More Than a Dozen Actors in Contention for Bourne Legacy Sequel
Posted 02.25.11 by Ryan
Bourne fans weren't exactly pleased when writer-director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) revealed that that the Bourne 4 script he was working on — titled Bourne Legacy — will be a "stand-alone project" that wouldn't include the character of Jason Bourne but "a whole new hero," which Gilroy later revealed would be a new agent with the same training as Bourne. Gilroy also explained that he didn't want to replace Matt Damon, who had previously announced that he wouldn't do another Bourne without The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass. Greengrass dropped out of the fourth Bourne in December of 2009. Gilroy maintains that Legacy won't permanently replace Damon, leaving open the possibility of his return.
Despite losing Greengrass and Damon, Universal continues to press on, lining up almost every male actor in Hollywood to play Gilroy's new protagonist. Variety reports that Universal has lined up several actors for the role, including Jake Gyllenhaal (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time), Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Saga). Back in 2009, Lutz publicly revealed he wanted a part in the Bourne franchise, perhaps playing "a brother" to Bourne).
According to the report, there's no front-runner amongst the actors, all of whom will be test screened by Gilroy. The rest of the casting process remains on hold until the lead role is filled, with Universal likely tapping their watch at Gilroy and pointing to a planned spring shoot. But before Gilroy can make a decision, he has several other actors to consider first.
Deadline reports that Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom), Josh Hartnett (30 Days of Night), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Michael Pitt (Funny Games), Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood), Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans), Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four), Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) are also in the mix for the role. The report is quick to point out that scheduling issues will prevent some of the actors from getting the role.
Legacy is tentatively scheduled for a August 2012 release date, which could changed if Gilroy take his time picking his lead actor.
For those still yearning for Damon's return, the actor revealed last month that Universal doesn't own the rights to the Bourne franchise, but the estate of author Robert Ludlum does, meaning that Damon could make another Bourne with Greengrass at another studio. However, Damon said that the possibility of another Greengrass/Damon Bourne wouldn't happen for another "five years."