The last we heard from either of the key players in doing another Bourne movie – that is, Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass – Damon let an idea slip on the red carpet that the next Bourne would be a prequel without him starring.

However, shortly thereafter the studio shot down that as pure speculation on Damon’s part and it said the next Bourne would NOT be a prequel (although they’re open to the idea if several of the different stories being looked at don’t work out).

But these things never end up as simple open and shut cases; Both Damon and Greengrass recently talked about Bourne 4 and opened up the can of worms labeled “prequel” once more. On top of that, they both seemingly shut the door on either of them working on another Bourne movie.

First up, Greengrass set the record as straight as it possibly can be at this point by explaining what his status is with Bourne 4. The last we heard he wasn’t coming back for another (after initial speculation it was over a disagreement with Universal, Greengrass later came out and said it was a peaceful departure) and that appears to still be case. Here’s the quote Coming Soon got from him:

“Listen, I just love the Bourne franchise, number one, and I owe it a great deal, and I gave my all on the two films that I made… But when I was honest with myself last Autumn, and I was starting to get going on other things, you just come to a point where you realize you’ve done it. You don’t have anything more to contribute to a franchise that needs to continue obviously, and in order to continue, a franchise needs to be rebooted and reenergized by new perspectives. I just felt that I’d done it, and there’s nothing unnatural about that.

To make a film, it’s 19 months of your life seven days a week, 20 hours a day, you’ve got to have real… and there were just too many other things that I was interested in. I felt like I’d had a wonderful, wonderful time, I loved it and I want it to continue. In the end, contrary to reports, there was never an argument with the studio of any kind at all. I did spend some time thinking that I might (do it) and getting myself to a place of ‘what would it be?’ and it’s only when you do that where you find, ‘You know what? I’m gone. I’m onto other things.’ I explained (it) to them. We had a very nice discussion–they were completely understanding–and I said ‘We’ll make some other movies.’ They [Universal] said ‘Excellent.’”

Sounds like his mind hasn’t changed all that much – no last minute change because Universal pressured him or offered him a ton of money to lend his directing talents once more. And I have to say, as much as I would like Greengrass to direct another (that’s if we HAVE to have another), I respect him for wanting to go his own way. He’s contributed two movies to the franchise – most say the best two movies – and that’s plenty.

'Green Zone' - Damon and Greengrass' first post-Bourne collaboration

As for Damon, he has previously said he won’t do another Bourne if Greengrass isn’t involved and when asked straight out about that question recently, he flat-out said “no.” So since Greengrass said above he’s not doing another and Damon says he won’t do another without Greengrass, then I guess that’s the last nail in the coffin as far as their involvement goes. Here’s what Collider quoted from Damon about the situation and the possibility of the next Bourne being a prequel:

“Well, I think that they have a good way to do a prequel with someone else, and basically make it about the Bourne identity, the actual identity. What any studio is interested in is making it like an evergreen, so it can just go on, and on, and on, and it never will with our character because he’s going to resolve himself and he’s resolved his issues now. He’s got his memory back three times. I don’t think anybody wants to see me say, “I don’t remember” again.

But I think what we could do, is like, you know, so you can do some movies with another actor, anyway, whether it’s Ryan Gosling or Russell Crowe or Denzel Washington, and he’s Jason Bourne. And then at the end of his one movie, or two movies, or three movies, you see them getting ready to pass the identity on to me, so it just becomes like a 007, it becomes a name that they give this certain person who’s uniquely positioned. Right? And so then, if Paul and I come back and do a fourth one in 10 years, right, we’ll pass it on to someone else, and then it can kind of go on. But I think the only way to make it go away from us is to say no.”

So Damon is keeping the door slightly ajar for maybe a decade down the road when he and Greengrass could perhaps come back and pick up the Bourne torch again. But honestly, I just think that’s Damon being smart not to completely shoot down the possibility of him playing Bourne again (if nothing else for the sake of the studio). And to be honest, wouldn’t Damon be a bit too old to do all that rooftop running and apartment fighting that far in the future (he’ll be 50 in 10 years)?

Although having said that, Liam Neeson didn’t have much trouble with it in Taken last year…

If you want to read the full batch of quotes about Bourne 4 and Damon and Greengrass’ other projects  – including word from Damon on the Coen bros. True Grit and the recently talked about Robert F. Kennedy biopic – then you can head over to Coming Soon and Collider.

