Jason Bourne is set to return as Universal secures the rights to the franchise. What’s the best way to continue the series?

Jason Bourne and the birth of an action movie franchise

According to Deadline, Universal has officially snagged the rights to produce more movies and TV shows from the world of Jason Bourne.

You remember him. The guy who revolutionized the mid-2000s action genre with its shaky cam and kinetic fight sequences. Taken, Daniel Craig’s version of James Bond, and Jack Bauer in 24 don’t exist without this Oscar-winning franchise.

Credit goes to Doug Liman, director of The Bourne Identity, Paul Greengrass, director of Supremacy and Ultimatum, and Tony Gilroy, who wrote the first three Bourne movies.

And, of course, Matt Damon, who, at the time, was not the first or even fifth choice to be an action hero, but his soulful performance and combat chops made all of us believers.

The Jason Bourne legacy (see what I did there?)

The series ran through three excellent movies and two “why are we here” movies.

There was also a “blink and you miss it” series revolving around Bourne’s secret organization, “Treadstone.” I saw it. It was a good setup for a better series, but Universal’s USA network canceled it after a single season, leaving a great cliffhanger unresolved.

There’s no official word on what Universal is gonna do with the franchise. There is a script by Joe Barton, who has crafted several reputable British crime dramas, as well as the critically acclaimed Netflix spy series, Black Doves, with Keira Knightley.

Universal has also threatened to bring Damon back, which didn’t work out well the last time for the dismal Jason Bourne, despite also pulling back Greengrass.

Also, note it’s been two decades since Identity. Sure, Damon’s beefed and stacked due to his role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, but is he ready to return as a spy?

If I ruled the world

As much as I loved Damon in the role, I’d do this series like James Bond.

Time for a new Jason Bourne. And like Bourne, the audience would get collective amnesia about the previous movies. We’re starting a new thing here.

Who would I cast as the new Bourne? Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe wait to see who gets James Bond, and then pick through the loser pile.

Or, if you don’t want Bond wannabes, here’s a thought: cast an unknown who can play the part.

Nobody thought TV darling Richard Chamberlain could do the part back in the 1988 The Bourne Identity TV mini-series. Dude was a priest in The Thornbirds, but held his own opposite Jaclyn Smith.

Thinking about that first adaptation, as much fun as the modern Identity is, it veered mightily from the original plot of the book. There’s some updating to do, but you could go back to basics for that story.

Things get even better for the sequel adaptations. Supremacy and Ultimatum had not a damned thing to do with their books.

Did you know Marie, Bourne’s love interest, lived throughout the books? And that Bourne has a half-Asian son?

Plenty of material to mine.

Dammit, in the books, Bourne does get older. Maybe you could squeeze an older Damon back and use the later books. There are twenty (!) of the damned things, with many authors picking up the torch from Robert Ludlum, who wrote only the first three.

(Ian Fleming would call him a slacker.)

On second thought…

Naw. New Bourne, new series.

John Wick-style action now dominates the genre. I’d love to see the Jason Bourne franchise find a new way to present the action.

Don’t bring back the shaky cam. Keep the improvised weapons and real martial artists. Make each fight scene count and have consequences instead of being a fight for a great stunt’s sake.

Don’t make the movie super long. Keep the running time close to two hours.

Put the emphasis on the characters and theme. Make that drive the plot. Ground the series (besides the whole super secret agency and amnesia schtick).

Dare we say its plots should be allegories to real-world dilemmas? Think what Gilroy did for Star Wars with Andor. With the world shifting like it is, there are plenty of plots to mine.

My best suggestion for Universal and the Bourne franchise?

Get your new movie out before Amazon reboots James Bond. They’ve got Denis Villeneuve, so you’re almost guaranteed to get something new and special.

Jason Bourne nearly killed Bond once, but lightning may not strike twice.

Hmmm… since Hollywood ain’t gonna let him touch Star Trek or James Bond, maybe this is the franchise that should lure Quentin Tarantino…