Edward Berger, who was attached to Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne franchise back in 2023, has addressed the long-awaited sixth installment. Although the Conclave creator is enticed by the prospect of directing the next entry in the series, which revolutionized the action landscape, he told Empire that it all hinges on the script and whether it can live up to its predecessors.
[Bourne] has such a legacy. You don’t want to make a film where people say, “Ah, it’s not as good as the others.” There are many hurdles.
Given Berger’s filmography, which includes Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front, it’s easy to see why he is holding off from fully committing to the sixth movie until it offers something fresh and original.
Edward Berger Wants to Bring Something New for Bourne 6
The last two entries in the franchise haven’t lived up to the original trilogy, which changed how audiences perceived the genre through its gritty and grounded approach, coupled with the use of shaky cam. For Bourne 6, however, the Conclave director wants to bring something new to the table rather than just what Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass did before.
Berger stressed that he wants to take Damon’s Bourne in a direction that he hasn’t gone before, and given the reception to the 2016 movie, fans could use a fresh perspective, told from a different author.
I’d love to do it, but it depends on the script — whether we can find something for Matt Damon to play that he hasn’t before, and something that I don’t feel Paul Greengrass or the other directors have done.
But with the movie still stuck in the writer’s room, and Damon on 54, the question arises: Will age be on the actor’s side by the time the movie eventually hits the ground running?
Can the Bourne Franchise Return Without Matt Damon?
Taken 3 is infamous for its messy action sequences, which stemmed from the production’s reliance on a body double for a major chunk of the action scenes due to Liam Neeson’s age at the time. Coming back to the Bourne franchise, while Damon is notably younger than Neeson, who was 63 at the time of Taken 3, with no scripts in sight, this does raise some concern.
Considering action has been a core part of the Bourne franchise’s identity, a repeat of Taken 3 is certainly fans won’t be expecting from the sixth movie. On the bright side, Damon hasn’t been against the prospect of passing the torch to someone. In an interview with The Guardian, the actor said:
I’m definitely going to be replaced some day by some new young Jason Bourne. That happens to everybody and they reboot these things, and that’s totally fine. It’s difficult when you’re 45 compared to when you’re 29, but you still have to run as fast as you can.
That interview was from almost a decade ago. And given that he found the physical toll of playing Bourne taxing at the time, Damon, who isn’t getting any younger, would undoubtedly face more challenges the longer the delay continues. Hopefully, Berger can squeeze out one more worthy Bourne movie from Damon before he drops the mantle.
Where do you want to see the franchise heading next?
Jason Bourne is currently streaming on HBO Max (USA).