I’ve said it before but as much as it would be cool to see Damon back as Bourne and Greengrass behind the camera directing a fourth movie, I would rather they just left it at three. And with Greengrass and Damon seemingly out of the picture I definitely don’t want to see another with a different actor and a different director (the idea of learning about Bourne before he lost his memory is admittedly interesting but the different actor thing just doesn’t sit right with me).

They ended The Bourne Ultimatum in such a perfect way, simultaneously leaving it open ended and wrapping up the story as best as it possibly could have been. Making a prequel or having anymore with another actor trying to fill Damon’s shoes seems like a mistake to me (although obviously financially it’s smart on the studio’s part).

What do you think of both Damon and Greengrass apparently not coming back for Bourne 4? Would you be mad if they did a prequel or a sequel to Ultimatum with a different actor playing Bourne? Sound off in the comments below.

Sources: Coming Soon and Collider

[UPDATE: It appears Matt Damon jumped the gun. See bottom of post for details]

For a good long while now we’ve heard word that Bourne 4 hasn’t been progressing as smoothly as a project of that status should. Not one but TWO Bourne 4 scripts have reportedly been written parallel to one another, one by George Nolfi (writer of The Bourne Ultimatum and another Matt Damon project, The Adjustment Bureau) and one by Josh Zetumer. We’ve not known whether Universal wants to choose between the two or simply merge them into one film (the latter would be really difficult to do successfully).

To add to the problems we heard last year that Supremacy and Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass had walked away from the project, which was a bad sign for fans of the franchise since Jason Bourne himself, Matt Damon, said he wouldn’t do another without Greengrass. There’s still a chance Universal could get those two key players back in time for the aimed fall 2010 shooting start date but it’s not looking likely.

Now we have word of a possible Bourne prequel in the works, which would feature a new actor portraying super-spy Jason Bourne and a new director behind the camera. This comes from Empire when they talked to Damon on the red carpet for the premiere of his latest film, Invictus. It’s not any sort of official announcement but certainly a shocking revelation if it turns out to be true:

“There’ll probably be a prequel of some kind with another actor and another director before we do another one… just because I think we’re probably another five years away from doing it – we’ve got to get a script…”

Of course, with a word like “probably” being used this could be pure speculation on Damon’s part. But he’s certainly one of the key players who’d have an idea about that sort of thing. If true, does this prequel mean a reboot (dun dun dun!) of the Bourne franchise? Well, even if I’m sure most fans of the franchise would wish that not to be true, I can definitely see the appeal for Universal to go that route. With the trouble the studio has been having with the story and script (Damon even said if you’ve got any ideas you should contact Universal about it!), and the additional trouble of Greengrass walking away,  rebooting the franchise could be a smart move money-wise.

Empire actually throws in a positive side to this by saying that a prequel would give us a chance to see Bourne in action before he was on the run (with his memory intact) and see what he got up to before the first three movies. Once we have that story out of the way we might (as Damon says in the quote above) get another Bourne with Damon back as the character. Although, I’m sure a lot of you would just rather see the continuation going forward with Damon in the role. And I’d be right with you on that one.

Of course if this thing has any truth to it then we need to start looking at who could fill Damon’s shoes as Bourne (a tough task indeed). I’m sure Sam Worthington’s name will be brought up, as it always is nowadays when a high profile role comes along. It depends on how far back a prequel would go (Worthington is six years younger than Damon) – I just hope it isn’t back to his teenage years and we hear Taylor Lautner’s name brought up. God forbid…

Let me just reiterate that this isn’t AT ALL confirmation of a Bourne prequel and was rather just something that may or may not have been an off-the-cuff remark by Damon on the red carpet. Still, it’s always great to speculate on these sorts of things so what do you think: Will there be a prequel before we see another Bourne with Damon in the lead role and would you be interesting in seeing it? Would it be a smart idea for Universal money-wise?

UPDATE: EW is reporting that talk of a Bourne prequel is premature and what Matt Damon said above is just pure speculation. Insiders told EW that Universal is currently looking at several different stories for the next Bourne but the studio hasn’t made a decision yet.

One insider said that in the wake of Paul Greengrass leaving the project the studio might go for try to hire an edgy young director to lure Damon back to the franchise (he has said before he won’t do another without Greengrass). But should any of that not work then a reboot, “wouldn’t be a terrible idea.”

Said one insider – “Bourne is one of our best and most important franchises. Whatever we do, we’re going to make sure we get it right.”

Source: Empire (hat tip to First Showing) and EW

Update: We now have a quote from Greengrass himself!

