If one were to ask Doug Liman about how he feels about the Daniel Craig era of James Bond films, he would tell you: “I don’t know if I got what I wanted or didn’t get what I wanted.” This hesitancy in the mind of such a filmmaking auteur rises due to his contribution to the world of spycraft via Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne. First launching the franchise with The Bourne Identity in 2002, the web that connects Liman’s film to Daniel Craig’s 007 tenure is intricately interconnected, at least that is what the director believes.
The Complicated Origins of Doug Liman’s Spy: Jason Bourne
As an actor and a filmmaker, one of the greatest honors of the art is to be the recipient of the Academy Awards. But when in the field, that honor takes different forms for different people. While some may be more invested in working on an independent feature, for others their greatest dream could be sharing a screen with Tom Cruise. Some might have their specific choice of directors to work with. For Doug Liman, his dream involved helming a James Bond film for as long as he could remember.
Unfortunately, that dream was crushed even before it began to take root in his mind – Bond films were famously notorious for hiring only British directors, a rule that was ultimately broken on Bond’s 25th outing in No Time to Die.
However, before Daniel Craig‘s 007 came around, and broke one too many rules involving the infamous superspy (including giving him a child and portraying his first on-screen death) Liman was sadly resigned to having his dreams come true by making his very own James Bond. While he did keep his spy’s initials similar to the British counterpart, the rest of his story took a turn for the worse pretty fast.
Not only was Matt Damon‘s spy a rogue agent on the run from the get-go, but he also went up against the organization that he once vowed to be loyal to, the same organization that betrayed him at every turn of the way and left him with no choice but to disappear once again in the very end.
James Bond Imitated Matt Damon’s Run as Jason Bourne?
While Doug Liman’s Jason Bourne films were a far throw from what the age-old Cold War era James Bond had established, the first Bourne film did hold a tone and an overall feel to the plot that was very similar to what Daniel Craig’s 007 became known for. Bourne had none of the misogyny and a wholehearted inclination for the art of ingenious spycraft.
Because of the mystery that Matt Damon’s anti-hero surrounded himself with, never revealing the complete story to the audience but only as much as Bourne himself kept uncovering as he went along, the feeling of restlessness, distrust, and danger always loomed in the foreground. That element of betrayal and surprise that waited at every corner made Jason Bourne work. And Liman thinks that is exactly what the new era of 007 attempted to recreate with Daniel Craig.
I always wanted to make a James Bond movie, but they don’t hire American directors. By the way, you’ve made two little indie movies. You’re never going to direct James Bond. I went and made Bourne Identity, and then after The Bourne Identity came out, the next James Bond to come out was Casino Royale, which totally copied the tone of Bourne. I had a very surreal thing where I was sort of making Bourne because I really wanted to make Bond, and then Bond copied Bourne.
Now that the James Bond franchise finally separates itself from its notorious rules and binding laws by bringing in Cary Fukunaga in Bond 25, perhaps there may yet be some hope left for Doug Liman in the new era of Bond that is to come. The filmmaker who brought forth such incredible movies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Edge of Tomorrow promises to bring a formidable Bond to the screens if he happens to be no longer jaded about the No-Americans law.
The Bourne series is currently available for streaming on Prime Video.
Source: Slashfilm
