'Logan's Run' Remake Writer to Script 'Bourne 5'

The final numbers for The Bourne Legacy probably weren't what Universal was hoping for, but it was good enough that they decided to push ahead with a sequel. The franchise as a whole is in the process of change, with Jeremy Renner coming aboard as new super agent Aaron Cross, and series writer Tony Gilroy, who also directed 'Legacy', exiting 'Bourne' completely. Justin Lin (Fast Five) and screenwriter Anthony Peckham (Sherlock Holmes) came aboard to give it more of a blockbuster feel, but there's still some tweaking that needs to be done.

Andrew Baldwin, who wrote the shelved Logan's Run remake Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling were attached to at one time, has been brought in to rewrite Bourne 5. He also wrote yakuza flick The Outsider which Tom Hardy and Takashi Miike were circling before dropping out.

Exactly what kind of government conspiracy will rear its ugly head next time, we do know that Renner will be back as Aaron Cross and Rachel Weisz will probably be by his side. The Bourne Legacy sequel is slated for August 14th 2015 which means they'll need to get filming very soon to hit that date. [THR]

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Jeremy Renner Returns as Aaron Cross as Fifth 'Bourne' Film Moves Forward

The Bourne Legacy didn't exactly set the box office on fire with Jeremy Renner taking over the spinoff from franchise lead Matt Damon, but Universal still has reason for optimism. The $113M domestic haul ($276M worldwide) is the lowest of the series, but it's only a shade under what Damon did in The Bourne Identity. Not bad for what is essentially the start of something completely new, with a different actor and totally different character. Producers began talking about a sequel soon after a strong debut, and now they're moving forward while also heading in a different direction.

Deadline reports that Anthony Peckham has been hired to pen the fifth installment of the 'Bourne' franchise. This is a pretty big move because Tony Gilroy has been involved with writing every chapter up to this point, before moving into the director's chair for 'Legacy'. Peckam is a mixed bag scribe who helped jumpstart Sherlock Holmes, suggesting Universal may be looking for a bigger and more blockbuster-friendly film this time around. Peckam also wrote the Nelson Mandela drama Invictus, which co-starred Matt Damon, but those expecting the actor to return to the black ops world of 'Bourne' will be waiting a long time. While Damon mostly has had encouraging words for Renner and the series' new direction, he's been adamant about not returning without director Paul Greengrass.

The untitled 'Bourne' film will pick up after the last one, and continue following Renner's Aaron Cross character, who was targeted for assassination by his old bosses in Operation Outcome, an offshoot of the same mysterious agency that plagued Jason Bourne. It's still pretty early on so there's no word on co-stars Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz.

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Future 'Bourne' films will follow Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross

It was only a few weeks ago that producer Frank Marshall seemed pretty excited about the future of the Jason Bourne franchise, and the hope of new star Jeremy Renner teaming with old star Matt Damon. Eh, probably not going to happen. Or at the very least, Marshall doesn't seem to think it will anytime soon.

At the press day for The Bourne Legacy, Marshall made it clear that any fifth film will have Renner as the face of it...

Marshall: Well, I think that all those possibilities are open, but we're gonna follow Jeremy's character. But everything else is wide open. That's the great thing about where we are now, the table is set to go any direction we want to, but we will, for sure, follow Jeremy and Rachel and see what happens."

That would be Renner's Aaron Cross character, who is an operative from a project similar to Treadstone, and suffers much of the immediate impact from Bourne's actions in the previous flicks. What Marshall's statement also reveals is that Rachel Weisz's character will survive long enough for a sequel. Then again, Franka Potente made it to The Bourne Supremacy and then she ended up in the drink.

None of this means we won't see an Aaron Cross/Jason Bourne team-up down the line, and when asked about it Renner played it close to the vest....

Renner: "I'm excited that the architects and creators behind this sort of thing have cleverly left it wide open for fans like myself wondering what the heck's going to go on next."

The Bourne Legacy is directed by Tony Gilroy and opens on August 10th.

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Universal bumps 'The Bourne Legacy' back one week

The summer blockbuster movie season is always a crowded snake pit, with it virtually impossible for any film to find more than one unchallenged weekend. This year is particularly jam packed, however, and since we can count on a certain Dark Knight to rule the season for at least a month, it falls on every other studio to try and get the heck out of Warner Brothers' way, lest they be steamrolled.  So it makes perfect sense for Universal, keen on establishing Jeremy Renner in The Bourne Legacy, to move the release date back a week to August 10th.