For literally months and months now, all we’ve heard regarding a fourth installment in the successful and critically acclaimed Bourne franchise – dubbed Bourne 4 for the time being – are the repeated claims by star Matt Damon and Supremacy/Ultimatum director, Paul Greengrass, that the next installment is being worked on and that they have a story but no script. Every time we heard something new, however, the project always seemed to be getting pushed forward, inch by inch.

Today comes a bit of shocking news that puts a large wrench in the Bourne 4 works, at least for the time being. Apparently, according to The Playlist (who has the exclusive on the story), Greengrass has walked away from the project. “Sources and friends close to the project,” say this actually happened not just in the last day or two, but more than a week ago, and for some reason we’re just hearing about it now (The Playlist has took the time to ensure all the specific details were accurate before publishing).

Despite repeated word that the movie is coming along, things on the Bourne 4 front haven’t exactly been going smoothly. This has specifically to do with the script, or rather scriptS: Two have been written, one by George Nolfi (co-writer of Ultimatum, and another Matt Damon movie, The Adjustment Bureau) and one by Josh Zetumer, the latter being brought in not that long ago to write a “parallel” script (whatever that means). Zetumer hasn’t written anything that’s completed, but he also has Dune, a film called Villain and another called The Infiltrator, which are currently in-development. He must be good…

So what’s Greengrass’ problem? Well, apparently he didn’t have any knowledge of Universal bringing on another writer (Zetumer) to write another script on top of/parallel to Nolfi’s. Greengrass has been busy with his other Matt Damon movie, Green Zone (see below), which some people are describing as “Bourne in Iraq.”

Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass on the Green Zone set

That’s not where the problem ends, unfortunately: Green Zone was supposed to be a smaller movie that Greengrass made in-between Bournes (although evidently he didn’t stretch too far with that film), but the reported cost has ballooned to a whopping $150 million (yowza!). Greengrass has apparently reshot things many times, and has been tinkering away at the movie for months in the editing room, something which the studio is obviously not happy with (these things cost money).

Supposedly, Greengrass has become notorious for (as The Playlist says), “finding the movie,” by letting the story grow by itself right in the middle of production. He’s a creative director and it’s fine to do that sort of thing on a project like United 93 (which cost $15 million to make), but when it comes to a high-profile, fairly big-budget franchise like Bourne, the studio isn’t going to like that sort of thing. Bottom line, Greengrass and the studio haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye, and with the way the director feels he’s been treated on Green Zone, he’s reportedly walked away from Bourne 4, with the good ol’ generic “creative differences” being cited as the reasoning.

Word is that Greengrass and Universal can resolve this thing and hopefully, for the movie and the fans’ sakes, things will go back to normal and Bourne 4 will be firmly back on track. However, what happens if Greengrass doesn’t return? What about Damon? Apparently, he’s really quite loyal to Greengrass, so if the director doesn’t come back we’ll likely either have to face the prospect of a Bourne 4 without Damon (please, no…) or none at all (the lesser of two evils, I think you’ll agree).

Update: hear Greengrass himself speak on the matter!

“You won’t find a more devoted supporter of the Bourne franchise than me. I will always be grateful to have been the caretaker to Jason Bourne over the course of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. I’m very proud of those films and feel they express everything I most passionately believe about the possibility of making quality movies in the mainstream. My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge.

There’s been no disagreement with Universal Pictures. The opportunity to work with the Bourne family again is a difficult thing to pass up, but we have discussed this together and they have been incredibly understanding and supportive. I’ve been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on.”

Perhaps Greengrass will Damon the thumbs up to do it without him, but I don’t know if that will happen – Damon is a hot commodity right now, and he’ll find plenty of other work. Besides, he’s already done three Bourne flicks, and with the third, tied up the franchise PERFECTLY.

So with Greengrass off the project for the foreseeable future (he may come back if Universal does the required ass-kissing), and Damon’s involvement hanging in the balance (at best guess, anyway), this really does hinder us from seeing a Bourne 4 anytime soon. We reported a few months ago that a summer 2011 release date has been eyed for the film, and a fall 2010 date to start shooting. Unless things pick back up very soon, I don’t see those dates being met.

What do you think of Greengrass walking away from Bourne 4? Are you surprised or have the rumbling troubles surrounding the project over the last few months made this easy to see coming? Do you think Greengrass will return to the project? And if not, do you reckon Damon would do another one without him at the helm?

