A fourth film without the involvement of Damon, titledThe Bourne Legacy, was released in August 2012, and the fifth film (a direct sequel toUltimatum that reprises Damon as the lead role), titledJason Bourne, was released in July 2016.
Following his pursuit by Kirill,[a]Jason Bourne evadesMoscow police while wounded and deals with moreflashbacks of when he first joinedOperation Treadstone. Six weeks later,CIADeputy Director Pamela Landy reveals the audiotaped confession of Ward Abbott, the late former head of Treadstone, toDirector Ezra Kramer. Meanwhile, inTurin, journalist Simon Ross ofThe Guardian learns about Bourne and Operation Blackbriar, the program succeeding Treadstone.
Using theECHELON system, the CIA detects Ross when he mentions Blackbriar during a phone call to his editor. After informing Marie's brother, Martin Kreutz, of her assassination in India, Bourne, who had read Ross' articles, arranges a meeting with him atLondon Waterloo station. Realizing the CIA is following Ross, he helps him evade capture, but Ross, in a panic, is shot dead by Blackbriar assassin Paz on orders of Deputy Director Noah Vosen.
Vosen's team, reluctantly assisted by Landy, analyzes Ross' notes and identifies his source as Neal Daniels, a CIAstation chief based in Madrid. Bourne makes his way to Daniels' office and finds Nicky Parsons, a former Treadstone operative who he shares a history with. She tells him that Daniels has fled to Tangier and aids his escape from an arriving CIA unit.
Meanwhile, Blackbriar "asset" Desh Bouksani is tasked by Vosen with killing Daniels, as well as Parsons and Bourne upon noticing that Nicky accessed information about Daniels, a decision with which Landy fiercely disagrees. Bourne follows Bouksani and saves Nicky by strangling him, after having failed to prevent Daniels' assassination; he then sends her into hiding. Examining the contents of Daniels' briefcase, Bourne finds the address of the deep-cover CIA bureau inNYC, where Vosen directs Blackbriar, and heads there.
Landy receives a phone call from Bourne,[a] which is intercepted by Vosen. She tells him that his real name is David Webb and gives him the birth date "4-15-71". Vosen also intercepts a text to Landy from Bourne of a location to meet up, and leaves his office with a tactical team. Bourne, however, instead enters Vosen's office, and takes classified Blackbriar documents. Realizing what is going on, Vosen sends Paz after him and informs Dr. Albert Hirsch, the man who ran Treadstone'sbehavior modification program, of this situation. The resulting chase ends with both crashing their cars. Bourne holds the injured Paz at gunpoint, but spares his life.
Bourne arrives at a hospital at 415 East 71st Street, having figured out Landy's coded message. He gives Landy the Blackbriar files before going inside. Bourne confronts Hirsch, who reminded him that he willingly volunteered for Treadstone. While fleeing to the roof, Bourne is confronted by Paz, who asks why he did not shoot him. Bourne asks him if he knows why he is supposed to kill him, repeating the final words of the Professor, a Treadstone asset: "Look at us. Look at what they make you give."[b] Paz lowers his gun, but Vosen appears and shoots at Bourne, who jumps into theEast River.
Three days later, Nicky watches a news broadcast about the exposure of Operation Blackbriar, the arrests of Hirsch and Vosen, a criminal investigation against Kramer, and the status of David Webb, a.k.a. Jason Bourne. Upon hearing that his body has not been found, Nicky smiles. He turns out to have survived the fall and swims into the darkness.
In addition,Colin Stinton plays CIA Station Chief Neal Daniels, who is leaking information to Ross, whileJoey Ansah plays Desh, the Blackbriar assassin sent to kill Daniels.
