Will there be another installment in the “Bourne” franchise, and will Edward Berger direct it? Two years ago, rumors swirled that Matt Damon had Berger locked in to helm a long-gestating sequel to the spy franchise. Since then, however, it’s been a different story entirely.
Last October, the director admitted he wasn’t sure what was happening with the project. Then, in March, Universal’s rights to the franchise lapsed, leaving the future of the series in doubt. The studio’s parent company, NBCUniversal, has since acquired the IP, but where Bourne heads next is anyone’s guess, and if Berger will head there with the super spy.
But in a new interview with Empire, Berger stressed he’s still interested in tackling a “Bourne” movie, if it comes to pass. “That’s all in the stars,” he told the outlet. “I’d love to do it, but it depends on the script — whether we can find something for Matt Damon to play that he hasn’t before, and something that I don’t feel Paul Greengrass or the other directors have done.”
In other words, Berger’s interest in the franchise hinges on if he’s able to do something original with it, much like Tony Gilroy did with 2012’s “The Bourne Legacy.” That standalone entry starred Jeremy Renner as another amnesiac Treadstone agent on the run as he tries to piece together his past. And while that film did okay commercially, critics met it with a mixed reception, which led Greengrass and Damon to return for 2016’s “Jason Bourne.”
In an interview with The Playlist earlier this year, Gilroy recalled frustration making the 2012 film, and cited “communication problems” with Universal and their unclear vision for the franchise. “I have a feeling it’s not left in such an easy place to recover,” he said of the series, and said returning for another “Bourne” would be a “poor career decision on my part.”
If it’s a poor decision for Gilroy to return, wouldn’t it also be one for Berger to take a potential “Bourne” sequel on, especially if he wants to do something original? At least Berger is aware of the task he’d taken on if he does direct a new sequel. “[“Bourne”] has such a legacy,” he continued to Empire. “You don’t want to make a film where people say, ‘Ah, it’s not as good as the others.’ There are many hurdles.”
Those comments echo similar ones Berger made to Cinema Daily US last October, when the director called Greengrass’ films “a very high [bar] to jump over,” and a more recent THR interview where he stated he needs to “have the feeling that we are adding something new” to the franchise. Maybe Universal, Damon, and Berger do have something new to tell, thanks to Joe Barton‘s new script for the project. A finished script doesn’t guarantee a green light, but it does mean another “Bourne” adventure is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Whether it becomes a reality, however, remains to be seen. Berger has nothing lined up after his latest, “A Ballad Of A Small Player,” completes its festival rounds and debuts on Netflix on October 29, so let’s see what happens.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://theplaylist.net/edward-berger-on-a-new-bourne-movie-thats-all-in-the-stars-20250925/&media=https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/08180541/matt-damon-edward-berger-jason-bourne-5.jpg&description="'Bourne has such a legacy,'" Berger continued. “You don’t want to make a film where people say, ‘Ah, it’s not as good as the others.’"){kind=link}