Clarity On 'The Bourne Legacy': Not A Prequel, Not A Sequel

When it was announced earlier this week that Tony Gilroy was returning to the 'Jason Bourne' series you'll notice we were careful to not call the film, "Bourne 4" and we even said we thought Deadline Hollywood's report was kind of unclear and vague.

Which it kinda was. And or left room for interpretation. For example, MTV called the film a "sequel, not a prequel," /Film called the project "Bourne 4," etc. etc. And the devil is always in the details, right?

Well, we reached out to Universal who said a lot of the 'Bourne' reporting out there was "misleading" and the film was officially not a prequel or a sequel, but "a continuation of the franchise, period."

What that suggests to us is what we've basically been saying all along. Matt Damon is probably not coming back (as some have assumed) and as the "Bourne bible" that Gilroy is writing already suggests, the series will likely continue to tell related stories in the Operation Treadstone storyline; obviously many other agents like Damon's Jason Bourne already existed in the trilogy.

Also, another small detail some missed or extrapolated too much is the fact that Gilroy is only writing a treatment, not the screenplay. That doesn't mean he won't eventually pen the screenplay, but right now he is writing a treatment and bible, presumably so other filmmakers can continue on telling these further stories.

Again, will Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon return? Damon's loyal and has said he will not return without the British helmer, and you can believe the kiss and make up comments all you want, but the proof was in the pudding with "Green Zone," which cost over $150 million dollars to make and only grossed $57 million internationally. Both parties were obviously not happy how that played out and yes, time heals all wounds even in grudge-heavy Hollywood — the filmmaker and studio need each other here — but they are planning ahead and planning for a world without both the key actor and director, these details tell you as much.

"The Bourne Legacy" will hit theaters sometime in 2012.