Bourne is back. The new issue of Empire – onsale on Thursday, June 30 – is marking the return of everyone’s favourite amnesiac black-ops badass with a big look at Jason Bourne, the fourth outing for the Robert Ludlum action hero. Here, as an advance taster, is Matt Damon in action, doing a little "managing upwards” with CIA suit Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones).
Much more than just a piece about Bourne’s place in a much-changed world, Empire's feature is the story of a filmmaking bromance (“I love him like a brother,” director Paul Greengrass states simply) and a fascinating insight into the fiddly business of getting even a successful franchise back in motion after eight years and one false start. If you love Bourne or just fancy hearing Damon use the phrase “kick-bollock scramble”, don’t miss it.
Jason Bourne, meanwhile, will find an older but not more settled Bourne in austerity-plagued and riot-torn Greece, keeping in trim by punching strangers in illegal bare-knuckle scraps. Soon he’s back in familiar territory, drawn back into the murkiest fringes of world geopolitics and living on his wits. Vincent Cassel is his chief antagonist and themes of personal data and surveillance will be at play. As usual, expect Bourne to be dealing with plenty of frenemies closer to home too. This still hints at the identity of one of them.
“Alicia represents the way the world has changed,” explains Damon. “The whole cyber element wasn’t there ten years ago. And Tommy Lee and Vincent Cassel make it feel like a new Bourne movie, but it’s definitely recognisable as a Bourne movie.”
But for a full report on Jason Bourne, be sure to pick up a copy of the new-look Empire magazine – on the shelves from Thursday – or subscribe instantly to Empire here{
The movie hits UK cinemas on July 27.