It’s of course no secret that Jeremy Renner is the new face of the Bourne franchise, playing Aaron Cross, a new character in a parallel story to The Bourne Ultimatum . But could Matt Damon possibly team up with Renner in future installments of the story? Yes says the producer of Legacy . The Bourne Legacy producer told Empire that “all possibilities” are open. “You see there are several different programs in the movie with different skill sets,” said producer Frank Marshall. “All possibilities are open. My dream is that in the next one we see Matt and Jeremy team up.” EW notes that Damon reprising his Jason Bourne character could be complicated, however, because of his loyalty to Bourne director Paul Greengrass and the actor had a public spat with Bourne creator Tony Gilroy last December. [Source: Empire via EW ]
The announcement that the Bourne franchise would continue without Matt Damon was met with skepticism by many, including myself, for several reasons. The most relevant? Matt Damon played Jason Bourne. How could the franchise continue without him and his character but still call itself a Bourne film? Would another actor step into his shoes a la James Bond, or would it simply be another case of an agent… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Film School Rejects Discovery Date : 31/05/2012 18:03 Number of articles : 2
The first trailer for the Tony Gilroy-helmed spy sequel The Bourne Legacy has arrived, and it’s got everything you want: Bone-crunching action, fire extinguisher guns, Rachel Weisz as a hot lady doctor, and Jeremy Renner banging around doing his sensitive-strong mooney-eyed thing (and leaping out of rivers half-naked) as secret agent Aaron Cross. Okay, those are all the things I want from The Bourne Legacy , but the trailer gives us one more essential bit: Explanation as to how and why Renner’s been retconned into Bourne lore at all. Renner’s turn at the Bourne wheel isn’t a conventional sequel or reboot but a universe-expanding parallel storyline that seems to take place simultaneous to the events of the previous Bournes, with Matt Damon ‘s face popping up here and there — via photograph, a la Natalie Portman in The Avengers , or Robin Harris in House Party 2 — as the fugitive spy who upturned the Treadstone apple cart and set the spy world a’scramblin way back in 2002’s The Bourne Identity . So Renner’s Aaron Cross — and the comely agency doctor (Weisz) who patches him up between missions, then goes on the run with him — are freed from the singular mission that Jason Bourne was on. They can flee for their own lives, together. He can use his medically-enhanced super soldier skills to leap from buildings into tight alleyways when she calls his name. So romantic! And, also importantly, Renner’s Cross already seems like a much different man-spy than Bourne was. Damon played the tortured amnesiac thing well, but Cross doesn’t seem to be flailing about in some existential crisis; he knows what he is. That confident self-possession is magnetic. HE JUST WANTS TO LIVE, DAMMIT! At least, that’s what I got from these two minutes and change of trailer footage. And let’s not forget what else the trailer promises: Oscar Isaac. Ed Norton. No more shaky-cam! Verdict: In, obviously. From Universal: The narrative architect behind the Bourne film series, Tony Gilroy, takes the helm in the next chapter of the hugely popular espionage franchise that has earned almost $1 billion at the global box office: The Bourne Legacy. The writer/director expands the Bourne universe created by Robert Ludlum with an original story that introduces us to a new hero (Jeremy Renner) whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. For The Bourne Legacy, Renner joins fellow series newcomers Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and Oscar Isaac, while franchise veterans Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Scott Glenn reprise their roles. The Bourne Legacy is in theaters August 3.
Stick with us for sneak peeks and inside details from the season’s biggest films. By MTV News staff Christina Ricci and Robert Pattinson in “Bel Ami” Photo: Magnolia Pictures Make way for Captain America! Look out for Snow White! Here comes Spider-Man! The 2011 summer movie season is about to begin, and with it, the return of familiar faces and the emergence of new ones. All week long during Summer Movie Preview Week, MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most-anticipated films of the coming months. Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and much more! So consider this page your summer movie cheat sheet — the place you’ll be able to check out all our exclusive content. Robert Pattinson Goes Shirtless in Exclusive “Bel Ami” Clip The clip opens in a boudoir with the mostly naked and slightly disheveled Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci) lying in bed, post-tryst, posing a question to her equally scantily clad lover, Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson). Joss Whedon Reveals His Favorite “Avengers” Character One of the most intriguing aspects about the very highly anticipated and superhero-studded “Marvel’s The Avengers” is in wondering how much the audience will see of each individual character, as well as what the actor in question has brought to the table in portraying a new side of their respective Marvel hero in the massive film. Director Joss Whedon recently kicked us the inside scoop. “Bourne Legacy” Director Introduces Us to the Newly Matt Damon-Free Franchise After seeing the first trailer, you might have thought “The Bourne Legacy” would be just another “spy with amnesia” movie. Director and co-writer Tony Gilroy wants you to know that you’re very, very wrong. Joseph Gordon-Levitt Gets Extreme in “Premium Rush” Few actors can claim to have a 2012 quite as full of big movies as Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The 31-year-old actor isn’t just reteaming with his “Inception” director, Christopher Nolan, for “The Dark Knight Rises,” but he’s also starring in one of the most talked-about releases of the year, “Looper,” and preparing his directorial debut, “Don Jon’s Addiction.” On top of all that, this summer he’ll headline “Premium Rush,” an action film about a bike messenger caught up in a conspiracy. It’s Summer Movie Preview Week, and MTV News will be bringing you exclusive interviews, clips and photos for the most anticipated summer movies . Get ready to gorge on inside looks at “The Avengers,” Robert Pattinson’s “Bel Ami,” Kristen Stewart’s “Snow White,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and more! Related Videos Summer Movie Preview 2012
Big news from the swords-and-sandals prequel front! And by “big,” I mean, “Warner Bros. spent roughly .00000005 of its budget on the follow-up to 300 registering a domain for a title that may or may not be final but Jesus Christ it is slow out there so let’s talk about it anyway because it’s got kind of a ring to it and in any case five is a lot of syllables for a 10-letter word, don’t you think?” From the Web-registry eagle eyes at Fusible: According to newly registered domain names, the film studio will go with the rumored title 300: The Battle of Artemisium . On January 3, several names were privately registered through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor like thebattleofartemisium.com, 300thebattleofartemisium.com and 300-thebattleofartemisium.com. Although the owner of each domain is hidden behind MarkMonitor’s privacy service DNStination, Warner Bros. is a client of MarkMonitor, so there’s little doubt that Warner Bros. is the registrant. This! Is! Artemisium! Enh.
