The Jason Bourne franchise delivered some of the best action movies of the 21st century, but it all nearly fell apart before the first movie was finished. Based on the novels by Robert Ludlum, Matt Damon stars as Jason Bourne in the movies, a former spy who gets amnesia while also being hunted by the people who trained him.

The Bourne Idenтιтy was released in 2002, launching Damon as the next great action star while also bringing a new edge to the spy movie genre. It was followed by The Bourne Supremacy in 2004 and The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007, before the franchise was rebooted with Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy.

The first three Bourne movies were praised for their grounded and smart scripts as well as the visceral action sequences. However, the behind-the-scenes creation of the franchise was not as smooth as fans might expect, and the entire thing nearly ended in disaster.

The Bourne Idenтιтy Nearly Sunk The Franchise Before It Began With A Troubled Production

Writer Tony Gilroy Reveals The Movie Was A Disaster

Along with the popular source material, The Bourne Idenтιтy has a terrific production crew behind it, which gave the movie a lot of legitimacy. Matt Damon became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with acclaimed movies like Good Will Hunting and hits like Ocean’s Eleven. Director Doug Liman also proved himself with Swingers and Go in the 1990s.

Though screenwriter Tony Gilroy was not the acclaimed creator of Andor that we know him as now, he was another strong factor in the movie. However, Gilroy looked back on The Bourne Idenтιтy, revealing the mess of a production that convinced him that the movie was simply not going to work:

It was an absolute disaster. And it was a disaster and then 9/11 saved that movie. Because it got pushed off and it got shut down and the pressure was taken off. But that’s a movie that was a whole year away from mᴀssive rehab and everything else. It’s just an absolute rollercoaster of sh*t that turned into a success all the time. It’s really unbelievable. Because nothing should, you know, all the bad blood and disagreements, and drama. Oh my god, as I said, it’s been the most shambolic success in Hollywood I can think of.

With all the “bad blood” Gilroy talks about, it is not surprising that Liman didn’t return to the franchise after the first movie, being replaced by Paul Greengrᴀss. However, Damon and Liman worked together again on The Instigators, suggesting any disagreements between them were resolved long ago.

Gilroy’s comments on the movie’s delays actually ending up helping the movie in the end highlight the degree of luck that can go into Hollywood productions. However, Gilroy also admits that, regardless of the issues, there were not a lot of movies like The Bourne Idenтιтy at the time, and it helped it stand out as something special:

It pains me to say, but the first one’s probably the best one. I mean it really is. It has such a weird stink on it when it comes on. It just has a, it really has its own smell and its own flavor. And what is it? It’s really unique. I wish I could say it was all intentional and vent out, but like it exists. It’s a wonderful thing. It doesn’t matter how it happened, it just happened. It came to be.

The Bourne Trilogy Kept Getting Better

The First Three Bourne Movies Are Perfect Spy Thrillers

Tony Gilroy has high praise for The Bourne Idenтιтy, but the original three movies in the franchise really built beautifully on each other. Paul Greengrᴀss’s style for The Bourne Supremacy proved a perfect fit for the franchise, bringing in the handheld camera techniques that gave a unique feel to the action sequences.

The sequel explored more about the mythology of the universe, including the secrets of Treadstone. However, it also worked as a standalone movie, giving more depth and conflict to the character of Jason Bourne, allowing Matt Damon to give a nuanced performance alongside the action moments.

While there are some who consider the Bourne franchise to be one of those rare trilogies where the second movie is the best, The Bourne Ultimatum is not far behind. It has the more difficult task of providing answers to a lot of the franchise questions and bringing the story to a close. It does so in an exciting and satisfying way.

However, it is the action of the trilogy that really stands out. The fight scenes get harder-hitting and intense with each new entry, while the car chases that have come to define these movies get bolder. The Bourne movies became hugely influential in Hollywood action movies, with the James Bond franchise clearly drawing from it with Casino Royale.

Why The Bourne Franchise Failed After The Original Trilogy

The Franchise Has Been In Decline Since The Original Trilogy Ended

With the incredible success of the Bourne trilogy, it is not surprising that there were attempts to keep the franchise going. With the rise of the MCU, a cinematic universe of the Bourne movies was attempted, even bringing in an actual Avenger, Jeremy Renner, to star in The Bourne Legacy.

Renner played Aaron Cross, another Treadstone agent who is on the run at the same time as Jason Bourne’s adventures. This was also followed by a TV series, Treadstone, exploring the origins of the shadowy organization at the center of the franchise. However, Treadstone was canceled, while Renner’s Bourne movie never got a sequel.

It could be easy to blame those projects on the lack of the franchise’s main character. However, Damon returned for the fourth movie, Jason Bourne, which also ended up being a disappointment critically and financially. The issue with all of these later Bourne movies is that they were outside of the original story of the trilogy.

Although things nearly fell apart while making The Bourne Idenтιтy, those three movies feel like they connect naturally and necessarily. They all work on their own but tell a larger story that feels complete by the time The Bourne Ultimatum comes to an end. Those other stories felt like ones they wanted to tell but didn’t need to tell.

Jason Bourne is a complex character, and there is a big world to explore in those movies. However, the satisfaction felt with the ending of The Bourne Ultimatum meant that there needed to be something really special to continue the franchise. While there is still talk of a fourth Jason Bourne movie, nothing has felt that special yet.