Matt Damon Wants New Jason Bourne Movie to ‘Be Like the First 3’ as Work With Conclave Director Continues
Matt Damon has given an update on the long-awaited sixth Jason Bourne film, saying he is working with Conclave director Edward Berger to develop the story but that no final version has been locked down yet. Speaking on ESPN's The Rich Eisen Show, Damon said he would only want to make the film if it could match the quality of the original trilogy, underscoring the pressure on a franchise that has been dormant for a decade. The update matters to fans because it suggests renewed momentum after years of uncertainty about whether Damon would return.
Damon has played Bourne in The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and Jason Bourne (2016), sitting out only The Bourne Legacy, which starred Jeremy Renner. Talk of a revival began in 2023 with Berger attached, and Universal acquired the franchise rights in 2025, though a new film has yet to materialise. Damon acknowledged the difficulty of continuing a linear story rather than a self-contained format like James Bond, saying the team believes it has "a line of sight" on how to balance familiar elements with fresh material.
In short
- Damon confirms ongoing talks on Bourne 6 with director Edward Berger.
- Wants new film to match quality of original trilogy.
- Franchise has had no new entry in 10 years.
Explained simply
Jason Bourne is a fictional spy character featured in a film series beginning with The Bourne Identity in 2002, starring Matt Damon. The character is an amnesiac assassin trying to uncover his true identity whilst being hunted by government agencies, and the early films became known for their realistic, gritty approach to the spy thriller genre. The original three Bourne films, released between 2002 and 2007, were both critical and commercial successes.
After a fourth Bourne film in 2016, the franchise fell dormant for nearly a decade. The film rights have since been acquired by Universal Pictures, and in 2023 director Edward Berger (known for the film Conclave) became attached to develop a new instalment. These developments have sparked renewed interest in whether a new Bourne film would actually materialise.
One of the challenges in continuing the Bourne saga is that unlike some other spy film franchises, it relies on a continuous linear narrative rather than self-contained stories in each instalment. This means any new film must advance the character's overarching story whilst maintaining the quality that made the original trilogy successful with audiences.
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