First reported on April 1st by Latino Review (and huge kudos to them) - Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter say The Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner has been officially offered the lead role in Universal's The Bourne Legacy, written and directed by Tony Gilroy. Renner has been Oscar nominated twice in the past two years and is expected to take over the mantle from Matt Damon when filming begins in September, however he will play an "operative from a covert government program that is even more dangerous than the Treadstone brainwashing program that hatched Bourne". Despite my previous suspicion that Universal would be cautious of hiring Renner as he is already set to play an operative who takes over the Mission: Impossible franchise in the 'passing of the torch movie' with Tom Cruise this Christmas, they simply came to the conclusion that Renner is too good to ignore. I'm inclined to agree. Renner as the guy to carry on the Bourne franchise in the absence of Matt Damon makes a lot of sense and hes got the chops to make it work, no doubt. Hes an awesome presence on screen, is charasmatic and intense as hell, and he's simply a thunderous performer on another level to the other names mentioned (which included Jake Gyllenhaal and Dominic Cooper, which just wouldn't have worked). The offer went out on Thursday and the only stumbling block that might stop him signing on is scheduling as he has The Avengers to film this summer and then heavy worldwide press for Mission: Impossible to follow (unless Paramount relieve him of much of the duties). He is currently filming Hansel & Gretel: With Hunters but that should be completed well before September. Suddenly then Renner looks to become an unlikely franchise star. He will be the franchise lead of Mission: Impossible, is the new figurehead of the Bourne series and just this week we heard that Marvel were eying Hawkeye as a potential candidate for his own feature film, though perhaps with Renner's commitment to other projects now he will become a character who floats in and out of projects?? The Bourne Legacy is due August, 2012 in theaters. And now it's looking like an awesome prospect.