Latest news with #Treadstone
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jason Bourne is coming back – but what do we want from him this time?
What do you consider to be the end of Jason Bourne? For connoisseurs, Bourne's story definitively ended in 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, which masterfully wrapped up the story that began five years earlier with The Bourne Identity. For the less discerning viewer, it ended with 2016's scraggy and inconsequential Jason Bourne. For the three people who watched the USA Network's 2019 series Treadstone, it ended there. So which is it? Trick question, because Jason Bourne is never actually going to end, ever. This week, NBCUniversal has won a bidding war to acquire all non-publishing rights to Robert Ludlum's Bourne and Treadstone properties in perpetuity. The deal, described as 'very large', means that Bourne is now firmly as much a part of Universal as Jaws, Jurassic World and the Minions. It also means we are never getting rid of him. As the Universal Pictures president, Peter Cramer, said: 'We're energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.' This is potentially very interesting news, because if any franchise needs a shot in the arm, it's Bourne. While its first three movies are rightly regarded as peerless, things really went off the rails after that. There was 2012's The Bourne Legacy, made without Matt Damon during that weird time where every franchise on Earth seemed to hire Jeremy Renner as its new face. There was 2016's Jason Bourne, where Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon attempted to depict Bourne as a slightly narky nightclub bouncer. And then there was Treadstone, which didn't feature Bourne at all and was canned after a single season. It might have been a wobbly couple of decades for the franchise, but it's important to remember just how revelatory Bourne was at the beginning. As soon as The Bourne Identity landed in 2002, with its grounded, propulsive, parkour-based action, it instantly made every other film in its genre look creaky and ancient. It was released in the same year as Die Another Day and, while Bond outgrossed Bourne two to one, the pure athleticism of the latter made the former – with its phalanx of invisible cars, diamond-faced baddies and shoddy CGI – look ready for the glue factory. Pierce Brosnan was ditched, Daniel Craig was hired and, tellingly, Casino Royale ended up being stuffed to the gills with an absolute Bourneload of parkour. Already there is talk of bringing Matt Damon back into the fold, with Deadline revealing that a script by Joe Barton has been written but not greenlit. And this would be the most sensible avenue, since people automatically equate Bourne with Damon and, thanks to his leading role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey next year, his stock has rarely been higher. However, he is also in his mid-50s, which puts him squarely in 'Liam Neeson in Taken' territory, which isn't necessarily the best long-term strategy for the franchise. Then again, the character isn't exactly wanting for source material. Although Robert Ludlum wrote three Bourne books before his death in 2001, many, many more have been knocked out by various other writers since then. Maybe there'll be an adaptation of 2009's The Bourne Deception, or 2016's The Bourne Enigma, or this year's The Bourne Vendetta, or next year's The Bourne Revenge. There is now such a glut of Bourne books that perhaps the character needs to be reset with a younger actor to get them all made. One thing to avoid, perhaps, is deepening the mythology too much. Treadstone proved that any appetite the character has for the Bourne franchise begins and ends with the character of Jason Bourne. We're already drowning in watered-down IP, so the thought of sitting through a spin-off property about the madcap adventures of Julia Stiles sounds absolutely exhausting. Most pressing of all, though, is making sure that there is a place for Jason Bourne in the current landscape. Since the peerless original Bourne trilogy ended, James Bond has lived and died and been bought by Jeff Bezos. The MCU burst into life, dominated the market and then slowly asphyxiated on its own bloat. The go-to action blockbuster reference for a long time was Mission: Impossible's maximalist stuntwork, but even that came unstuck in the end. We find ourselves in exactly the place we were at the start of the century. The action world has stagnated, and there is a window for something to come along and revolutionise the game. Jason Bourne already did this once. If he can come out of retirement and do it again, the investment will be more than worth it.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jason Bourne is coming back – but what do we want from him this time?
