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TheBournetrilogy’s impact on the action genre can’t be overstated, as they reinvigorated the spy genre, paving the way for grittier and grounded action thrillers likeCasino RoyaleandTaken. Furthermore, Matt Damon’sBournetrilogy was one of the few franchises that kept on ameliorating with each consecutive entry, at least until the original trilogy.
And while for many,The Bourne Ultimatumis the best one, which arguably witnessed Damon’s best performance to date. However, for the actor himself, it’s the sequel, whose first act left him flabbergasted.
Also read:“It’s a very risky thing to do”: Matt Damon’s Major Gamble Was Doing $108M Movie He Said Came Closest to Bourne
The Death of Franka Potente’s Marie Was a Shocker for Both Fans and Matt Damon
Debuting 2 years after the first one,The Bourne Supremacyremains the darkest entry in the franchise, whose first act witnessed Franka Potente’s Marie getting killed, a twist no one saw coming. Considering Doug Liman fought with the studios for the inclusion of Franka Potente as Bourne’s love interest in the first film, her early death in the sequel was a shock to both fans and Damon. But Damon, who deemed Potente one of the best parts of the first film, understood why director Greengrass decided to kill her off. Appearing onThe Bill Simmons Podcast, he said:
“You go through all that, you fight for somebody who you believe in because she’s great. And then it all kind of works out and she proves to be one of the best parts of the movie. And you start the second one with her getting killed. It was really surprising… It was the only way to get that character going again, right? Because he’s like, ‘I’m out, and I have this, and I have a reason to live.’ And so … it’s propulsive. And you’re also with him because you’re pissed off too. Because you love her too.”
Apart from the shocking death, which sets the tone for the entire film, the ending, which ends with him apologizing to his first victim, is also a major reason whyMatt Damonadores this entry.
Also read:Matt Damon was Ready to Come Out of His Acting Hiatus Under 1 Condition
Jennifer Lopez’s Casting Didn’t Fit Into Doug Liman’s Vision for the Story
Prior to Franka Potente getting the part, who was a relatively unknown German actor at the time, several A-listers were eyed for the part, with the major one beingJennifer Lopez. But while the studios saw Lopez as the perfect fit for the role as they were adamant about attaching a big name to the role, this casting choice didn’t make any sense to Doug Liman, who ended up rejecting her. Damon recalled,
“We had to fight to get her in the first one, right? Because it’s like, ‘Well who’s she? She’s European, and Doug Liman, who directed it, to his credit said, ‘I don’t buy this American guy with amnesia being over in Europe and bumping into another American. Like, what’s that? That’s crazy… I remember, at the time, it was like, Jennifer Lopez was interested… And Doug really fought to have a lesser-known, European actress. And she was amazing.”
Also read:“He hates the way JLo treats his buddy”: Matt Damon Is Afraid Ben Affleck’s Marriage Will Damage Their Friendship Again (Reports)
While Liman did manage to make the film he wanted, the studio still decided to part ways with Liman and brought in Paul Greengrass to helm the sequels.
The Bourne Supremacyis available to stream on Max.
Santanu Roy
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2539
Santanu Roy is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on movies, with over 2,000 articles under his belt. He has been pursuing a degree in Animation and possesses a deep love for the medium of animation. Having spent the better part of the last two years pumping out articles for FW, Santanu excels at covering movie analysis and news surrounding Pixar, DCU, DreamWorks, and Batman’s cinematic legacy.With psychological thrillers and intimate slice-of-life dramas ranking among his favorite genres, Santanu is a big admirer of Luca Guadagnino, Shane Black, Park Chan-wook, and Brad Bird.