The Bourne Ultimatum was filmed atPinewood Studios near London and in multiple locations around the world, including Tangier, London, Paris, Madrid (as itself and double for Turin), Berlin (as double for Moscow), New York City including theSprings Mills Building (as the deep cover CIA offices), and other locations in the U.S.[5][6]
Tony Gilroy, who had co-written the screenplays of the first twoBourne films, had intendedThe Bourne Supremacy to emphasise Bourne's repentance and atonement for his murders, but felt that the released film omitted this focus.[7] Gilroy was persuaded to write an initial draft ofThe Bourne Ultimatum, but did not participate further, and as of 2009 had not watched the finished film.[7] Gilroy's screenplay draft was subsequently criticized by Matt Damon.[8]
Tom Stoppard wrote a draft of the screenplay, later saying "I don't think there's a single word of mine in the film."[9] Greengrass said the film included several allusions to scenes from previousBourne films; for example, the opening chase sequence ofThe Bourne Ultimatum is a continuation of the Russian police attempts to capture Bourne in Moscow near the end ofThe Bourne Supremacy and takes place soon after Bourne's apology to Neski's daughter.[10]
Paul Greengrass spoke about the characterization of Jason Bourne inThe Bourne Ultimatum shortly before its release:
Bourne is a real man in a real world in pursuit of a mythic quest. What's wonderful is that it's an oppositional story. Is he a killer, or was he made to be a killer? There is an underlying feeling that Bourne is one of us, and he's running away from "them." He's trying to get answers, and he doesn't trust them. They're all bad, and the system's corrupted. To convey that with a sense of excitement in a very contemporary land-scape is great fun. [...] If you opened your door in New York or Paris or London or whatever, you've got to believe that whatever the story it is that Bourne's engaged in [, something] could be happening there. [...] What attracts me to Bourne's world is that it is a real world and I think I'm most comfortable there.[11]
The special visual effects for the film were produced byDouble Negative.
As with the previous films in the trilogy, the score was composed byJohn Powell. A new version ofMoby's "Extreme Ways", entitled "Extreme Ways (Bourne's Ultimatum)", was recorded for the film's end credits.
A premiere ofThe Bourne Ultimatum was held indowntown Oklahoma City on July 31, 2007, atHarkinsBricktown Theaters[13] to benefitThe Children's Center, located in suburbanBethany. The film was shown simultaneously on three screens. Matt Damon was at the event to greet guests. The film premiered atLeicester Square in London on August 15, 2007, with Matt Damon, Julia Stiles and Joan Allen attending. The film was released the next day.[14] The film premiered inSydney on August 8, 2007, at theState Theatre, with Matt Damon attending. An advance screening ofThe Bourne Ultimatum was held atThe Egyptian Theatre to benefitBoise Contemporary Theater on July 30, 2007. ProducerFrank Marshall and actor Matt Damon were in attendance.[15] The first two films,The Bourne Identity andThe Bourne Supremacy, also had advance charity screenings in Boise.The Bourne Ultimatum was released nationwide on August 30, 2007.[16]
The film was released on bothDVD andHD DVD on December 11, 2007 in North America.[17] The DVD was released in bothFullscreen and2.35:1Widescreen aspect ratios. The HD DVD and DVD special features[18] include several deleted scenes, featurettes, audio commentary, and exclusively on the HD DVD version,HDi Interactive Format features such as Picture-in-Picture Video Commentary. In addition to the stand-alone DVD release, there is a limited edition 'The Jason Bourne Collection' gift set, featuring all three films on DVD and a bonus disc with myriad bonus features such as deleted scenes and featurettes. The gift set featuresSwiss Banksafe deposit box packaging including foreign currency and a Jason Bournepassport.[19][20] The film and special features on the HD DVD version are presented in 2:35:1 Widescreen high definition1080i and offer DolbyTrueHD5.1lossless andDolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio options.[18]
The Bourne Ultimatum earned $69,283,690 during its opening weekend at the box office,[3] which at the time had the highest August opening weekend, beatingRush Hour 2.[21] It would hold that record for seven years until it was overtaken byGuardians of the Galaxy in 2014.[22] At the end of its theatrical release, the film grossed a total of $227,471,070 in the U.S. and $215,353,068 in foreign markets for a worldwide total of $442,824,138, making it the highest-grossing film in the series.[3]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 92% of 264 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Bourne Ultimatum is an intelligent, finely tuned non-stop thrill ride. Another strong performance from Matt Damon and sharp camerawork from Paul Greengrass make this the finest installment of theBourne trilogy."[23]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, gave the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”.[citation needed] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on its A+ to F scale.[citation needed]
