and Bourne 6 itself being explicitly positioned as the Bourne franchise’s finale? Naturally, such a comeback on Renner’s part could only happen if he is recovered enough from his near-fatal snowplow accident to return to an action role. Should that happen and Renner is game for a return as Aaron Cross, Bourne 6 could have the perfect story to wrap the franchise up with.
What Story Could Bring Damon & Renner Back To Jason Bourne
Due to their past lives as assassins and battles with top-secret government agencies, both Bourne and Cross have had to go into hiding, with both carrying highly classified information. Much of The Bourne Legacy was devoted to the legend left by Bourne prior to his disappearance, and with Cross also on the run by the end of The Bourne Legacy, he could see Bourne as an important ally. Jason Bourne concludes with Bourne disappearing once more, so Bourne 6 could focus upon Cross’s quest to find him, with the duo then teaming up to take down their remaining enemies in Treadstone and Operation Outcome once and for all.
By bringing Bourne and Cross together at last (and perhaps even starting out with a Bourne vs. Cross smackdown), Bourne 6 would be a team-up of assassins the Bourne franchise has never seen before, and could also have the distinction of the two going from being constantly on the run to launching the most direct assault on Treadstone and Operation Outcome the series has ever seen. Add in Bourne 6 being openly declared as the grand finale of the Bourne franchise, and Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner’s returns could bring the series to a very impactful conclusion.
