20 Movie Franchises That Carried On For Way Too Long

20. The Bourne Series

The Movies: The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012), The Bourne Something or Other (2015) The Bourne Identity was a real shot in the arm for the spy genre, after James Bond had descended into self-parody and ridiculousness with the release of Die Another Day the same year. Doug Liman's movie updated the secret agent for a post 9/11 world, anchored by Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a man struggling to remember exactly who and what he is. However, the franchise really took off when Paul Greengrass picked up the reins for The Bourne Supremacy. Upping the personal stakes by merging Bourne's search about his past with a larger government conspiracy, the trilogy then closed in superb fashion with The Bourne Ultimatum, arguably the best movie of the lot. Following the hugely enthusiastic critical reception and near billion-dollar box office of the trilogy, Damon and Greengrass decided to bow out of the franchise. Would that stop the studio executives from making Bourne movies without Jason Bourne? Don't be ridiculous. Despite being directed by regular franchise writer Tony Gilroy, and tying into the series' mythology, The Bourne Legacy was a perfectly acceptable spy thriller, but it just didn't feel like a Bourne Movie. Nonetheless, based on franchise appeal Legacy took over $275m at the box office, with a sequel set for release in the crowded summer of 2015 with Fast and Furious alumni Justin Lin set to direct.