Why Jeremy Renner Didn't Return For Bourne 5

Jeremy Renner took over the Bourne series in 2012, and even though The Bourne Legacy teased a sequel, Aaron Cross's fate was left a mystery.

Jeremy Renner took over the Bourne franchise with The Bourne Legacy when Matt Damon's trilogy ended, and though it was setting up a new series, Renner never returned for Bourne 5. Following three hugely critically acclaimed movies following the superspy with amnesia, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), Universal went in a new direction, rebooting the franchise after Bourne's story had been definitively wrapped up. 2012's The Bourne Legacy followed The Bourne Ultimatum, which follows Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), who, just like Bourne, is on the run from the very agency he works for. But despite the same premise, it didn't have the same result.

Renner's tenure as the leader of the Bourne franchise was extremely brief. It looked like The Bourne Legacy was setting up a sequel with Renner's Aaron Cross returning, as the movie ends with Cross on a boat healing from his bullet wounds, looking at a map, and considering where to travel next. Justin Lin was even attached to direct a sequel, but the follow-up, unfortunately, never developed. Instead, Damon returned to the franchise four years later in something of a legacy sequel, Jason Bourne. Ironically, as critics overwhelmingly slammed that film, a Renner-led sequel would have been more welcome.

The Bourne Legacy Didn't Succeed Financially

The Bourne Legacy did set itself apart from the previous movies and was interesting enough for fans of the series, but it failed to grab audiences in the way that the first three films did. While Renner is a bankable actor and can carry a suspenseful, action-packed movie, there simply wasn't any interest in a Bourne movie that didn't feature the titular character. And though the film was written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who wrote the previous three movies, his imitation of Paul Greengrass's distinct filmmaking style couldn't match the real thing. That ultimately led to a disappointing box office performance, making just $276 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

Until The Bourne Legacy, the Bourne movies were consecutively outgrossing the last, with The Bourne Ultimatum marking the franchise high with $444 million (via Box Office Mojo). A fourquel in a huge blockbuster franchise making $165 million less than its predecessor is a catastrophic sign, especially when it had a huge budget of $125 million. That's why it was way safer for the studio to bring back Damon for Jason Bourne, and it unsurprisingly returned the franchise to its box-office success. And as it had a strong box office performance despite being the worst Bourne movie, it further proved that audiences didn't want to see Renner take over the franchise.

Will The Bourne Legacy 2 Ever Happen?

Though Renner didn't return for Bourne 5, it's possible that the actor could return for The Bourne Legacy 2. However, though possible, it's still extremely unlikely. When asked about the possibility, producer Frank Marshall explained, "Probably not. I don't know... That story is still out there as well but it's not... we're not talking about it" (via Slash Film). While that isn't a definitive "no," it's close to it. However, in the same interview, Marshall stated that another Damon-led Bourne movie is likely given Jason Bourne's box office success. So, at the very least, there could be some kind of crossover between the two assassins in Bourne 6.

Source: Box Office Mojo 1, 2, Slash Film