Matt Damon is going home again. Maybe.
Matt Damon might be Bourne again
Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic.
On Monday, Deadline reported that Damon, one of the few actors who doesn’t have a part in an Avengers movie or Justice League movie yet, is in discussions to appear in a fourth Bourne movie (the fifth in the franchise). The motivating factor is director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum), who is in talks to direct the film.
“I’m told that the studio is so bullish on this that the intention is to make the reteam the next Bourne film to go into production, to make the July 16, 2016, release slot that Universal had previously assigned to an untitled Bourne film,” Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. wrote.
This, no doubt, is a big win for the fans that helped each Damon-starring Bourne film gross over $100 million domestically. And the success of smaller action films like Lucy and the critical acclaim of a sci-fi flick like Snowpiercer show that you don’t need to be Marvel, DC, or a Hunger Games spinoff to do well in the blockbuster world — good news for Universal.
Damon going back to Bourne is also monumental for reasons that don’t revolve around money. There are many fans whose beloved franchises ended ages ago, and Damon’s Bourne-again revolution could give them hope that a long-dead franchise could come back. Like these ones:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
What happened: Buffy was put to sleep after seven seasons. During the show’s golden days, it was continually snubbed by the Emmys for the top categories despite being one of the most powerful (gay rights, school shootings, and death were all explored) and thoughtful shows on television. Now that it’s long dead, the show, wacky monsters and all, has been regarded as a television gem, with well-respected names in the industry like The Wire creator David Simon heaping on praise.
Who would have to come back? Even though Sarah Michelle Gellar was the star of that show and even though she isn’t doing anything great at the moment, the key here is creator Joss Whedon. And the Avengers director is pretty much wrapped up in all things Marvel at the moment.
Destiny’s Child (1990-2006)
What happened? Well, Beyoncéwanted to start a solo career and is now on the precipice of world domination. Her fellow bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, haven’t had the same type of success — the biggest highlight for the two was being called from their ho-hum lives to perform at the 2013 Super Bowl.
Who would have to come back? Beyoncé.
The Golden Compass (2007)
What happened? This adaptation of the first book of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, was panned, scoring a 42 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also, at the time, one of the most expensive movies New Line had ever made with a production budget of $180 million. The movie only grossed $70 million domestically. It also featured a monkey that was really terrifying.
Who would have to come back? Every single person who saw the first movie, and they’d also have to bring three of their friends.
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