Tony Gilroy Directing Fourth Bourne Film, Tentatively Called 'The Bourne Legacy'

Bad blood never lasts, especially when money and creative control are applied to cleanse a wound.

At one point there seemed to be some pretty serious unhappiness between Tony Gilroy and various other parties involved in the Bourne films. While doing press for Michael Clayton, Tony Gilroy hadn't seen the just-released The Bourne Ultimatum, and his displeasure at the trajectory of the series wasn't veiled at all. He called that third film a paycheck gig, aka the job that allowed him to do Michael Clayton, and never hid his resentment at the way his script for the second film was treated by director Paul Greengrass.

But Gilroy has written a script for a fourth Bourne film, currently called The Bourne Legacy, and is now in talks to direct. Will Matt Damon return? (Don't bet on it.)

Deadline has the news about Gilroy's possible directing gig, confirming several months of low-level rumors that this scenario might come to pass. The question now is Matt Damon, given that the actor is firmly in the Paul Greengrass camp when it comes to making these films. Damon has said he would only make a fourth if Greengrass was involved, and if Gilroy is on board it's hard to imagine Greengrass coming anywhere near it.

If the franchise is going to go forward under a new captain, Gilroy is really the obvious choice to direct, given that he's done pretty well as a director twice over (some would say really well) and he's been one of the guiding forces behind the entire Bourne series from day one.

But is this a direct sequel or a reboot of sorts? The name suggests a reboot, which would be at least vaguely in line with the last ideas floated by Damon and Greengrass, which were that the series could be retooled to accommodate another actor. We don't have those details yet; if you've had a look at this latest script, feel free to share your take.