The bidding war for the Jason Bourne franchise has ended. The multimedia franchise began as a series of spy novels by Robert Ludlum, which now includes 22 books, though the entries after Ludlum’s death in 2001 were written by Eric Van Lustbader and Brian Freeman. The books have been adapted into the Jason Bourne movies, which star Matt Damon as Jason Bourne.

The five theatrical installments have collectively grossed $1.66 billion since the franchise kicked off with The Bourne Idenтιтy in 2002. The most recent entry was 2016’s Jason Bourne, which saw Damon returning to the franchise after sitting out the 2012 installment The Bourne Legacy, which starred Jeremy Renner.

Per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, the bidding war for the rights to the Jason Bourne franchise has been won by NBCUniversal. The company previously held the rights before they lapsed and were put on the market in 2025 by the Ludlum estate. Frank Marshall will remain on board the franchise, producing alongside Captivate Entertainment’s Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith.

Although the bidding war included at least seven major offers, including from another studio and two streaming platforms, NBCUniversal now has all rights, other than publishing, to Ludlum’s Jason Bourne books and the spinoff series Treadstone in perpetuity. According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline sources, it was a “very large deal.”

Below, read comments on the acquisition from Universal Pictures President Peter Cramer and Jeffrey Weiner, who is the executor of the Ludlum estate in addition to being the Chairman & CEO of Captivate:

Peter Cramer: Since its debut in 2002, the iconic Bourne franchise has reshaped the spy genre with groundbreaking films that set new standards for cinematic action. We’re energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.

Jeffrey Weiner: We are thrilled that the Bourne franchise will remain at Universal. We look forward to working with the Universal team to expand the Bourne franchise across Universal’s varied platforms.

What This Means For The Jason Bourne Franchise

Although the Jason Bourne franchise has not been seen on the big screen for almost a decade, this acquisition announcement has not come alongside the confirmation of any upcoming projects. However, NBCUniversal retaining the rights to the franchise means that their in-development installment, which has not yet been officially greenlit, can still come to fruition.

ᴅᴇᴀᴅline reports that the possible follow-up movie, which is in development with Conclave director Edward Berger and may feature the return of Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, has a completed script from screenwriter Joe Barton, who created Netflix’s popular Keira Knightley spy drama Black Doves.

Our Take On The Jason Bourne Update

Even if that potential new Jason Bourne installment never happens, the fact that NBCUniversal has retained the rights in perpetuity is a good sign that they will bring back the franchise sooner than later. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for them to spend so much to win the bidding war, as they could have just let the rights lapse.