Source: ThePlaylist (thanks to /Film)

Since 2007’s Bourne Ultimatum, fans of super spy Jason Bourne have been waiting patiently for the next installment of the critically acclaimed franchise. Unfortunately, for months, all we’ve gotten out of director Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon is that the movie is “being worked on” and that they “have a story, but not a script.” Luckily, thanks to Steve Weintraub over at Collider, we have a little bit more information on the film that indicates the possibility of the movie moving along sooner than you think.

At a press conference for Damon’s new film, The Informant, Weintraub asked the Academy Award-winner about the project. I’ve excerpted some of Damon’s answers below. For the full interview, head over to Collider.

On the likelihood of filming Bourne 4:

“We love the character and we would love to do another one…but we are really serious about trying to get the story and the script right because the only thing more disappointing than not having another one of these movies is, for us or for movie fans is would be to make one that isn’t good. Because everyone would say, “they should have quit after three”. And we’d feel that way too.”

On whether or not he’s read any of the scripts for Bourne 4:

“Not yet…He [Paul Greengrass] hasn’t had a break literally since he did “The Bourne Supremacy” – which is six years ago now. [After his break] he said he’d come to New York and we’d sit down and we’d talk seriously about it.

As far as I’m concerned, Damon hit it right on the head. If the script is no good, there is no reason to produce an additional sequel that would only demean the franchise. That being said, it is good to see that there is still a definite interest on both of their parts to keep the franchise alive. Few films in the last 10 years have combined intelligent and creative storytelling with impressive action quite as successfully as the Bourne franchise.

In addition to the Bourne franchise, Damon and Greengrass recently worked together on the war film, The Green Zone. By the time that film comes out (March 12th, 2010), I’m sure we’ll have a much clearer picture on where Bourne 4 stands, as well as which one of the two parallel scripts they end up using.

What do you think? Are you eager to see Bourne back in action again?

Source: Collider

The fourth installment in the successful Bourne franchise has been in the works for a good while now, always edging ever-closer to actually happening, with every announcement that “the story is being worked on” and that they’re trying to “get it right.” We reported a few weeks ago that the next Bourne movie may be coming later rather than sooner, and last week star Matt Damon told Entertainment Weekly, “[We] have a story and we don’t have script.”

That doesn’t sound too promising…

However, it seems that things have picked up a bit on the Bourne 4 front as Universal has signed writer Josh Zetumer to pen what is being described as a, “parallel script.”

Zetumer hasn’t written any completed film so far, but has written the scripts for Villain (currently in production), Peter Berg’s Dune remake and The Infiltrator, a Warner Bros. project which has Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star.

George Nolfi was originally tapped to write Bourne 4, and was supposed to have produced a draft a couple of months ago. However Nolfi is currently writing and directing The Adjustment Bureau (also starring Damon, FYI), which starts production next month, so he had to step away from Bourne 4. It is hoped that once Nolfi’s finished with Bureau, he will make a return to Bourne, but still unclear whether Zetumer and Nolfi’s scripts will be integrated if Nolfi returns, or whether Universal just wants two different scripts to hold side-by-side in order to choose which direction they want to go in (it could be either one, really).

THR notes that although it’s rare, it’s not unheard of that two scripts will be written parallel to one another. It particularly happens with tentpole movies (I think Bourne could just about fit into that category), with notable examples being Wolverine, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Star Trek: Generations and the upcoming Conan remake.

I think it’s good that Universal isn’t waiting around for Nolfi while he does another project before they get started with Bourne 4. But they also seem to want to take their time with the sequel, a excuse reason for the delay(s) which they’ve given on a number of occasions. The new writer they’ve brought on board can’t really be judged at this point in time, since none of what he’s written/is attached to write has actually been made yet. However, it’s certainly impressive for a newcomer to be attached to four sizeable projects.

I’m just wondering why they didn’t get Tony Gilroy – writer of the first three Bourne movies – to come back for this one. It seemed to work out pretty well for all involved…including the audience.

What do you think of the them getting a new writer for the next Bourne movie?

Bourne 4 is (clearly) still in the development stages, but has a hoped release of sometime in the summer of 2011.

Sources: EW, THR (via /Film) and ThePlaylist

The last we heard about a fourth installment in the successful Bourne series, star Matt Damon, director, Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum), and producer Frank Marshall were in the stages of trying to get the story right and wanting the script to be as good as the first three before they move forward.

An aimed release date of summer 2011 was reported at one point, a script was supposed to surface this summer and there was even mention of a hoped production start date of next summer. However, info has just surfaced that may mean that Bourne 4 is still a while away.

