When a movie franchise relies on one actor alone, studios can be understandably nervous about its longevity. If their star ever walks away, the house of cards could collapse. For that reason, the “Bourne” series attempted to introduce a new hero in “The Bourne Legacy” as a way to extend the series after Matt Damon, who hated his role in “The Bourne Ultimatum,” decided to call it quits. “Avengers” star Jeremy Renner stepped into the franchise as another skilled agent, but since its release in 2012, we have yet to see a sequel to “The Bourne Legacy” — and that’s because original star Matt Damon decided to return. Justin Lin (who is best known for his work in the “Fast & Furious” franchise) was once in talks to direct a sequel to “The Bourne Legacy,” but after years in development, things collapsed around him and it never came to fruition.

When he spoke with the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in 2024, Lin revealed that he was offered the chance to direct a follow-up to “The Bourne Legacy” (which is often ranked as the worst film in the “Bourne” franchise) because Matt Damon was “done” with the series, as he put it. After meeting with Renner and working on a script, things looked up. But those things changed when, in the middle of crafting that script, “Matt [Damon] and [Paul] Greengrass decided to come back.” Lin wasn’t too upset about the sudden ax-drop, and he graciously stepped away to make room for the original creators. “That’s their franchise, and I totally understand,” he said. The end result was the fifth film in the franchise, 2016’s “Jason Bourne,” and there’s apparently been no further interest in a sequel to “The Bourne Legacy” since.

While “The Bourne Legacy” was a very clear attempt to continue the series without original star Matt Damon, it could have actually been a gateway to something much bigger. When writer Tony Gilroy — who penned the first three films in the series as well as “The Bourne Legacy” — spoke with Playlist in 2025, he revealed that, at least in his mind, the “Bourne” movies could have sparked an entire cinematic universe. “I mean, I tried to give them a Marvel Universe with ‘Legacy,'” Gilroy said. “I think [‘Bourne’] is really underrated in terms of its aspirations and what it actually did.”

Sadly, that prospect doesn’t seem likely anymore, at least according to Gilroy. The screenwriter didn’t pull any punches when he was asked about 2016’s “Jason Bourne,” which was co-written by director Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse (“Hobbs & Shaw”). “I don’t understand the cosmos of [the ‘Bourne’ franchise] anymore. I know where I left off. But after the next one they made, ‘Jason Bourne,’ I don’t know how you go forward,” he said. “I have a feeling it’s not left in such an easy place to recover.”

Asked whether he’d ever return to the “Bourne” franchise if given the opportunity, Gilroy was blunt about the fact that, at least for his part, the franchise is over. He made it clear that he wouldn’t want to be a part of a sequel even if it were offered to him. “I think that would be a poor career decision on my part,” he explained. However, just because Gilroy is done doesn’t mean that Universal is — a sixth “Bourne” film is in the works and the studio wants Matt Damon back in the titular role.