UPDATED: 'Bourne Legacy' Likely Not Damon's Bourne
Treadstone, Blackbriar, what's left?
UPDATED: Now Entertainment Weekly is saying Universal told them Gilroy is writing the script. Whatever, I wash my hands of it until more solid information comes in.
I didn't want to write this, but considering I have already written two items recently and not one of them is necessarily accurate I felt it was best I did. Third time's a charm anyway right? Here goes.
First off, my article announcing Tony Gilroy was returning to write The Bourne Legacy, the fourth film in the Bourne franchise isn't exactly a correct reading of the facts. Gilroy is returning to the franchise, but he's being brought in to "write the treatment," not a screenplay. That's my fault. While he may still write the script that's not his immediate task.
It was also mentioned Gilroy would be writing the "Bourne Bible," which I mistook for some kind of book venture related to the goings on in the Bourne franchise. While that isn't necessarily wrong, the use of that material is where I was off. This won't be a book for sale as much as it will be a set of rules, guidlines and information pertaining to the world Bourne lives in for future filmmakers and screenwriters to heed as the franchise moves forward. In the comments on my first article Jesse was on to this long before I was, and it makes total sense considering where the franchise is actually heading.
My article asking "Should Matt Damon Return or be Recast for 'Bourne 4'?" appears to be a worthless one as all signs now point to a new film that won't need him. The Playlist did a little sleuthing and a Universal Studios source told them current reports were "misleading." They say the next Bourne film is not a prequel or a sequel, but "a continuation of the franchise," which, of course, is still misleading and leads to even more speculation, but at least it's a change in the current. Ed Davis at The Playlist suggests this new information means the series will likely continue to tell related stories in the Operation Treadstone storyline.
This makes sense, to a point. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Bourne kill everyone like him that worked in the Treadstone project? Didn't Clive Owen play the last of the brain-washed assassins in the field in The Bourne Identity and at the end of that film weren't the doors on Treadstone shut? Of course, that opened the franchise up to Blackbriar, but even that was snuffed out by the close of The Bourne Ultimatum.
Maybe I am forgetting something, but by my count everyone is either dead or behind bars, which makes a "continuation of the franchise" without Damon's Bourne virtually impossible based on the news we are getting. Perhaps a midstream tangent is viable, but a continuation? I know David Straitharn had some operatives working for him in Ultimatum, but they seemed like nothing more than assassins for hire, not some new story thread that can lead to further films. The doors on Treadstone and Blackbriar, based on my observation seem to be shut. Does anyone out there see it differently? Am I missing something?
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But Blackbriar was merely a switch from Treadstone to make it appear that the latter was a new projectand the former dead when it was really more a continuation of a similar idea.
They could perhaps have someone within the CIA simply dig up and rename Blackbriar as something else and restart it in some fashion.
They could, but that seems rather repetitive and conventional for this franchise, which has, to this point, been pretty smart with its story.
Well, yep, it's overall been smarter than the average action series but that hasn't precluded the odd mis-step of repetitiveness creeping in from time to time.
The franchise established one or two conventions within itself even over just three films anyway.
As a means to an end of jigging up and starting a new franchise, it wouldn't I think veer into complete implausibility.
Or Gilroy might have a better idea for them to work from.
In the first bourne wasn't their still one treadstone member left at the end that killed chris cooper.
If I remember correctly that was an operative working under Brian Cox, not a member of Treadstone.
They could tell the story of an agent working either for Treadstone or Blackbrier, in parallel with the events on the Bourne movies.
They could tell the story of Blackbrier agents trainning program or tell Clive Owen's character story in Europe before he was sent out to kill Bourne – replacing Clive Owen for an younger actor, for instance.
Or they could cast an younger Bourne and make a movie about one of his black ops.
I really liked the idea of creating a Bourne Bible, that would help to create a solid Bourne universe, that they could use to make a lot of things – games, novels, tv series, movies, etc.
Bourne was just one of the agents in Treadstone. I think there are many possibilities.
And, of course, they could always start another black ops group with a cool name like "Treadstone".
They just CAN'T use the "amnesia" story line again.
Can they do that kind of thing? The overall point of the first three films was that these black ops programs without any oversight were immoral, leading to abuse and the murder of innocents. The hero of the film was working against Treadstone/Blackbriar due to amnesia brought on by his psyche finally rebelling against what they made him into, which was monstrous. It's a rather substantial shift to make future movies with a protagonist working for such an organization, whether it be a pre-amnesia Bourne or someone else.
A "continuation of the franchise" means no significant change. The original tweet said they were proceeding as though Matt/Greengrass wouldn't be back, but were still hopeful they would return. Obviously, since this is treatment number 3, they're hopeful to come up with something Matt and Paul like.
First I think you really need to bring Matt back. I believe if Paul does not want to come back they might want to use the group from the Bourne Identity. I was thinking if they want to make a 4th movie. They could start it with Matt swimming off and eventually finding Nicki. They would get married and have kids all this being a couple years later. Then using the lines from Ultimatium with Matt asking Nicki and Pam why are you helping me could start the movie. Somehow David Webb finds out that Pam is now Director and she needs his help this time to track "THE Jackel" whick is in one of the original novels. That is where he can repay Pam for helping him. In this movie, I think David should use alot of his experience and not necessarily fighing to catch Carlos the Jackel. It is a start in the right direction.
This sounds to me like a more plausible turn of events, and IMHO, the script MUST be plausible within the context of the original books, while exploring and breaking new ground going forward. I so loved the storyline of the book series and feel that Matt really EMBODIED and EPITOMIZED what readers thought Bourne was/is supposed to be. I AM disappointed that he's not likely to return as of this date, but look at the James Bond series: No one actor is necessarily the best–I really love Daiel Craig's Bond interpretation.
A story line with Jason Bourne joining forces with Pam &/or Niki or someone new to investigate other government security agencies that have members who take liberties with their positions would lead to more excursions to far away locations and a struggle/chase with those who would prefer to have their activites kept confidential. This could be very entertaining while exploring the ways the government today operates and what areas need restructuring. This exploration could be limitless. Jason could also begin training of personel to build a national security agency that tries to maintain substantial morals for all involved.
why do they have to make another one man ..really? Just leave this franchise from being bastardized. They should rather opt for a spinoff of sorts..without Bourne as the main character..