Matt Damon recently spoke in a group interview about his new History Channel special called The People Speak where he gave an update on the status of the fourth Bourne movie. He doesn’t say that the movie is not happening anymore, but doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that it will be anytime soon:

“None us have kind of seen [a script] yet, and Paul’s still cutting a movie that we worked on [Green Zone], so we’ll get together and talk about it… I just saw [producer] Frank Marshall, and we were talking about it… Then I’ve talked to Paul Greengrass quite a bit about that.”

George Nolfi was the one who was supposed to have written Bourne 4, but apparently his script – due this month – has yet to surface. What’s interesting is Damon is starring in Nolfi’s The Adjustment Bureau which is based on a Philip K. Dick short story and co-stars Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada).

Could it be that Bourne 4 is being given the time to develop properly with The Adjustment Bureau being pushed to be released first? Bureau currently has a production start date of September this year with an estimated release date of sometime in 2010.

No matter when Bourne 4 gets going, you can rest assured its main star won’t do it unless it’s quality stuff – “Oh yeah, we won’t do it unless it’s good… Promise.”

Good to hear, Matt.

I’d like to think that any delays on Bourne 4 have to do with the fact they want to get the movie right, instead of there being some sort of behind-the-scenes trouble (there’s no real indication of the latter, but it’s always a worry). As I’ve said with regards to Batman 3, it’s better for the fourth Bourne to take a long time and be quality, than to be rushed for the sake of it and ending up being disappointing.

With Greengrass currently editing Green Zone (which is due out next March), and Damon starring in The Adjustment Bureau for Universal (which is aimed for a release sometime next year), Bourne 4 may not be coming as soon as some might be hoping. I wouldn’t even be surprised if we didn’t see the movie start shooting until 2011. For now, a summer 2011 release date is still being hoped for – only time will tell if that ends up being the case.

What do you think?

Source: SciFiWire via ThePlaylist

Oscar-nominated producer Frank Marshall has recently spoken with both Coming Soon and Empire about the projects he has on the horizon. The Indiana Jones, Bourne and Sixth Sense producer has been in the business for over 30 years and is still going strong today, continually adding to a (mostly) solid resume.

The biggest area of interest on Marshall’s to-do list is the next Indiana Jones installment (which Shia LaBeouf recently said Steven Spielberg had “cracked the story,” for); in speaking with Empire about Indiana Jones 5, Marshall didn’t go so far as to say the movie has officially been greenlit, but says that the project could get to the concept/script development stage soon:

“It’s really about the script… Once we see that, we’ll see. We’re not going to wait another 20 years. We’d all love to make another one. I’m anxious to hear the idea!.. We [all] had a great time making the last one and, as Harrison [Ford] said, we need to make this one soon. We’re not getting any younger. [But] until there’s a script, nothing’s definite. I haven’t heard the idea.”

Other than Indy 5, Marshall has plenty on his plate for the next couple of years. M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender is currently filming, so he’s busy handling that, but at the same time he has another big franchise project on the horizon: a fourth Jason Bourne movie. Marshall says he would like to get shooting going on Bourne 4 next year, but there’s a lot that needs to be put into place before that can happen:

“We’d like to shoot [Bourne 4] next year… It’s trying to get everybody’s schedules in the right place and getting the script right. We’ve done pretty well with these scripts that are pretty loosely put together, but I’d like the script to be really solid this time before we go forward. We’re spending a lot of time on this story.”

Jason Bourne himself, Matt Damon, was once considered to possibly play Lance Armstrong in the recently announced biopic, but Damon’s age is the factor that probably won’t deliver him the role. Said Marshall: “The book really only takes Lance up to the first tour, so he’s only 21, and as much as Matt looks young, I’m not sure that he’s going to be able to do it.”

Continued on Page 2…

The last we heard about the fourth film in the Bourne franchise, is that it was definitely in the works with star Matt Damon and Supermacy/Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass coming back for another go at it. This will be the first film in the series not based in any way on one of the Robert Ludlum books, so they’ll be working from a completely original script this time around.

The shooting for the film was reportedly set to start this summer, with a release of summer 2010 in sight. As it turns out, that isn’t the case – producer Frank Marshall has let us know via Twitter that there should be a first draft due in by this summer, and that the target date for release of the film is now summer 2011.

