The Jason Bourne franchise is one of the top action movie series in history and longtime fans are still hoping one of its best characters can return if a future installment is released. For all its success, most people agree that the Bourne franchise features a special trilogy that started it all, with the final two entries being somewhat disappointing.
The Bourne Idenтιтy, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum scored between 84% and 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, while The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne are at 56% and 54%. One of the best aspects of those first three films was the character of Nicky Parsons, played by Julia Stiles.
Nicky is a Treadstone logistics technician who had a small role in the first film. She had a more prominent part in the next two installments, becoming a CIA agent and an ally for Jason Bourne. Stiles returned as the character in Jason Bourne, where she was killed off, yet there’s already proof that there’s still hope for another return.
Nicky Parsons Returned From The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 5 Years Ago
As noted, Nicky Parsons was fatally sH๏τ by The ᴀsset in 2016’s Jason Bourne, but if a theme park attraction is believed to be canon, the character is actually still alive. At the Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida, the theme park attraction The Bourne Stuntacular is a stunt show based on the franchise.
The show follows Jason Bourne across several continents as villains pursue him, with the audience experiencing chase scenes, parkour action, and more. The show lasts around 30 minutes and even features actual props from the movies, like the Mini Cooper from the first film and Jason Bourne’s motorcycle.
Before any of that wild action goes down though, guests are treated to a short film introduction and for it, Julia Stiles reprised her role as Nicky Parsons. She is there to give a briefing to the agents involved and lets the guests know that they’ll be part of an “enhanced virtual surveillance” where they help her track Bourne.
This could’ve just been a case of including a character and not explaining anything further, or even setting the stage show before her death. However, Nicky explains that after she was sH๏τ in Athens, she survived and went underground to help keep Jason Bourne safe.
Nicky also makes sure to define her relationship with Jason Bourne as “complicated.” Although The Bourne Stuntacular isn’t officially considered canon, this at least proves that there’s an idea out there if they wanted to bring Nicky back for a future installment.
Nicky Parsons Returning For Jason Bourne 6 Would Be The Right Call
There are several reasons why bringing Nicky Parsons back for a potential sixth Bourne movie is a good move. For starters, simply having her around often meant good things for the overall story. As she got a more prominent role, the films were received better by critics and moviegoers.
There’s a dynamic between Jason and Nicky that hasn’t been matched with other characters. Their relationship is indeed complicated, with Jason kidnapping and interrogating her, yet never harming her and always kind of having a soft spot for her. Nicky ultimately choosing to work with Bourne over Treadstone and the CIA further complicates things.
One of the more interesting stories left to tell involving Nicky is her potential romance with Jason Bourne. Feelings between them have been hinted at in the previous films but never further developed. Some fans even theorize that they were an item before Bourne lost his memory. However, like with The Bourne Stuntacular, there’s non-canon proof that it’s there.
An alternate version of the script for The Bourne Supremacy, which marked Nicky’s first prominent part in the franchise, implied that the two had something romantic going on. In the alternate ending, Nicky is also shown sitting outside of Jason’s hospital room, further hinting at this romance.
What We Know About Jason Bourne 6 (& Will Matt Damon Be In It?)
As noted, the Jason Bourne franchise has hit something of a wall. While the first three films were very well-received, the last two were considered disappointments. The Bourne Legacy, which starred Jeremy Renner instead of Matt Damon, also missed the mark commercially, though Jason Bourne rebounded well enough.
Still, with the franchise not at its highest point, the possibility of a future movie was less likely. In 2019, it was said that a new film was in production that would tie into the Treadstone spin-off series. Then, 2023 saw further confirmation of a new movie and by 2024, The Bourne Dilemma was said to be the тιтle.
Things continued to change, though, with 2025 seeing IMDb list a new тιтle as Jason Bourne Exodus. Matt Damon also hasn’t confirmed if he’d return, given that he’s unsure if he’d want to do such a physically demanding role in his 50s.
Alas, after all those small updates, Universal Pictures lost the rights to the franchise and it was shopped around. However, NBCUniversal ended up with all the rights again, aside from publishing, paving the way for the return of the franchise on the big screen, though we don’t know when.
Director Edward Berger has said that he wants to do the new movie if Damon returns and that he hopes to lure him back by bringing something new to the franchise overall. Only time will tell if any of those things happen with a Jason Bourne 6.
Jason Bourne
- Created by
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Robert Ludlum
- First Film
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The Bourne Idenтιтy
- Cast
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Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Gabriel Mann, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz
- TV Show(s)
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Treadstone
- Character(s)
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Jason Bourne, Marie Helena Kreutz, Nicolette Parsons, Ward Abbott, Nykwanna Wombosi, Aaron Cross, Dr. Marta Shearing
