19 Years Ago, America’s James Bond Retired Only to Return 9 Years Later After a Failed Reboot
The James Bond franchise remains the longest-running and highest-grossing spy series in film history, spanning 25 official movies and generating billions of dollars since Sean Connery introduced 007 in 1962’s Dr. No. That history is now entering an unprecedented new phase. Following the conclusion of Daniel Craig’s five-film run as James Bond in 2021’s No Time to Die, Amazon MGM Studios took full creative control of the franchise in February 2025, ending decades of stewardship by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. Bond’s decades of dominance inevitably created imitators, and none matched its success or influence more directly than the Jason Bourne franchise, an American counterpart built on a different approach to the spy genre.
The Bourne franchise adapted Robert Ludlum’s novels into a series starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a CIA-trained assassin stripped of his memory and hunted by the agency that created him. The Bourne Identity launched the series on June 14, 2002, grossing $214.4 million worldwide against a $60 million budget and establishing Damon as a massive action lead. The franchise escalated through 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy before reaching its commercial and critical peak with The Bourne Ultimatum, released on August 3, 2007, exactly 19 years ago. The Ultimatum grossed $444 million worldwide and holds a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score, the highest of any Bourne film to date. Universal and Damon treated the film as the trilogy’s final chapter, and the star spent the months before release telling outlets he had no interest in continuing the character. For a movie studio, though, it’s hard to let go of a profitable franchise.
The Failed Reboot of the Jason Bourne Franchise
Universal did not abandon theJason Bourne franchise despite Damon’s exit. Instead, the studio developed The Bourne Legacy, introducing Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) as a separate, genetically enhanced operative connected to the fallout of Bourne’s actions. Released on August 10, 2012, the film carried a $125 million budget, higher than any previous Bourne production, and grossed $280.4 million worldwide. Those numbers marked a steep drop from The Bourne Ultimatum‘s total on a smaller budget five years earlier. Critical reception fell even further, as The Bourne Legacy settled at a 56% Rotten Tomatoes score, 36 points below the Ultimatum. At the time, Universal was marketing The Bourne Legacy as the beginning of a new chapter for the franchise. However, given the dire critical and financial results, no further Aaron Cross film followed, and the character has not appeared in the series since.
Universal reversed course entirely and brought Damon back for 2016’s Jason Bourne, reuniting him with director Paul Greengrass nine years after The Bourne Ultimatum. The film opened to $60 million domestically, the second-highest opening in the franchise’s history, and finished with a $415.5 million worldwide total, nearly matching the original trilogy’s peak gross. However, the reunion did not restore the series’ standing with critics. Jason Bourne settled at a 55% Rotten Tomatoes score, only one point above The Bourne Legacy and the lowest score of any Damon-led entry in the franchise. In hindsight, the commercial rebound proved that audiences still wanted Damon in the role, while the stagnant reviews confirmed that The Bourne Legacy‘s attempt to hand the franchise to a new lead had tarnished the franchise.
Universal is currently developing a sixth Jason Bourne film, with Edward Berger attached to direct and Damon confirming in 2026 that writer Joe Barton has delivered a script he considers workable. Across five films, the Bourne franchise has grossed $1.64 billion worldwide, a track record that keeps Universal invested in getting the next installment right.
