Summary

• Missed opportunity: Bourne/Cross team-up promising epic action with two deadly agents teaming up against government agencies.
• The Bourne franchise's future is uncertain with potential for generic plots, but a Bourne/Cross duo would bring fresh excitement to the series.
• Positive sign: Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass are intrigued by the Bourne/Cross crossover idea, giving hope for a thrilling team-up movie in the future.

Jeremy Renner has revealed that a Bourne franchise crossover between the Jason Bourne character and his Bourne Legacy replacement, Aaron Cross, was once on the cards – and it’s a shame the Matt Damon team-up never happened, because it sounds awesome. After Damon completed the initial Bourne trilogy with The Bourne Ultimatum, he took a break from the franchise. But the studio wanted to keep profiting from the I.P., so they decided to make another Bourne movie without Bourne himself. They cast Renner as a different black-ops assassin, Aaron Cross, in a spin-off titled The Bourne Legacy.

In a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Renner’s replacement Cross character. Renner said that both Damon and director Paul Greengrass were on board with the concept, and that the idea got “pretty far” into the development process. Unfortunately, the crossover project fell apart and Greengrass and Damon instead reunited on another solo Bourne movie, simply titled Jason Bourne. I’m pretty disappointed that the Bourne/Cross team-up movie never happened, because Renner’s story pitch sounds great.

Jeremy Renner's Jason Bourne & Aaron Cross Movie Sounds Amazing

They would've teamed up to take on the government agencies that turned them into killing machines

“We wanted to pivot and try to get both parallel universes together. That was my idea, was to try to get us together. Pit us against each other and then we realize, ‘What are we doing? You and I together can go smash all of them.’ Then, you got Bourne and Cross together, you know? That’s a good duo. That would’ve been pretty badass.”

According to Renner’s pitch, the Bourne/Cross team-up would’ve seen the Bourne-verse’s shady government agents sending Bourne and Cross after each other. Bourne would be sent to eliminate Cross and vice versa. But when they met and got to know each other, Bourne and Cross would realize they’re both in the same boat with a common enemy. They’re both used as expendable pawns by the government agencies that turned them into killing machines. So, they decide to forces and take on those agencies as a dynamic duo. This could’ve been the most thrilling and action-packed of all the Bourne movies.

It would’ve been poetic for Bourne and Cross to use their particular set of skills to take on the men in black who trained them. And it would’ve been a ton of fun to see the Hobbs & Shaw-esque banter between stoic government-trained killer Bourne and stoic government-trained killer Cross. Very few people have had to endure what Bourne and Cross did, and they might’ve enjoyed the company of someone who’s in the same unfortunate boat. Damon and Renner are both terrific actors who develop interesting dynamics with their co-stars; it’d be a joy to see them share the screen.

The Bourne Legacy was directed by Andor's Tony Gilroy.

A Jason Bourne & Aaron Cross Team-Up Is By Far The Franchise's Best Future

A Bourne/Cross team-up is way more exciting than Bourne 6 or Treadstone season 2

Ever since the middling reception to Jason Bourne eight years ago, the future of the Bourne franchise has been uncertain – although a sixth Bourne film is in development. Damon is involved in the project, but he hasn’t officially signed on and Plan B is to cast a new lead, much like The Bourne Legacy. No plot details have been revealed, except that it will tie into the Treadstone TV series, which aired for one season back in 2019 (and wasn’t that great). This sounds like it’ll end up just rehashing what the previous movies have done.

Frankly, the Bourne/Cross team-up movie is a much better idea for the franchise’s future. It’ll keep the series fresh and exciting, because a team-up movie has never been done before, and it’ll tie the previous installments together in the same continuity. A Bourne/Cross team-up has the potential to be a great “buddy cop” adventure with two deadly assassins bantering their way through dangerous situations. A team-up of Bourne and Cross would be a heck of a lot more exciting than another generic Bourne movie about another archetypal assassin piecing together his hazy backstory.

Paul Greengrass & Matt Damon's Interest Is Encouraging For A Jason Bourne Crossover Movie

The director and star of the franchise are both on board

The most hopeful aspect of Renner’s announcement is that both Damon and Greengrass were interested in exploring the concept. This isn’t a pitch that got thrown out and didn’t go any further than a suggestion; the franchise’s star and primary director were both excited by the idea. Damon and Greengrass were both eager to work with Renner and intrigued by the prospect of a Bourne/Cross team-up. This means there’s a reason to be optimistic that this team-up movie will actually happen someday.

If Damon and Greengrass were interested in the team-up back then, and the producers are struggling to figure out where the Bourne franchise should go next, then there’s still hope that it’ll happen eventually. The lukewarm reception to Jason Bourne has proven that they’ve taken Bourne’s solo adventures as far as they’ll go, and there’s no point in introducing a brand-new character when Cross is already established and well-liked by the fan base. The Bourne franchise’s best future is the Damon/Renner team-up.

Source: Happy Sad Confused