What do you consider to be the end of Jason Bourne? For connoisseurs, Bourne's story definitively ended in 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, which masterfully wrapped up the story that began five years earlier with The Bourne Identity. For the less discerning viewer, it ended with 2016's scraggy and inconsequential Jason Bourne. For the three people who watched the USA Network's 2019 series Treadstone, it ended there. So which is it? Trick question, because Jason Bourne is never actually going to end, ever. This week, NBCUniversal has won a bidding war to acquire all non-publishing rights to Robert Ludlum's Bourne and Treadstone properties in perpetuity. The deal, described as 'very large', means that Bourne is now firmly as much a part of Universal as Jaws, Jurassic World and the Minions. It also means we are never getting rid of him. As the Universal Pictures president, Peter Cramer, said: 'We're energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.' This is potentially very interesting news, because if any franchise needs a shot in the arm, it's Bourne. While its first three movies are rightly regarded as peerless, things really went off the rails after that. There was 2012's The Bourne Legacy, made without Matt Damon during that weird time where every franchise on Earth seemed to hire Jeremy Renner as its new face. There was 2016's Jason Bourne, where Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon attempted to depict Bourne as a slightly narky nightclub bouncer. And then there was Treadstone, which didn't feature Bourne at all and was canned after a single season. It might have been a wobbly couple of decades for the franchise, but it's important to remember just how revelatory Bourne was at the beginning. As soon as The Bourne Identity landed in 2002, with its grounded, propulsive, parkour-based action, it instantly made every other film in its genre look creaky and ancient. It was released in the same year as Die Another Day and, while Bond outgrossed Bourne two to one, the pure athleticism of the latter made the former – with its phalanx of invisible cars, diamond-faced baddies and shoddy CGI – look ready for the glue factory. Pierce Brosnan was ditched, Daniel Craig was hired and, tellingly, Casino Royale ended up being stuffed to the gills with an absolute Bourneload of parkour. Already there is talk of bringing Matt Damon back into the fold, with Deadline revealing that a script by Joe Barton has been written but not greenlit. And this would be the most sensible avenue, since people automatically equate Bourne with Damon and, thanks to his leading role in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey next year, his stock has rarely been higher. However, he is also in his mid-50s, which puts him squarely in 'Liam Neeson in Taken' territory, which isn't necessarily the best long-term strategy for the franchise. Then again, the character isn't exactly wanting for source material. Although Robert Ludlum wrote three Bourne books before his death in 2001, many, many more have been knocked out by various other writers since then. Maybe there'll be an adaptation of 2009's The Bourne Deception, or 2016's The Bourne Enigma, or this year's The Bourne Vendetta, or next year's The Bourne Revenge. There is now such a glut of Bourne books that perhaps the character needs to be reset with a younger actor to get them all made. One thing to avoid, perhaps, is deepening the mythology too much. Treadstone proved that any appetite the character has for the Bourne franchise begins and ends with the character of Jason Bourne. We're already drowning in watered-down IP, so the thought of sitting through a spin-off property about the madcap adventures of Julia Stiles sounds absolutely exhausting. Most pressing of all, though, is making sure that there is a place for Jason Bourne in the current landscape. Since the peerless original Bourne trilogy ended, James Bond has lived and died and been bought by Jeff Bezos. The MCU burst into life, dominated the market and then slowly asphyxiated on its own bloat. The go-to action blockbuster reference for a long time was Mission: Impossible's maximalist stuntwork, but even that came unstuck in the end. We find ourselves in exactly the place we were at the start of the century. The action world has stagnated, and there is a window for something to come along and revolutionise the game. Jason Bourne already did this once. If he can come out of retirement and do it again, the investment will be more than worth it.
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
NBCUniversal Locks Down the BOURNE and TREADSTONE Book Rights in Huge Deal, Eyes Future Projects — GeekTyrant
NBCUniversal just pulled off a massive move that could supercharge the future of one of Hollywood's most iconic action franchises. The company has officially acquired all rights, excluding publishing, to Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne and Treadstone book series, locking them in for good. That means Bourne isn't going anywhere, and more importantly, it opens the door wide for a new wave of high-octane film and TV projects. The acquisition didn't come easy. According to Variety, the deal was the result of a fierce bidding war with seven studios and streamers vying for the rights. Ultimately, a jaw-dropping nine-figure offer sealed the deal and brought the property back home to Universal. Peter Cramer, president of Universal Pictures, shared his excitement saying: 'Since its debut in 2002, the iconic Bourne franchise has reshaped the spy genre with groundbreaking films that set new standards for cinematic action. We're energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.' Jeffrey Weiner, chairman and CEO of Captivate Entertainment and executor of Ludlum's estate, added: 'We are thrilled that the 'Bourne' franchise will remain at Universal. We look forward to working with the Universal team to expand the Bourne franchise across Universal's varied platforms.' With this new chapter, Frank Marshall will continue producing upcoming installments. Marshall has been at the heart of the Bourne franchise since the beginning and will once again team up with Captivate's Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith to shepherd future stories. Universal has already brought us five Bourne films, starting with The Bourne Identity directed by Doug Liman, followed by The Bourne Supremacy , The Bourne Ultimatum , and Jason Bourne helmed by Paul Greengrass, and the spin-off The Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner and directed by Tony Gilroy. Together, these films have hauled in over $1.64 billion at the global box office. NBCUniversal has also stretched the Bourne IP across video games, merchandise, and even a popular live-action theme park show at Universal Studios Orlando called The Bourne Stuntacular . This deal plants a major flag for Universal and hints at big things to come.