Here’s cause for excitement for J.J. Abrams ’s Star Trek sequel , set to debut May 2013: British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to join returning cast members Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Co. Better news: He’s reportedly playing the villain. If your first thought is “Benewhat Cumberwho?” see why you should take this as very good news after the jump. Thirty five year-old Cumberbatch has been active in theater, TV, and film for a decade, but had a banner last few years with roles in The Whistleblower , BBC’s Sherlock , and this awards season’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and War Horse . His acerbic take on Sherlock Holmes is probably his best known and best loved work of late, but his turn as Gary Oldman ’s skeptical but loyal right hand man in Tinker Tailor is another recent highlight; next year he’ll pull double duty in The Hobbit voicing the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer for Peter Jackson. (If you were lucky/smart enough to catch last year’s brilliant British satire Four Lions , you might recall Cumberbatch’s cameo as a frustrated negotiator trying in vain to break through to a bunch of inept terrorists.) There’s a somewhat delicate, dangerous edge to Cumberbatch that could play well against the all-American machismo of Pine’s Kirk in Star Trek 2 , though details on Cumberbatch’s character have yet to be revealed. And look! Tinker Tailor co-star Tom Hardy , another Brit breakout, had this to say of Cumberbatch’s acting prowess from back when they starred in the 2007 BBC biopic Stuart: A Life Backwards . So take it from fellow one-time Trek villain Hardy ( Star Trek Nemesis ) and the growing legion of stateside Cumberbatch fanatics: This casting sounds like a promising move on Abrams’ part. What say you, Trekkers? [ Deadline , Variety ]
According to the Phuket Gazette, Bourne Legacy star Jeremy Renner was maybe-sorta (okay not really) involved in an insane-sounding bar brawl this week in Thailand in which an associate was attacked and stabbed by a host of bar employees. Oh, I’m sorry: Bar employees wielding knives and a freaking homemade battle axe . But fear not! It seems Renner, most recently seen in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and currently in Thailand shooting his Bourne flick, hightailed it out and escaped unscathed . Wish we could say the same about his reported acquaintance, one Vorasit Issara, who took injuries to his stomach and neck in the melee. [ Phuket Gazette , ETonline ]
According to the Phuket Gazette, Bourne Legacy star Jeremy Renner was maybe-sorta (okay not really) involved in an insane-sounding bar brawl this week in Thailand in which an associate was attacked and stabbed by a host of bar employees. Oh, I’m sorry: Bar employees wielding knives and a freaking homemade battle axe . But fear not! It seems Renner, most recently seen in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and currently in Thailand shooting his Bourne flick, hightailed it out and escaped unscathed . Wish we could say the same about his reported acquaintance, one Vorasit Issara, who took injuries to his stomach and neck in the melee. [ Phuket Gazette , ETonline ]
We guess this is good training for his upcoming role in The Bourne Legacy … Jeremy Renner was involved in a violent fight last night outside a bar in Phuket, Thailand, TMZ reports , one in which a participant gashed another with a rotor axe. Local police says the melee started after a man in Renner’s party, Vorasit Issara, dropped a glass on the floor. A group of workers – with whom Vorasit has been arguing – proceeded to attack Issara, Renner and their friends, with the former getting stabbed in the neck and the stomach with a knife. All six men who initiated the attack were arrested, while the actor’s rep said he left the scene as quickly as he could once the fight escalated. [Photo: WENN.com]
A rep disputes a report to MTV News that the ‘Mission Impossible’ actor was injured in Thailand. By Jocelyn Vena Jeremy Renner Photo: Getty Images “Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol” star Jeremy Renner is just fine. Despite previous reports, the actor’s rep confirmed to MTV News that he was not injured in a bar fight in Thailand. “Jeremy was there [but] was not involved,” a rep for the actor told MTV News. “When a fight broke out, he exited [and] was not injured.” The Phuket Gazette reports that Renner had been hanging out at the Rachada Pub in Phuket Town when six employees stabbed and injured two local men, Sri Panwa Resort General Manager Vorasit Issara and Maj Gen Chonasit, early Wednesday. The newspaper further reports that Renner had been in their company, along with Vorasit’s driver, Noppadon Preechawai, and several other friends. The Gazette originally reported that Renner had been injured in the scuffle. Prior to arriving at Rachada Pub, the group had also been spotted at two other local hotspots, KorTorMor Pub and another club near Royal Phuket City Hotel. The six men are currently being held by local authorities and addressed the media at a press conference on Thursday. The pub where the incident occurred has since been shut down for six months because it violated a local curfew. Renner has been in Manila, Philippines filming “The Bourne Legacy,” the actor’s rep said. He recently opened up to MTV News about filming “Legacy” and filling in the spot left vacant by the franchise’s longtime star, Matt Damon. “He’s always been so complimentary to me from the moment I met him. Such a great guy,” Renner said. “He’s a very, very complimentary, loving dude.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Bourne Legacy.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
