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The Bourne Reappearance

In a year full of superhero movies:

  • Deadpool
  • Batman v Superman
  • Captain America: Civil War
  • X-MEN: Apocalypse
  • Suicide Squad
it's nice to see the return of a super human of a more normal kind. This summer Jason Bourne returns to the big screen in (oddly enough)
Jason Bourne. The plot is currently unknown. Our first glimpse comes in the form of a 31 second superbowl spot. However, with a 28th July release date I don't think it'll be long before we see another longer trailer.


In terms of plot we know very little. Bourne is still on the move, living in the shadows. In the trailer he says "I remember everything" to which Nicky (Julia Stiles) replies "remembering everything doesn't mean you know everything". But it appears he's still on the run, apparently surviving by competing in underground bare knuckle boxing. When a surveillance photo of him appears on a screen in a government control centre one of the agents (Ato Essandoh) says "that's Jason Bourne". This could be the first confirmed sighting of Bourne since New York, when he jumped off of the hospital roof into the East River. What draws him back into the fold? Tommy Lee Jones asks this very question. Is it Nicky? Is she in trouble? Will they rekindle what was hinted at in Ultimatum? One of only two photos shows him wrapping bandages around his hands in preparation for a fight, and the other is a shot of him in what appears to be deep contemplation. The first poster does show he's still a fan of Sig Sauer handguns, his weapon of choice since the first movie (SP 2009 in his safety deposit box in the Swiss Bank).


As a fan of The Bourne Legacy I thought it was a shame that the movie isn't a Bourne/Cross partnership. But with the lack of interest in Legacy and Aaron Cross I'm not surprised they're keeping the characters separate. Also, from a realism point of view, people trying to stay under the radar don't tend to seek each other out, especially when one of them has been plastered all over the global news! This does mean that Jeremy Renner's next "Bourne" movie won't be released until sometime between 2018 and 2020. Renner's movie is being directed by Justin Lin, the director of every Fast and Furious movie from Tokyo Drift to 6. I shall reserve judgement on this until I've seen Star Trek: Beyond. Having read about what Lin has done as Director of the third Star Trek instalment I am looking forward to seeing it, regardless of fan over reaction to the first trailer. If he has done a good job with Star Trek I think he's a good choice for Renner Bourne. We know he can do action because of the Fast and Furious movies, ridiculous action, but it does involve cars and every good Bourne movie needs a car chase of some description. So I for one will give Lin a chance.

So far in terms of Bourne, the makers seem to be keeping as many details under wraps as possible. With six months to release we still don't have a basic plot. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing! Over the years many trailers have given away too much. I fear this may be the case with Batman v Superman. You could argue that we already know Batman and Superman will become allies and form the Justice League, but they could have not revealed Doomsday or hinted that Lex Luthor knows their secret identities. If anything it seems that the makers of Jason Bourne are taking a leaf out of Bourne's book by using the hype of this years superhero movies to fly under the radar.

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