Epoch Times
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Jason Bourne's Virtues
Action movies should be perfect vehicles to show virtue, at least according to Aristotle. In his 'Poetics,' he indicated that drama is the imitation of the deepest kind of action, action that proceeds from moral character. The first three films of the 'Bourne' franchise are actioners in this sense. Together, they are about one great action, a flawed man becoming a good and a great man. In the first movie, Jason Bourne rejects vice and orients himself toward the good. In the second, he faces and does what he can to remedy the evil he has done. In the third movie, he is particularly marked by magnanimity, putting his skills and sorrows at the service of others. As a whole, these movies offer hope in virtue's ability to help conquer the greatest of odds. Prudence and 'The Bourne Identity' The queen of the cardinal virtues is prudence, because it's the virtue by which human beings can know, in a practical way, how to do good. While it's as common to associate prudence with evil masterminds and cowards as with good and wise people, prudence really has nothing to do with evil. Evil is self-destructive; smart evil people just destroy themselves cleverly. Socrates and Plato say that the only real evil does is to the doer's soul. The Bible states: 'The wicked fall into their own nets.' In 'The Bourne Identity,' a practical man becomes truly prudent by seeking good and avoiding evil. It begins with the title character floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea. Upon being rescued, he has no memory of who he is. He's pursued by the police as he attempts to retrieve his identity. He ultimately discovers that he was a black ops agent, who has assassinated dozens of targets while working for a CIA program called Treadstone. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has no idea who he is, in "The Bourne Identity." Universal Pictures This discovery creates a crisis: If amnesia doesn't change a person's moral character, Bourne will probably return to his old life. However, his final revelation proves the most critical: He had a change of heart before he lost his memory. A rejection of evil, though not remembered, has set Bourne on a new trajectory. Bourne exemplifies prudence because his actions are ordered toward the good, whether the lower good of self-preservation and self-defense early in the movie, or the higher goods he comes to embrace, such as preserving and defending the lives of the innocent. While bloody, the final confrontation at the movie's end illustrates his pursuit of higher goods, most importantly his intention to relinquish his former life as an assassin. To do this, given his inability to remember his past, he needs more knowledge, and the only way to get it is to meet his evil former employer under very dangerous circumstances. All of his actions require not only the intention to do good, but also the know-how to accomplish it. Classical and Christian authors, from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas, have written many lists of what these 'sub-virtues' or parts of prudence are. Bourne exemplifies many, such as his quick thinking when he's called upon to defend a family against a sniper with a much better gun, perfect lines of sight, and a stronger position. Related Stories 2/4/2025 10/22/2024 Movie poster for "The Bourne Identity." Universal Pictures 'Circumspection,' the awareness of dangers and how to address them, is the unassuming name of the virtue that inspires the action sequence near the beginning of the movie: Bourne, about to be arrested in a U.S. Embassy, incapacitates his would-be captors, then calmly and deliberately escapes from a group of soldiers. Justice and 'The Bourne Supremacy' 'The Bourne Supremacy' opens with a debate about prudence and resolves itself by means of the next cardinal virtue, justice. Justice is a virtue that is about relationships with other human beings. It can be summed up in Aristotle's 'giving to others their due.' At the beginning of 'The Bourne Supremacy,' Bourne and his girlfriend Marie are attempting to escape from an assassin. They begin to argue while fleeing. Bourne maintains that their future is predetermined: They must continually fly from and fight against the organization that is pursuing them. 'We don't have a choice,' he says. Marie counters: 'Yes, you do.' Immediately after this, Marie is shot. Bourne and the viewers never learn what she was going to suggest. Nevertheless, the rest of the movie is about Bourne making good choices. Since they are choices having to do with others, the film is fundamentally concerned with justice. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is being tracked by nefarious agencies, in "The Bourne Supremacy." Universal Pictures Moreover, the plot is initialized by the injustices perpetrated by CIA director Ward Abbot, who orders the assassination attempt on Bourne to cover up his own corrupt activities. The two strands of Bourne's pursuit of justice and Abbot's of injustice weave around each other through the whole movie. As Bourne learns more about his past life, he finally remembers his first kill for Treadstone, and the two strands are resolved. On one hand, Bourne's pursuit of justice occurs on multiple levels. On the other, Abbot gets his just desserts. The principles behind Bourne's choices are nothing if not of prudence and justice. One notable example occurs when Bourne has CIA officer Pamela Landy in his crosshairs, ready to retaliate for Marie's murder. However, before he shoots, he realizes that he might be mistaken about whether Landy was involved. He quickly pivots to a different plan that involves gathering more information. Whether it's right or not to take justice into one's own hands, it's surely unjust to take an innocent life while trying to do so. