Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross from ‘The Bourne Legacy’ is out this week, and Jason Bourne is back. Matt Damon returns to his famous role of amnesiac secret agent Jason Bourne, but this time the titular character knows who he is, but still doesn’t know everything about his past, and he sets out to find out the truth once and for all.
To celebrate the return of Jason Bourne, Movies.ie has gathered together 10 facts about the film that you really ought to know…
1. Title Change
This is the first film in the Bourne franchise not to be named ‘The Bourne ____’. The film was rumoured to be named ‘The Bourne Betrayal’, but was renamed after the lead character; ‘Jason Bourne’.
2. Matt’s Back!
‘Jason Bourne’ marks the first time that Matt Damon has played Jason Bourne since ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ in 2007.
3. Violence
Although he was asked, Matt Damon did not voice Jason Bourne in the video game ‘The Bourne Conspiracy’ as he said the game was “too violent”.
4. Agree to Return
In the nine year gap since Matt Damon has played Jason Bourne, he repeatedly stated that he would not return to the franchise unless director Paul Greengass was back on board too. Greengrass and Damon announced their return to the franchise in 2014.
5. Renner’s Out
‘Jason Bourne’ will not feature Jeremy Renner’s character Aaron Cross, introduced in ‘The Bourne Legacy’, but Cross will have his own sequel, which has just been announced.
6. Not Returning
This is the first Bourne film that Tony Gilroy is not involved in; Gilroy wrote the screenplay for all Bourne films to date, and directed ‘The Bourne Legacy’ in 2012.
7. Old and New
Julia Stiles returns to the Bourne franchise in ‘Jason Bourne’, for the first time since her role in ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ in 2007. Alicia Vikander is new to the franchise; playing her second role in a spy movie since ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’ last year.
8. Return to Las Vegas
Vincent Cassel also stars in ‘Jason Bourne’. This is the third time Cassel has worked with Matt Damon; the others being ‘Ocean’s Twelve’ and ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’, the latter of which also took place in Las Vegas.
9. Last Looks
The Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas closed recently, but for filming ‘Jason Bourne’ in Las Vegas, the lights for the hotel were turned back on. The Riviera is being demolished as we speak.
10. When can I see ‘Jason Bourne’?
‘Jason Bourne’ is released in Irish cinemas on July 29th 2016. Watch the trailer below…
