Set photos surfacing from Paul Greengrass’ long-awaited – and yet to be titled – sequel Bourne 5 may have given us a rough overview of how the actioner is progressing, but Matt Damon has confirmed that development is simmering around the halfway point.
In an interview with Variety, the actor spoke more about his return to Universal’s dormant franchise, all the while teasing its sprawling scope. From Athens to Berlin to Washington D.C., one thing’s for sure: Bourne 5 will retain that series’ globe-trotting sense of adventure.
“We’re, like, probably about halfway through. We started in September but they’re going dark for most of December and cutting basically the first two acts. And then we have the third act and then whatever we owe from the first two acts…We were in Tenerife, which is supposed to be Athens. It would be like a nighttime riot scene to kind of start the movie. And then England, Berlin a little bit for about a week, and a little bit in D.C. Then we’re going to Vegas for the third act…Big car chase on the strip.”
While Damon happily mapped out a trajectory for the film’s locations – including a “big car chase” along the Las Vegas strip for the climax – the actor was understandably vague concerning plot details. Indeed, the fact that Greengrass’ follow-up is yet to unveil its official title gives us an idea of the level of secrecy surrounding Universal’s soft reboot.
Even still, Bourne 5 will seemingly explore the “intervening years” since we last saw Damon’s hardboiled agent kicking ass and taking names, which the actor guesstimates was 12 years ago in movie years.
“You’ll find the character — like “The Bourne Ultimatum,” the third act actually in the movie dovetails with the third act of “The Bourne Supremacy.” So technically when the Bourne character disappears, it’s still 2004. So when this next one comes out in ’16, it will have been 12 years — in movie years — that the character as been off the grid. So what’s happened in those intervening years gives you a story.”
Damon will return alongside series stalwart Julia Stiles, while Tommy Lee Jones, Riz Ahmed, Vincent Cassell and Scott Shepherd fill the newcomer spots. Bourne 5 has been pegged for a release on July 29, 2016, meaning it’s surely only a matter of time before Universal unveils the official title.