The Dark Knight Rises is set to open on July 20th, so this gives 'Bourne' a little breathing room. Also, it would have been going head-to-head with Colin Farrell's Total Recall remake, and history tells us that two similar genre flicks simply can't survive at the same time. August 10th puts 'Bourne' up against the Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis political comedy, The Campaign, and also Hope Springs, which stars Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep. All three films appeal to very different audiences, which should leave plenty of space for 'Bourne' to gain a foothold.

Universal's smart, and they know that The Bourne Legacy is a hard sell for fans who identify the franchise only with Matt Damon. Giving the film, and Jeremy Renner, the best chance to succeed has to be of paramount concern. 

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1st look at Jeremy Renner in 'The Bourne Legacy'

When he's not busy getting in pier-6 brawls in Thailand, Jeremy Renner also fritters away the time making the occasional movie. Hell, he's the franchise king right now. While you can see him right now playing second fiddle to Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, the one that truly has him at the forefront is The Bourne Legacy.

USA Today has revealed the first image of Renner as super agent Aaron Cross in the fourth film of the series. While details remain sketchy, we know that the Tony Gilroy written/directed effort will broaden the world of Matt Damon's Jason Bourne character. Cross will face some deadlier version of the secretive Treadstone organization.

Edward Norton and Oscar Isaac will be the villains, with Rachel Weisz, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen co-starring. The Bourne Legacy will hit theaters on August 3rd.

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Jeremy Renner talks The Bourne Legacy; says it's "more expansive" than before

Universal's taking one heck of a gamble with their much loved Bourne franchise. With Paul Greengrass and star Matt Damon out of the picture(at least for now), the reins were handed over completely to series writer Tony Gilroy to spin Bourne's world off into another direction. The plan for The Bourne Legacy is to basically open up a whole new corner of the same world in which Bourne existed, following a similar character dogged by an element of the treacherous Treadstone group. Spinoffs off popular flicks don't have a great history of success, so Universal is doing whatever they can to make this the most star powered film yet.

They began by casting Jeremy Renner to play the lead role, in what I think is his 10th franchise lead lined up over the next few years. That was quickly followed up by surrounding him with the type of supporting cast any director would drool over: Rachel Weisz, Ed Norton, Oscar Isaac, Stacey Keach, Scott Glenn, and the returning Joan Allen and Albert Finney. Fans identify Bourne through Matt Damon, so there's a greater risk of disappointing them and ruining the whole shebang if Damon and Greengrass do eventually return, as some expect them to. But seriously, who's not going to want to see any film with these people involved?

In the latest issue of Empire Magazine, Jeremy Renner revealed some additional details on the film and his character....

Renner: "My character is called Aaron Cross," Renner said, "but he ends up having a bunch of different names. For fans of the franchise, [The Bourne Legacy] has that same ticking clock, but it's a new program and new characters."

And what about Treadstone? Are they as dangerous as before?

Renner: "Yeah, it's that same deal, it's just a new set of agents with a different leash. It's the same tempo and pace but more expansive and bigger. The differences are pretty vast but you'll know it's a Bourne movie."

We'll get a better sense of what Renner brings to the table as an action star when Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol opens next month. The Bourne Legacy is set to debut August 3rd 2012! [Comingsoon.net]

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Sure Shots: World War Z; The Bourne Legacy; McConaughey, Witherspoon join Jeff Nichols' Mud

* And here I thought Bryan Cranston was too busy to add anything else to his jam packed schedule? The highly in demand actor just recently had to drop out of Gangster Squad due to time constraints, and yet THR is now reporting he'll have a "small but flashy" role in World War Z. The film stars Brad Pitt and is directed by Marc Forster, detailing the aftermath of a global zombie war.

* With Chris Cooper's Alexander Conklin character is pretty much wormfood and unable to return for The Bourne Legacy, somebody's got to fill the void of the grizzled government beaurucrat with a murky past, and who better to do it than veteran actor Stacy Keach? The Fat City actor will play a role similar to that of the returning Joan Allen and Albert Finney, meaning he'll likely be a part of whatever this new, darker version of Treadstone is. He joins Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Ed Norton, and Oscar Isaac. [Variety]

* Reese Witherspoon and Matthew McConaughey have joined the cast of Mud, Jeff Nichols' follow-up to his critically acclaimed festival hit, Take Shelter. McConaughey will play Mud, a fugitive who forges an unlikely friendship with a 14 year old boy determined to help him escape and get back to the woman he loves(Witherspoon). The Tree of Life's Tye Sheridan is said to be up for the role of the kid. Another strong choice for McConaughey, who appears to be turning his career around from playing bare chested dopes. [Deadline]

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