Back in the early 2000s a new action franchise took off with Matt Damon in the lead. The former boy genius traded in Robin Williams' mentorship for the chance to be one of the deadliest assassins ever put to screen. Bourne Identity launched the series, but it was Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum that took the franchise to new heights, implementing the now famous and frequently used shaky-cam fighting style.

After the Jeremy Renner-led Bourne Legacy failed to re-launch the franchise, Universal brought back Damon for another attempt with Jason Bourne last year. Unfortunately for all parties involved, the film did not quite live up to its predecessors and the expectations of many. Various reasons contributed to this being the case, but if the franchise is ever brought back, Damon insists the story must warrant just that.

Toronto Sun spoke to Damon about what is next for Bourne. He is aware of how the latest film was not received as well, and is even concerned that audiences may be tired of the character. That said, he does offer some glimmer of hope for what it would take to bring him and everyone else back:

It would have to be a pretty incredible story to get us all back on the horse.

For a series built on action, some may not see the story as being the biggest point of focus, but it undoubtedly hurt the last film. After taking an entire trilogy to uncover his past, Jason Bourne retreaded the same territory again, only this time throwing a new wrinkle into his backstory. Instead of having pre-Treadstone David Webb just be an outstanding recruit, Jason Bourne decided to reveal that he only made it into the program thanks the involvement of his father.

This was an unnecessary inclusion into his backstory and frankly makes him less "special." It was only one aspect of a story that dealt with cyber terrorism and multiple government agencies, all of which are easily forgettable. Sure, the action scenes in Jason Bourne were on a similar level to those that came before, but audiences no longer had a reason to care about what Bourne was doing except for the built up relationship from the first films.

Hopefully Damon's comments prove to be true and Universal won't move forward with more films unless the story truly is incredible. However, producer Frank Marshall was more hopeful that another film would happen. Even if they do find a perfect story to tell, there does not appear to be a great sense from audiences to see more from this franchise. The original trilogy can stand alone as a great set of films, but everything since has not hit. It would be best to see the franchise come to a close now, but if Universal insists on making another, hopefully they do have a great concept in mind.

Next: Box Office Analysis: Is Jason Bourne A Success?

We’ll keep you updated on the Bourne series as more information becomes available.

Source: Toronto Sun