Universal Secures Ludlum Back Catalogue - Including More ‘Bourne’

It’s a real shame that the author Robert Ludlum died in 2001, while The Bourne Identity was being made, because his work is suddenly very in demand in Hollywood. So much so that Universal Pictures have done a deal to secure the Jason Bourne character and have first look on any other novels.

The Bourne series has so far seen three films, all of which have been hugely successful, and rightly or wrongly, meant that James Bond had to evolve in order to keep up with the new standard. We already know there’ll be a fourth film, again starring Matt Damon and directed by Paul Greengrass, but this deal means there will probably be a fifth and sixth film too.

Ludlum Entertainment chairman-CEO Jeffrey Weiner brokered the deal. He told Variety:

“Universal has done such an excellent job with the first three films that they deserve the opportunity to keep Jason Bourne at the studio forever.”

“There is a deep Ludlum library. Over 25 of his novels have never been exploited in movies.”

“The goal is to pick the right people to be in business with, so you don’t have to wield these things like a club. If you get to that point, you’re in business with the wrong people.”

There are, however, a couple of Ludlum books already being turned in to films. Cold war thriller, The Matarese Circle, prompted a bidding war, and Wanted scribes Michael Brandt and Derek Haas are now writing the screenplay with Denzel Washington attached to star. Paramount own the rights to The Chancellor Manuscript, with Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star. And Universal itself is currently developing The Sigma Protocol.

I’m glad there will be more Bourne films but I can foresee the franchise going the same way as Bond, with Damon bowing out soon to make way for a new actor. As for the rest of Ludlum’s novels, I must confess to never having read any so I don’t actually know if they’d make for good movies or not.