Entertainment

Chasin' Jason: 20 things you need to know about the Bourne franchise

It's almost a decade since the CIA's most lethal operative went off the grid, but now Jason Bourne is back. To celebrate the reunion of Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass, Susan Griffin hunts down 20 need-to-know facts about the franchise

"I'd do it if he would," is what Damon always said about another Bourne film – 'he' being Blood Sunday director Paul Greengrass
"I'd do it if he would," is what Damon always said about another Bourne film – 'he' being Blood Sunday director Paul Greengrass "I'd do it if he would," is what Damon always said about another Bourne film – 'he' being Blood Sunday director Paul Greengrass

1. The Bourne movies are based on the novels by the late author Robert Ludlum (Eric Van Lustbader has since expanded the series). So far, there have been four films in the franchise: The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Bourne Legacy (2012).

2. Matt Damon didn't appear in The Bourne Legacy, with the action centred around Jeremy Renner's character, Aaron Cross, but Bourne is referenced in the movie.

3. Jason Bourne marks Damon and director Paul Greengrass's third Bourne collaboration (The Bourne Identity was helmed by Doug Liman). They kept in touch over the years, waiting for the right time, with Damon noting: "The one thing I always said was, 'I'd do it if he would'."

4. It was crucial for everyone involved that enough time had lapsed to justify Bourne's return. "One of the things that most concerned us was not just having another Bourne sequel, but having a shift in the modern world that was relevant, which would inspire us into telling a new story," notes producer Frank Marshall.

5. Greengrass likens the reunion to "a rock band coming back together for a good old tour – play some new tunes along with some of the classics".

6. Julia Stiles returns as operative Nicky Parsons, although she wasn't even supposed to survive her first outing. "My character was killed in the original movie, and then they re-cut it. Fifteen years later, here I am."

7. Bourne's antagonist this time is CIA director Robert Dewey, played by Tommy Lee Jones.

8. Alicia Vikander debuts as one of Dewey's team. During her first meeting with Greengrass, the Swedish actress confided she and her old flatmates used to "watch Bourne over and over" when they were too broke to go to the pub.

9. She might be one of the industry's most exciting rising stars, but that didn't stop Vikander getting star-struck at the sight of Damon. "The first time I met Matt, it was probably even more heightened because I met him on set and he was Jason Bourne; he was doing this underground fighting scene. I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm walking into one of the films I admire'."

10. The villain of the piece is played by Vincent Cassel. "I didn't have a lot of dialogue and that was challenging at times," admits the French actor. But then, Damon only has around 25 lines of dialogue himself...

11. Greengrass encouraged changes, with rewrites, new fight choreography and set pieces happening on a daily basis. "Paul has this amazing ability to think on his feet and literally write scenes while he's on the set," remarks actor Riz Ahmed, who plays social media entrepreneur Aaron Kalloor. "He's not worried about ideas coming thick and fast, and things shifting and changing."

12. Personal trainer Jason Walsh worked with 45-year-old Damon on strength and conditioning. Once he'd achieved his peak physical condition, the challenge was to maintain it, as the action spans days in the movie but took months to shoot.

13. Damon took up boxing in preparation for The Bourne Identity, and has kept up the sport. "I find it to be really helpful for this character in particular. It's just such a physical role," he says.

14. He might be a fan of keeping fit, but Damon admits it's much harder preparing for Bourne as a middle-aged man, and describes the intense workouts as "a pain in the ass".

15. Filming began in autumn 2015, with 85 days of main unit shooting. Tenerife was used to depict numerous countries.

16. One of the boxers Bourne meets in the opening sequence is professional stuntman and former bare-knuckle boxing champion Brian Nickels. Damon spent several weeks training with him in preparation for the scene.

17. When Bourne drives off on a motorcycle with Parsons, the bike was actually being driven by four-time Enduro World Champion Paul Edmondson, with British trials champion Katy Bullock on the back.

18. London was used for scenes set in Germany and Iceland, as well as the CIA hub set. The art direction department used hubs at large computer companies and air traffic control as inspiration.

19. In early 2016 the cast and crew moved to Las Vegas, where an immense car chase played out. It involved around 200 cars (150 with extras and 50 with stunt drivers).

20. Greengrass says of the cast: "An actor has to find their character and nail it, and then hone that relationship with Bourne. Because in the end, everybody is chasing Jason Bourne."