It was quite a surprise that a while ago both Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass agreed to come back for a fourth Bourne film, especially seeing how both were adamant part three would be the end. However Universal convinced them and announced the movie, but since then the progress on the film has been slow and tortuous, with no one finding a completely satisfying way to move forward.
Now it appears the film has hit another stumbling block, as The Playlist reports that Greengrass has left the movie over issues with the studio. He was unhappy with the fact that the studio had hired a new writer without consulting him, to write a ‘parallel script’ to the one previous Bourne writer, George Nolfi, was coming up with. While you can understand Universal’s move, as Nolfi was going off to direct Damon in The Adjustment Bureau, apparently they have different ideas to Greengrass about the direction in which Bourne should head, which has led to him leaving.
It also suggests he may be having issues with the studio over his imminent Green Zone, starrring Matt Damon, which was initially supposed to be a medium budget picture that the studio agreed to in order to keep the director and star happy while they developed Bourne 4, but the budget for Green Zone has now crept over $100 million, with Greengrass needing several reshoots and an extensive editing schedule. He’s said to have been unhappy with how hard the studio is riding on the film, which they’re starting to view as an increasingly expensive gamble.
It may also mean that Damon ends up leaving Bourne 4, as his interest was said to be largely based around Greengrass’ involvement. However with Bourne being one of the biggest franchises Universal currently has, we’d imagine they’re going to be busy trying to rebuild bridges and ensure both Damon and Greengrass return to the franchise. However with no script, creative differences and no clear way forward, we think Universal is going to have a tought time getting Bourne 4 made.