Like its predecessor,The Bourne Supremacy, the film was criticized for its use of "shaky" camerawork, asRichard Corliss ofTime magazine, in an otherwise positive review, wondered "why, in the chat scenes, the camera is afflicted withParkinson's? The film frame trembles, obscures the speaker with the listener's shoulder, annoys viewers and distracts them from the content of the scene."[24]
In the British press, the inclusion of a fictional journalist from the real British paperThe Guardian and scenes set in the United Kingdom (particularly Waterloo railway station) were commented upon. In particular, that newspaper's reviewer joked that "dodging bullets from a CIA sniper... is the sort of thing which happens to usGuardian journalists all the time".[25][26][27][28]
The film was also well received in thehacker subculture, as it showed actual real-world applications such as theBourne-again shell (inspired by theBourne shell developed byStephen R. Bourne, not the fictional Jason Bourne) andNmap, unlike many other films featuring hacking scenes (such asHackers).[29] In 2012, theMotion Picture Editors Guild listed it as the 66th best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership.[30]
In May 2007, prior to the release ofThe Bourne Ultimatum,Matt Damon claimed that he would not be interested in returning for a fourthBourne film, stating (of his participation in theBourne franchise): "We have ridden that horse as far as we can."[37] Damon said in August 2007:
I think in terms of another one, the story of this guy's search for his identity is over, because he's got all the answers, so there's no way we can trot out the same character, and so much of what makes him interesting is that internal struggle that was happening for him, am I a good guy, am I a bad guy, what is the secret behind my identity, what am I blocking out, why am I remembering these disturbing images? So all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is not there, so if there was to be another one then it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know, where do you go from there? For me I kind of feel like the story that we set out to tell has now been told. I love the character, and if Paul Greengrass calls me in ten years and says, 'Now we can do it, because it's been ten years and I have a way to bring him back,' then there's a world in which I can go, 'Yeah, absolutely.' We could get the band back together if there was a great idea behind it, but in terms of now and this story, that part—the story's been told...[38]
However, on February 22, 2008,Variety reported that a fourth film was indeed in the works, with both Damon and Greengrass on board.[39]
On October 16, 2008, it was announced that George Nolfi would write the script, with Frank Marshall producing, and Jeffrey Weiner and Henry Morrison executive producing. Matt Damon,Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, and Paul Greengrass were also attached to the film.[40][41][42]Joshua Zetumer had been hired to write a parallel script—a draft which could be combined with another (Nolfi's, in this instance)—by August 2009 since Nolfi would be directingThe Adjustment Bureau that September.[43]
On February 1, 2010, Damon, speaking at the U.K. premiere ofInvictus, revealed that a follow-up toThe Bourne Ultimatum was "at least five years away". Greengrass, also at the premiere, re-stated that he would not be part of any furtherBourne films "unless the right script came along". However, Damon revealed that in the meantime there may be aBourne "prequel of some kind, with another actor and another director".[44]Matt Damon reconfirmed this on a March 10, 2010 appearance ofToday and that he would only be involved if Greengrass was directing.[45]
In June 2010, it was announced that Tony Gilroy would be writingThe Bourne Legacy and it would have a 2012 release date.[46] That October, Gilroy was announced as the director ofThe Bourne Legacy;[47] he confirmed that Damon would not return for this film and that there would be "a whole new hero":
This is not areboot, it's a whole new chapter. The easiest way to think of it is an expansion or a reveal. Jason Bourne will not be in this film, but he's very much alive. What happened in the first three films is the trigger forThe Bourne Legacy, and everyone who got into them will be rewarded for paying attention. I'm building a legend and an environment and a wider conspiracy. We're going to show you the bigger picture, the bigger canvas... The world we're making enhances and advances and invites Jason Bourne's reappearance somewhere down the road."[48]
Universal Pictures stated at a media conference inLos Angeles, California, that they are likely to release moreBourne films, despiteThe Bourne Legacy being given mixed reviews by critics.[50] On September 15, 2014, it was announced that Damon and Greengrass will indeed return for the nextBourne film, taking the release date, with Renner returning as Cross in a separate film at a later date.[51][52] On June 18, 2014, the studio pushed back the film from August 14, 2015, to July 15, 2016.[53] The filmJason Bourne premiered in the United States on July 29, 2016 to mixed reviews.
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