Jeremy Renner Offered Lead in The Bourne Legacy

Posted by on April 22nd, 2011   Filed under: Action, Drama, Thriller
Source: Deadline

We’re now past the rumor stage and can confirm that Jeremy Renner has officially been offered the lead role in Universal’s upcoming Bourne film, The Bourne Legacy. As previously reported, Renner will play a character that is separate from Matt Damon’s, although the two share many similarities. The Hurt Locker star will play another operative “from a covert government program that is even more dangerous than the Treadstone brainwashing program that hatched Bourne.” Although Jason Bourne will not be featured in the film himself, the plot will tie in to events set up by the character in the previous films. Renner beat out others like Joel Edgerton, Dominic Cooper, Garrett Hedlund, and Luke Evans for the part. The studio commented that Renner is now around the same position in his career as Damon was when he started with the Bourne films – about to break out as a blockbuster-caliber actor.

Now that Renner is expected to sign on shortly to Bourne, he’s really cementing himself as Mr. Franchise. He’s already starring alongside Tom Cruise in the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol as well as appearing as Hawkeye in The Avengers next year. Plus, there’s been plenty of talk about him actually taking over the reigns on the Mission: Impossible series. After a couple hard-hitting performances in the past couple years with The Hurt Locker and The Town, Renner is clearly receiving offers from all over. It’s tough to blame the guy for taking these parts, really. Wouldn’t you take them, if offered? I guess the real question now will be: how much will people accept him as a franchise leader?



  • LAKE28

    Dear desprete PR idiot!
    Jeremy Renner is established! He gets offered tons of rolls! Let me know when he books it and stop wasting my F*@king time! Or are you trying to beg for internet support?

  • patrik

    I like Renner a lot but I hope he doesn´t accept, fat chance though.. He´s gonna be everywhere soon.

  • andrew

    Michael Fassbender and Renner are going to be everywhere for the next 18 months. I’m sure people will groan after the 5th film

  • Dirt McGirt from Planet Earth

    I don’t know about this film, but I can see him in the lead for the Jay Cheel biopic when it comes out. The rest of the cast:

    Sean – Joseph Gordon Levitt
    Frank – Nick Frost
    Greg – Will Sasso
    Reed – Rob Schneider
    Frank’s Dad – Harvey Keitel
    Roman – Stephen Merchant

    And in a surprising cameo – Don Knotts as Werner Herzog.

  • gabec42

    Deserves it completely! He’s got a huge future ahead of him and I;m looking forward to it

  • Captain N

    I like Renner. I feel he is attaching himself to too many established franchises though. I’ll take an over saturated Jeremy Renner over an over saturated Sam Worthington any day though.

  • @Dirt McGirt from Planet Earth: You have a future as a casting director.

  • Goon

    I really wish they’d change the title and let this thing stand on its own two feet. go ahead and through ‘bourne’ all over the trailer somehow but geez, the title alone makes me not interested to see it right now.

  • Dirt McGirt from Planet Earth

    @Reed Farrington, AKA, THE BADDEST MUTHA FUCKA AROUND –
    Stay Legit Reed …..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdk1gwWH-Cg

    Remember Reed – Haters always want ta keep a playa down.

  • Maopheus

    If Renner was 25, I could accept all the roles that he’s being offered. But he’s already turned 40. It’s hard to believe he’s already 40 because he just seemed to have arrived, but I guess he was a late bloomer. Not saying that’s old by any means anymore, but when you sign up a guy for a franchise shouldn’t you reasonably expect him to be able to give you say 3 or 4 films over a 6 to 8 year period? And he’s also going to be doing Mission Impossible and Avengers/Hawkeye? All of a sudden the guy is now attached to 3 huge projects. That’s pretty massive but also adds tremendous stress and pressure. What if he just flips out one day, turns into Charlie Sheen, or worse? That’s a lot of money invested in a not-young actor to lead your franchise. Just seems like Hollywood just locks in on a guy and doesn’t look around for other options.

  • Maopheus

    Another point is that Sean says that Renner is at the same point in his career as Matt Damon was when he started the Bourne films. The difference being that Damon was 31 going on 32 at the time of the Bourne Identity’s release, which he means he was probably 29-30 when he was first offered the role.