The Bourne Identity director is unsure of how he feels about Daniel Craig's James Bond films copying the Matt Damon-led franchise. Based on Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel of the same name, The Bourne Identity starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne a spy with superior combat skills and intelligence. The first film saw Bourne attempting to recover his memories as he is ensnared in a global CIA conspiracy. The franchise has spawned five films, four of which starred Damon. Liman directed the first and executive produced the rest, with Paul Greengrass taking over directing duties for the second, third, and fifth films.
Daniel Craig's first Bond film, Casino Royale, was released in 2006, four years after The Bourne Identity. The start of Craig's five-film tenure that will be completed with this year's No Time to Die started a new era for James Bond films. Grittier and more personal, Craig's tenure as Bond reignited the franchise and helped the series find renewed success decades after the first film came out. Upon its release, though, many thought that Craig's Bond resembled Jason Bourne in a lot of ways. Now, Liman has weighed in on the comparisons.
Speaking to SlashFilm, Liman said that he has always wanted to make a Bond film but, up until very recently, the series did not hire American directors. Liman goes on to say that it was surreal to see the influence Jason Bourne had on the new Bond films. The director says that he isn't sure if how to feel and that the whole thing is more confusing than anything. Liman refuses to boil it down to simple terms like flattery or annoyance, saying the situation is more complex than that.
"I always wanted to make a James Bond movie, but they don’t hire American directors. By the way, you’ve made two little indie movies. You’re never going to direct James Bond. I went and made Bourne Identity, and then after The Bourne Identity came out, the next James Bond to come out was Casino Royale, which totally copied the tone of Bourne. I had a very surreal thing where I was sort of making Bourne because I really wanted to make Bond, and then Bond copied Bourne. I didn’t quite know how to process that. I still don’t know how to process that. I don’t know if I got what I wanted or didn’t get what I wanted. It’s beyond my computing power to know how to feel about that. It’s probably an unsatisfying answer. To say I’m annoyed or flattered would be easy, but I’m still confused about how should I feel this."
Bourne's impact on Bond is undeniable. The Jason Bourne movies introduced espionage films to a new generation and their grittier, brutalist take on the genre very clearly influenced James Bond and a slew of other action films to come out in the 21st century. Arguably, it could be said that the Bourne films are an early example of the darker tone that many blockbusters of the new millennium utilized to various degrees of success. Casino Royale is an early example of that impact and the Bond franchise has continued to dabble in darker waters throughout Craig's run.
Skyfall, in particular, finds Bond reckoning with his dark past, and that film became the highest-grossing Bond film of all time, as well as one of its most critically acclaimed. No Time to Die seems to be shaping up to be darker than ever. While films are always in conversation with each other, in Liman's case, it's understandable that these influences are hard to reckon with considering his admiration for the James Bond franchise. With a new Jason Bourne film in the works that could potentially tie in with the spinoff series Treadstone, Hollywood isn't done with Bourne quite yet, and The Bourne Identity's influence is likely to be felt for years to come, regardless of how Liman ultimately feels about it.
Source: SlashFilm
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