When our exclusive scoop about Matt Damon returning to the Bourne franchise was confirmed a little while ago, many wondered what this meant for Jeremy Renner’s spin-off series. When Damon and director Paul Greengrass seemingly concluded their run, Universal went full steam into The Bourne Legacy, with Renner stepping in a new lead character named Aaron Cross. The film failed to ignite a frenzy, but was still a moderate hit. 

In a recent chat, while out promoting his new film Kill The Messenger, Renner confirms that his Aaron Cross is still very much alive and that he fully embraces the idea of his character crossing paths with Damon’s Jason Bourne. “Let them be adversaries, let them become buddies, whatever the heck it might be, them coming together would be a pretty tremendous thing.” The 43 year old actor also says loves the idea of Damon and Greengrass returning to the franchise.

“I think it really opens up the world and it keeps Bourne’s character active,” he told HuffPost Entertainment. “I think Cross’ character is already going to continue to be active. I think it will take creatives to bring them together, which is what I think is ultimately the plan,” Renner added.

As of now, Universal seems more focused on Damon’s return, slating his Bourne return for July of 2016, which means it would come out ahead of a sequel to Legacy. But that doesn’t seem to bother Renner, who has plenty on his plate at the moment with his active involvement as Hawkeye in the Marvel films. The actor understands that studios are more picky about straight-up action movies these days, and that they just aren’t made as often anymore. “There are a lot less action movies being made,” he said. Continuing, he added, “You know, where are those movies? You don’t see the ‘Lethal Weapons’ and the ’48 Hours’ and all that stuff being made. […] Are audiences more sophisticated now? Less sophisticated? I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.“

Either way, Renner is fully onboard with Damon returning to the franchise, and a crossover seems to be what he’s most excited about. 

How about you? With Damon back, would you rather they retire Cross? Would a crossover bring you to the theater? Should the Bourne series just be allowed to end completely after this? Sound off!

SOURCE: HuffPost