©Courtesy of Rex USA
NBC Universal has acquired all rights, excluding publishing, to author Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne and Treadstone book series. The media company acquired the rights after winning a highly competitive bidding war. Streamers and studios made offers during the auction before Universal won with a massive nine-figure proposal, Variety is reporting.
Universal will be able to produce new installments for Matt Damon’s Bourne series under the deal. The screen adaption series includes five entries, four of which the Oscar-winning actor starred in as the titular character. His most recent portrayal of the titular former CIA assassin was in the 2016 action thriller movie, Jason Bourne.
“Since its debut in 2002, the iconic Bourne franchise has reshaped the spy genre with groundbreaking films that set new standards for cinematic action,” said Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer. “We’re energized to continue expanding the Bourne universe into the future with exciting new stories for global audiences.”
Jeffrey Weiner, the chairman & CEO of Captivate Entertainment and the executor of Ludlum’s estate, added, “We are thrilled that the Bourne franchise will remain at Universal. We look forward to working with the Universal team to expand the Bourne franchise across Universal’s varied platforms.”
Longtime Universal collaborator Frank Marshall will continue to shepherd forthcoming installments of the film series under the new agreement. The producer has worked as a producer on the series since its launch, along with Captivate’s Weiner and Ben Smith. Captivate has managed the rights for the Ludlum estate since 2001.
Universal Pictures’ screen adaptations in the franchise launched with Doug Liman’s The Bourne Identity. Paul Greengrass also directed three entries in the seris, including The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum and Jason Bourne. Tony Gilroy helmed the Jeremy Renner-led spinoff, The Bourne Legacy. The movies have collectively grossed more than $1.64 billion at the global box office.
Universal is also incorporating merchandise into the franchise, including video games. The company has also launched a popular theme park activation, The Bourne Stuntactular.
WME, which represents Captivate Entertainment, brokered the deal with Universal during the extensive auction. The Ludlum estate took the rights back to market after they had lapsed at Universal.
WME received seven offers for the rights, including two from streamers, one from another major studio and a few entrepreneurial ventures. After bringing the proposal back to Universal, the studio matched it with a very large deal.
The studio’s official release about the deal states that it “fortifies the future of the Bourne franchise across the NBCUniversal enterprise, paving the way for new installments and a continued legacy for Ludlum’s beloved character and the spy world he inhabits.”
The company can now utilize the titular character and world across multiple formats including film, television and streaming. The upcoming projects may be based on other source material, including the 2019 television spinoff, Treadstone.
The drama explored the origin story and present-day actions of the titular fictional CIA black-ops program. The series aired on the Universal-owned USA Network for one season in 2019.
Under the new agreement, esteemed producer and longtime Universal collaborator, Frank Marshall, will shepherd forthcoming installments of the film series. He has worked on the screen adaptations since the beginning of the franchise.
Marshall be joined by Captivate’s Weiner and Ben Smith. The company has managed the rights for the Ludlum estate since 2001.
Conclave director Ed Berger is currently develop a new movie in the franchise with Damon potentially returning to reprise his role as the titular spy. The Ritual scribe Joe Barton wrote the script for the new movie. The next installment in the series not yet been greenlit, however, and remains in development.
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