Universal's taking one heck of a gamble with their much loved Bourne franchise. With Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon out of the picture(at least for now), the reins were handed over completely to series writer Tony Gilroy to spin Bourne's world off into another direction. The plan for The Bourne Legacy is to basically open up a whole new corner of the same world in which Bourne existed, following a similar character dogged by an element of the treacherous Treadstone group. Spinoffs off popular flicks don't have a great history of success, so Universal is doing whatever they can to make this the most star powered film yet.
They began by casting Jeremy Renner to play the lead role, in what I think is his 10th franchise lead lined up over the next few years. That was quickly followed up by surrounding him with the type of supporting cast any director would drool over: Rachel Weisz, Ed Norton, Oscar Isaac, Stacey Keach, Scott Glenn, and the returning Joan Allen and Albert Finney. Fans identify Bourne through Matt Damon, so there's a greater risk of disappointing them and ruining the whole shebang if Damon and Greengrass do eventually return, as some expect them to. But seriously, who's not going to want to see any film with these people involved?
In the latest issue of Empire Magazine, Jeremy Renner revealed some additional details on the film and his character....
Renner: "My character is called Aaron Cross," Renner said, "but he ends up having a bunch of different names. For fans of the franchise, [The Bourne Legacy] has that same ticking clock, but it's a new program and new characters."
And what about Treadstone? Are they as dangerous as before?
Renner: "Yeah, it's that same deal, it's just a new set of agents with a different leash. It's the same tempo and pace but more expansive and bigger. The differences are pretty vast but you'll know it's a Bourne movie."
We'll get a better sense of what Renner brings to the table as an action star when Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol opens next month. The Bourne Legacy is set to debut August 3rd 2012! [Comingsoon.net]
