Before I break into this article, let me say up front that there have not been any rumors around the Bourne saga saying that Christopher Nolan is considering directing one of their movies. That being said, Nolan’s name has always been a hot rumor around taking over a Bond film – but with his love for intricate plot lines and complex characters maybe the Bourne saga would entice him a little more.
In the three movies featuring Matt Damon, the Bourne trilogy was immensely popular because of its fast-paced action scenes, likable lead, and a well-written script that slowly pieced the backstory of the title character. In the latest installment, Jeremy Renner took the reigns from Damon and while the action carried over, the story struggled to match the power of the previous three movies. So after The Bourne Legacy repelled from the previous entries, maybe some new blood should be injected into the saga. Enter Chris Nolan.
Why He Could Take It Over Successfully
1. He Writes Great Characters
The first reason why Nolan could take over the Bourne franchise is his knack for writing fantastic characters. The two examples of original characters of his that I can think of that could mimic a Bourne-esque character would be Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) in Inception or Leonard (Guy Pearce) from Memento. Cobb is probably the closest to a Jason Bourne character as Nolan has written. While he doesn’t really show off the fighting skills that someone from the Bourne saga may have, he has the smarts and the clouded backstory that resembles both Damon and Renner’s characters.
The character of Jason Bourne was smart, quick on his feet, could fight just about anyone, and had a backstory that he was slowly uncovering but still never fully understood. A Nolan Bourne character would have to be a mix of a few people from Nolan’s films. He knows how to make someone who is witty, much like Cobb. Cobb is very Bond/Bourne-esque as a thief who is quick on his feet and has the ability to out-wit his adversary and get away.
Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) from The Dark Knight trilogy is probably the best example of a Nolan character that can fight and could be hopping rooftops, breaking through windows, and grabbing cars to drive away. The character with the intricate backstory is easily Leonard from Memento who’s backstory makes up much of the main plot in the film. His lack of understanding and the fact that others know about who he is but aren’t allowed to let him know is very similar to the Bourne character in the first three movies.
These three characters show Nolan’s ability to create a perfect Bourne saga lead. By combining all of their traits, he could create a very interesting lead who could revive the saga.
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1 Comments
Totally disagree with you about The Bourne Legacy and the character of Aaron Cross. I’ve never been able to stomache the Bourne Franchise until this one. Jeremy Renner made an unknown character likeable and someone I WANTED to root for, Damon made Jason Bourne dry and unappealing.