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has second thoughts about sniping someone, in "The Bourne Supremacy." Universal Pictures As the movie continues, justice comes more into the foreground. In a beautiful and surprising scene near the end of the movie, classical virtue, embraced by ancient philosophers like Aristotle and Cicero, merge with the Judeo-Christian virtue of repentance. When he's finally able to remember another set of assassinations he performed in his old life, he risks his life to travel to Moscow. He finds the daughter of the victims and apologizes. Bourne has met the challenge of Marie's final words; whatever outside pressures may be, there is always a choice, and Bourne repeatedly choses justice, however difficult. Fortitude and 'The Bourne Ultimatum' The 'Bourne' films confirm one thing: the heroic and admirable nature of fortitude, which is the willingness to encounter danger as long as it is right to do so. 'The Bourne Ultimatum' particularly revels in this virtue. The word 'fortitude' comes from a Latin word meaning both 'bravery' and 'strength.' Picking up in Moscow right where the second film ended, 'Ultimatum' starts with Bourne's next task, which is to recover the memory of how he was recruited and trained for Treadstone. He must also expose the remaining corrupt CIA officials who managed the program. Avoiding capture, fighting off other black ops agents, and saving a girl along the way, Bourne succeeds in both goals. In one of the bloodiest fight scenes in the Bourne trilogy, Jason Bourne fights against evil enemies, in "The Bourne Ultimatum." Universal Pictures The movie features a fight scene in Tangier. It's the longest and one of the most brutal in the series, and therefore, in addition to Bourne's incredible physical abilities, it requires incredible perseverance and patience. The scene helps viewers consider the interconnectedness of the cardinal virtues. Prudence, justice, and fortitude are connected hierarchically. Prudence dictates the aims both of justice and fortitude, and taking risks, the arena of fortitude, is only virtuous if the goals are just. Bourne pursues and fights only for the sake of a prudent and just motive: saving his friend's life. Justice isn't always meted out in an official capacity; there are far more informal opportunities to do right. Shutterstock Finally, the movie ends with Bourne showing magnanimity, the crowning part of fortitude. His aim turns out to be not only learning more about his past, but also performing a great deed for the public good: exposing the illegal and immoral activities of a corrupt government organization. While doing so, he refuses to kill an assassin who had tried to kill him. Similar to the end of the second film, classical and Christian virtues come together in an act of mercy. First, it's something like justice: Bourne, as a former assassin, recognizes that he isn't the one to judge this man. It's also an example of the virtue of forgiveness. Virtue Strengthens, Evil Weakens While Bourne's material disadvantages are overcome and play an important part in the viewers' delight, it's more important to realize how much the movies make of Bourne's one advantage: his virtues. The Bourne movies set up virtue in a high-pressure laboratory experiment: one man against a well-connected, wealthy, all-seeing organization with almost endless advantages. All the advantages, that is, except virtue. While the protagonist possesses an incredible array of skills and abilities as an assassin, it's undeniable that he becomes more powerful as he begins to renounce this life. Once merely an instrument, a mere 'asset' of the CIA sub-organization Treadstone, he triumphs over the CIA and all its resources because he decides to live virtuously. In spite of his former employers' repeated assumptions, his decisions and actions can't be predicted because they are the actions of a free moral agent. Nothing is more predictable than evil. That's the way that Bourne is almost always a step ahead of his enemies. He knows the kind of treachery they will attempt. He's familiar with their reliance on manpower, technology, and procedures over prudence and reason. Bourne, on the contrary, repeatedly risks his life for the right to live according to prudence and reason. In doing, so he fully accords with Aristotle in his great work on the virtues, the 'Nichomachean Ethics.' Aristotle indicates that no happiness is possible without living according to reason, and that living according to reason isn't possible without the virtues. The cover page of Aristotle's "Nichomachean Ethics." PD-US The Bourne movies are excellent vehicles for thinking about and learning about human virtue. Of course, they have been praised for their acting, plots, cinematography, and fight choreography. Their realism has also been highly touted. Perhaps their realism exists because they are informed by a deeper reality: the principles that perfect human beings. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