So that gives them a good amount of time to get all of the related people’s schedules cleared for all the work it’s undoubtedly going to take to make another one of these movies. If a draft is said to be done by this summer, that gives them a fair amount of time to re-write as needed, and hopefully/logically they should be shooting by, at the latest, autumn next year. Then of course they will have a few months to get all of the post-production done in time for summer 2011.

Marshall admits that these scripts (whether he means in general or any Bourne ones) take a long time from simply getting a very first draft done to what will be put onto screen. Bourne is an example of an action franchise that’s not just about brainless action sequences and cheesy one-liners – this is one of the few modern action series’ that truly gives us action and brains. I hope they continue that with this one, even if they have no original source material to base it on (although I’ve heard from a lot of people that they didn’t stick very close to the original books with the first three, either).

Speaking of the script, Marshall stated that it’s being written by Ultimatum and Ocean’s Twelve screenwriter George Nolfi, and he has also said before that he’d like to see Bourne head to South America for his next set of escapades.

When I first saw The Bourne Ultimatum, I was absolutely adamant that they leave it at that – to me it was a perfectly ambiguous closing off of a series that had told all that it needed to. But then word came of a possible fourth film, and I had to reconsider my initially closed-minded thoughts. The more I thought about them doing another one, the more I liked the idea, especially since they’re bringing back the main star (which is the most crucial thing in my eyes) and the fantastic, talented director of the second and third.

Although there were eight books written in total, only the first three were written by Robert Ludlum, which is probably why they are going with an original screenplay as opposed to just working off a non-Ludlum written fourth book. Since Nolfi was partly responsible for Ultimatum’s screenplay (alongside Tony Gilroy and Scott Z. Burns), I have every faith in him that he’ll come up with a great original screenplay for the fourth one.

I just wonder that if this fourth installment is as successful as the first three were (particularly the third), will they go ahead with even more sequels after that? It’s certainly within the realm of possibility – and if it’s warranted after this fourth one, I see no reason why they shouldn’t make a lot more.

Are you a fan of the Bourne series? Do you think there should be a fourth film, and even more after that?

Until we hear otherwise, Bourne 4 has an expected release date of summer 2011.

Source: /Film and Twitter

Monsters Vs Aliens tops the box office; the Coens remake John Wayne’s True Grit; Val Kilmer talks up a reteam with Robert Downey Jr; Matthew McConaughey is The Lincoln Lawyer; Tobey Maguire knows The Limit; Ben Affleck and Matt Damon hunt for Good Will after Bourne again and Affleck hits The Town.

Box Office

Monsters Vs Aliens was the big winner this weekend with a powerful gross of $58 million. It’s the best opening gross of a movie this year (beating Watchmen). Also, horror isn’t dead with The Haunting in Connecticut scaring up $23 million in ticket sales.

Nicolas Cage’s Knowing dropped a decent 40% with a weekend take of almost $15 million giving the action flick a total gross of $46 million – despite bad reviews.

I Love You, Man managed another $12,7 million, while the Julia Roberts- Clive Owen heist movie Duplicity banked another $7.5 million for a $25 million total.

Dwayne Johnson’s Race To Witch Mountain fell over 50% giving the Disney film a total of $53 million.

Fellow wrestler John Cena misfired with 12 Rounds. The Renny Harlin directed film managed a poor $5 million weekend.

Watchmen eked out another $2.8 million bringing its total to $103.3 million.

Taken took another $2.7 million bringing the action pic’s gross to a huge $137 million.

Horror remake The Last House on The Left managed a weekend take of $2.6 million.

Movie News

1. The Coen brothers will remake John Wayne’s True Grit – the film that won the cinematic legend an Oscar!

The film will be based on the book by Charles Portis.

Variety states:

“Portis’ novel is about a 14-year-old girl who, along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman, tracks her father’s killer in hostile Indian territory.
But while the original film was a showcase for Wayne, the Coens’ version will tell the tale from the girl’s p.o.v.”

So who will the Coens get to replace Wayne? After all they are big, big boots to fill.

Didn’t they learn their lesson with The Ladykillers?

Source: Variety

2. Val Kilmer believes that we will see a sequel to 2005’s action-comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
The star twittered:

“RDJ, Jr (Robert Downey Jr) and I talked AGAIN about a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang sequel… Now that he is king of all time and space it will happen.”

I hope this is true. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an exceptional film that didn’t get the release that it deserved by Warner Bros. Funny, compelling and extremely well written – you must seek it out.

Source: Twitter

3. Matthew McConaughey will take the lead in The Lincoln Lawyer.

“The legal thriller that centers on low-level criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller who finds himself representing a wealthy client with ties to a previous murder case Haller handled.”

