Matt Damon has kept his fans entertained with his versatile performance in almost every genre possible. From comedy to drama and sci-fi to action, he has portrayed all types of characters on the silver screen. And one of his successful and popular film series also includes the action thriller franchise, The Bourne. The series follows a CIA assassin diagnosed with dissociative amnesia as he figures out everything around him.
The series was based on Robert Ludlum’s 1980 novel, and Damon went on to feature in four films under the franchise. However, things got a little complicated during the third installment in the series, as its lead star did not have anything pleasing to say about its original script written by Star Wars writer, Tony Gilroy.
Matt Damon on Tony Gilroy’s Script For The Bourne 3
Tony Gilroy wrote or co-wrote the first three films in The Bourne franchise and has also directed the fourth installment in the series. However, it featured Jeremy Renner as the lead character instead of Matt Damon. The Interstellar actor has said that he had no prior knowledge about the project and found out about it while surfing online.
The issues between the actor and screenwriter seem to have started during the third installment. During an interview with GQ, Damon shared that Gilroy made a deal to write only one drafted for The Bourne Ultimatum.
The actor criticized the studio, saying that it’s their fault “for putting themselves in that position.” He shared that the script Gilroy wrote was “unreadable.” And although he stated that he doesn’t blame him for “taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in,” he still said that it could have been a “career ender” for him.
“This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay, and it would be game over for that dude,” he said as he called the script terrible. Damon blames the writer for doing nothing and simply taking the money and leaving after providing them with a terrible and embarrassing script.
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Tony Gilroy’s Script Caused Panic During Production
Matt Damon shared that the script Tony Gilroy finalized for the film was not a good sign for the movie’s production. He shared that the whole production schedule was disturbed due to the initial script. “We had a start date. Like, ‘It’s coming out August of next year.’ We’re like, ‘Hang on, we’ve got to figure out what the script is,” he said during his interview with GQ.
The Martian actor further shared that the final script was completed by George Nolfi and Scott Z under extreme pressure and a strict deadline. And he said that he was “disgusted” after Tony Gilroy claimed to have solo credit for writing the movie, which was later turned down. The threequel in the franchise did very well at the box office, making $444 million and earning a 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Bourne Ultimatum is available on Prime Video.
Source: GQ
