The Bourne Legacy seemed like a much-anticipated project at the time for Tony Gilroy, who wrote and directed the film. While the popular series, earning close to a billion dollars, was mostly associated with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass, the person who did most of the heavy lifting behind the scenes was Gilroy, who wrote all three Bourne films.
In The Bourne Legacy, Gilroy showcased the internal affairs of the series, exposing a bigger conspiracy. Directing the film also proved challenging as the film lacked the lead character, Jason Bourne, and instead had to bring new villains and leads.
Tony Gilroy Felt No Obligation To Previous Bourne Films
During an interview with IndieWire, Tony Gilroy was inquired about his approach. He was asked whether he sensed an obligation to the previous installments in the franchise or whether he considered the pressure coming from the trilogy’s success.
Tony Gilroy, in response, said that he did not feel any obligation to the previous Bourne films. He said that he had several other projects that required his attention, explaining how Michael Clayton impacted his life and career.
Tony Gilrow told IndieWire:
“I really don’t at all. For me, there were lots of different things for me to do. “Michael Clayton” changed my life [ed. it was his feature-length debut as a director/writer and it earned 7 Oscar nominations], I really lucked out to do the things that I did when I did them. The first blush of these first [new ‘Bourne’] meetings were both exploratory and mercenary in some sense, you know? But all of a sudden we stumbled across the one thing we haven’t touched on yet in this series.”
He asserted that the initial meetings for The Bourne Legacy were business-oriented as well as exploratory. They eventually came up with an aspect that wasn’t explored in the series until then.
Matt Damon Believes The Bourne Legacy Ruined The Series
Previously, Matt Damon ended his Bourne series in 2007 with The Bourne Ultimatum. The actor believed the film to be a fulfilling conclusion to the series, expressing his satisfaction. However, the studio later went ahead with the franchise without Damon. The Bourne Legacy introduced Jeremy Renner as the lead, paving the way for a new arc in the series.
Damon told Playboy (via Parade):
“You know what? They might have taken the Bourne series out back and shot it in the head. If that’s the end of it, that’s just the end of it. I hope not. I love the character and the three movies we did, so I’d love to figure out a way to do another one.”
Matt Damon, who remained interested in reprising his role, questioned whether The Bourne Legacy might have influenced his decision to return. However, in 2016, Matt Damon did make a comeback with Jason Bourne.