The film which is based on the book by Michael Connolly will be a return to the leagal thriller genre for the bongo playing star who made his name in Joel Schumacher’s adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time To Kill.

Source: Variety

4. Tobey Maguire is attached to star in Columbia Pictures’ The Limit. According to Variety:

“Maguire will star as Phil Hill, who went against his good friend and Ferrari teammate Wolfgang von Trips in the 1961 Drivers Championship.”

Maguire will produce the film through his Maguire Entertainment production company.

I think that it’s no coincidence that Maguire’s company is set up at the studio that produces the Spider-Man films.

Source: Variety

5. Best friends and Good Will Hunting co-stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will reunite for a new film next year.

The film will start shooting after Damon makes the next Bourne movie. Affleck is apparently mulling over directing duties on the film that was not written by the Oscar winning duo.

Affleck told Collider:

“We have a project but we haven’t said what it is just because of lame political money reasons. This is the movie we’re going to do together and I think it will be good.”

Source: Collider

6. Meanwhile, Affleck has been talking up his next directorial effort following the excellent Gone Baby Gone.

“I’m directing another movie and I’m going to act in the movie as well. That’s a slightly daunting prospect, but we’ll see. I’m nervous but excited. It’s called The Town – that’s the title I’m using now but I’m not sure it’ll be that – and it’s based on a book called Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan. It’s based on a true fact that there is this neighborhood in Boston called Charlestown where there are more armed robbers per capita than anywhere else in the world. It’s about this group of guys who rob a bank and an armored car.”

Source: Collider

That’s it for now. See you at the movies!

The Bourne trilogy is one of hell of a kick ass set of films, with each film getting progressively more intense and exciting. The character of Jason Bourne is pretty much the blueprint for modern action men (yes, even more than Bond) and will go down in cinematic history as such.

But with The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass (who helmed the second and third, but not the first), star Matt Damon and everyone else involved made a fantastic part three in the series, one which simultaneously left things ambiguous and yet still closed off the series in an entirely satisfying and fitting way.

But you know that since the three films combined made a few dozen million under a whopping $1 billion worldwide (with the third one alone making over $400 million), that they are going to at least entertain the idea of doing another one (in fact, news came out last year that Universal had bought the complete rights to the Bourne character, as well as first look options on other Robert Ludlum books). With the ambiguous way Ultimatum ended, it has left the door open for them to go back to the series for another go at it.

It was already confirmed last year that another Bourne film was on the way, and that Damon and Greengrass would be returning (after them swearing left, right and center that there wouldn’t be another). But it’s always great to hear it from the horses mouth (so to speak), so via an interview with Parade Magazine Matt Damon confirmed that a Bourne 4 is definitely already being worked on:

Q: Is it official that you’ll return as Jason Bourne for a fourth time?

A: We’re working on it. This time it would be from an original script rather than a book by Robert Ludlum. But the director, Paul Greengrass, is busy and I am too, so we’ll see what happens.

Q: Are you ready to be Bourne again?

A: Listen, when I did the first movie, I was 29 years old. I am 37 now, and after a tough fighting scene, the next day you wake up and feel your body more. That’s just the way it is.

It seems that apart from both Damon and Greengrass working on other things, it’s the fact that Damon is a little bit older than he was when he first played the character back in 2002, that’s a point of concern for him. Clearly the man is in great shape as he showed in Ultimatum (among other films), but it’s true that when you get older, even if your mind is ready for a full day’s physical work, your body might not be.

When I saw The Bourne Ultimatum in the theater, I walked out wholly satisfied with the way they wrapped up the series, leaving you wanting more but at the same time happy that it was the end of the trilogy. But it’s been a couple of years since we saw Jason Bourne on the big screen and I must admit I am now all for a fourth film. There’ve been some good action films since Ultimatum’s release but Bourne always gave us action plus intelligence, and I think another film would not only make serious bank like the first three, but also would be a project welcomed by fans and critics alike.

Of course since this film wouldn’t be based on any of the books by Robert Ludlum (which the first three were), it might not turn out to be as good as the others. It’ll be interesting to see if they will try and replicate the spirit of the first three or if they’ll put an entirely different spin on it. I suspect a combination of the two.

So even though this isn’t an announcement saying Damon and Greengrass have everything worked out and that shooting is going to begin soon, it’s still some sort of confirmation that it is happening – and I’m very pleased.

Do you think there should be a Bourne 4? Or is it best left at just the three?

