Matt Damon Praises New ‘Jason Bourne’ Director Edward Berger But Stops Short Of Confirming His Return: “I’m Not Getting Any Younger”

Last November, Universal Pictures announced a new “Jason Bourne” film in development, with “All Quiet On The Western Front” director Edward Berger helming the picture. That’s a slam-dunk choice of a fresh talent to steer the franchise in a new direction, but what about star Matt Damon? Will he return as the spy for the fifth time in the sixth film of the series, or has he aged out of the role at 53 years young?

READ MORE: Matt Damon Has Been Quietly Working On His Own ‘Jason Bourne 5’ For Years [The Backstory]

Variety reports that Damon talked about the upcoming “Jason Bourne” sequel during his latest appearance on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert last night. And while Damon is as hyped as anyone about Berger helming “Jason Bourne 6,” he remained coy on whether he’ll reprise the role. “There is a great director named Edward Berger,” Damon said on the telecast. “[“All Quiet on the Western Front”] is a fantastic film, and he’s wonderful, and he said he had an idea . I would love to work with him, so he’s working on it.”

But as to whether he’ll be back as Bourne, Damon wouldn’t confirm anything. “Look, I’m as anxious as you are to see if this thing [happens] — I hope it’s great and that we can do it,” he continued. “At a certain point somebody is going to need to take it over. I’m not getting any younger.” If Damon doesn’t return, it wouldn’t be the first “Jason Bourne” film without him.  Jeremy Renner starred in the series’ fourth film, “The Bourne Legacy” as another test subject of the franchise’s Operation Treadstone, a CIA black-ops program that genetically enhances its agents. So if Berger wants to go in a different direction than Damon in “Jason Bourne 6,” there’s any number of young Hollywood actor who could star as a new Treadstone agent; it doesn’t need to be Damon or Renner.

Also bear in mind that it’ll be a long time before the next “Jason Bourne” movie hits theaters. Back in November, Universal confirmed that no script was ready for the upcoming film, or even a screenwriter attached to the project. And again, Damon is now 53 (as is Renner), so they’re not exactly age-appropriate to play rugged, globetrotting super spies anymore. Damon almost handed off the series to a younger actor before (Tom Hardy was once considered as the next franchise star), so don’t be surprised if he does so for the next film. Still, it’d be fun to see the actor return for another round as Bourne, his first since 2016’s “Jason Bourne,” but again, no guarantees that it’ll happen.

As for Berger, he joins Doug Liman, Paul Greengrass, and Tony Gilroy as director who’ve worked on the “Jason Bourne” franchise. That’s solid company to be in for the Hollywood up-and-comer. Berger is fresh off of “All Quiet On The Western Front” earning nine Oscar nods, including Best Picture. Up next for the German director? “Conclave,” a thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow, and Stanley Tucci.

Stay tuned for updates on “Jason Bourne 6,” but don’t expect it to hit theaters for another couple of years.