Source: Parade

Timothy Olyphant is Crazy; an Arrested Development film is in development; Jason Bourne appears to just keep coming; Brian Grazer has stupid ideas for Magnum P.I and Mila Kunis reads The Book of Eli.

Box Office

It was predicted and it came to pass. Teen vampire film Twilight took a huge bite out of the box office this weekend with a massive gross of $73 million. The sequel(s) have already been given the green and it looks like this $37 million flick is going to be hugely profitable for fledgling studio Summit. Writer Stephanie Meyer, director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart should be pretty happy this weekend. I wonder if they’ve ever heard of type-casting?

Daniel Craig’s second James Bond outing should shoot up another $30 million over the weekend giving the 007 adventure a total gross of $110 million. By Monday morning Quantum of Solace should have grossed a fantastic $415 million worldwide. Expect James Bond to return.

Animated film Bolt is fighting for the runner-up spot with Bond. Expect the John Travolta – Miley Cyrus doggie film to bark up about $30 million. Animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa should bank another $14-15 million over the weekend while sleeper hit Role Models should make another $6-7 million. Clint Eastwood’s Changeling seems to be coming to a close with another $3 million this weekend. If awards don’t hit this thing then it will be seen as a major disappointment. It shouldn’t really harm Eastwood’s or Angelina Joile’s careers though.

Movie News

1. Hitman star Timothy Olyphant has signed on to star in a remake of George Romero’s The Crazies. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story revolves around the inhabitants of a small Kansas town who are beset by death and insanity after a plane crash lets loose a secret biological weapon into the water supply. Olyphant is playing the town’s sheriff.”

Just what we need – another horror remake. However, having said that Olyphant has a certain charisma, so he might bring something to this.

Sahara director Breck Eisner (son of Michael) will direct the film.

When movie executives are taking meetings with the actor – do think that they don’t want to talk about the Olyphant in the room?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. For fans of Arrested Development there have long been rumblings that a feature film would find its way to the big screen.  Many thought that the film had been arrested in development hell, but this week producer (and narrator) of the original show Ron Howard and creator Mitch Hurwitz have apparently signed deals for the film.

Personally I’ve never seen the show, but it has a lot of hardcore fans so, if they’re happy – then I guess that I am too.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Hollywood loves a franchise, we all know that. The public love a franchise too – there’s nothing like going to see characters return like old friends every few years.  Well, it looks like we are going to be seeing a lot more of Jason Bourne.

Earlier in the year Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass signed on to make a fourth adventure in the spy series, but now it looks like Universal want to go all Bond on Bourne and keep making films.

The studio has bought exclusive rights to the character of Jason Bourne and a first look option on other Robert Ludlum novels.

Source: Variety

4. Brian Grazer has shot down the rumor that Matthew McConaughey will star in a big screen version of Magnum P.I.

Speaking to MTV the producer said:

“I think the idea for Magnum P.I. is to find a counterpoint, to not try and find the new Tom Selleck but to find someone that is just so different that you go, oh my God! That guy is Magnum?!?

It’s so much about casting. You have to find the actor that adds through his own personality something to the title.”

Brian -I think that is completely stupid. It’s just a stupid idea. IF Tom Selleck isn’t going to be Magnum then McConaughey is perfect casting. Finding a bizarre choice – just for the sake of stunt casting reeks of stupidity.

You can quote me on that!

Source: MTV

5. Mila Kunis will be joining Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in The Book of Eli.

In the film:

“A lone hero named Eli (Washington) who must fight his way across the wasteland of a near-future America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

“Kunis plays a woman named Solara, at first enlisted to betray Eli, she ultimately joins him in his quest”

The film starts shooting in February.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

Despite both director Paul Greengrass and Jason Bourne himself Matt Damon swearing up and down that The Bourne Ultimatum would in fact conclude the series, Bourne 4 is definitely moving forward.

I guess when your last installment is hailed as the best in the series (which is definitely saying something) and grosses $450 million (an all-time high for the franchise), you can’t help but think of excuses to have Jason Bourne running around the globe yet again.

Universal has hired Ultimatum co-writer George Nolfi to pen the next outing of everyone’s favorite amnesiac super-spy hero. It will be an original story not based on any of Robert Ludlum’s novels.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but were any of the films faithful to the source material? I was under the impression they basically took the title of the books and maybe a few of the characters’ names, and went wild.

At the moment, Greengrass and Damon are set to return.

Bourne 4 is aiming for a Summer 2010 release.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter