Yesterday, we reported that director Paul Greengrass had left Universal’s Bourne 4 over problems with the studio. Greegrass, who directed both The Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum, was planning on directing the fourth Bourne movie until the studio decided (without telling him) to take on a second screenwriter to develop a “parallel script.” That decision upset Greengrass and combined with Universal’s struggles over the cost of Green Zone, his other upcoming movie with Matt Damon, the two decided to part ways. This was officially confirmed by Variety today and Greengrass has issued a very respectful statement as seen below.

“You won’t find a more devoted supporter of the Bourne franchise than me. I will always be grateful to have been the caretaker to Jason Bourne over the course of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. I’m very proud of those films and feel they express everything I most passionately believe about the possibility of making quality movies in the mainstream.”

“My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge. There’s been no disagreement with Universal Pictures. The opportunity to work with the Bourne family again is a difficult thing to pass up, but we have discussed this together and they have been incredibly understanding and supportive. I’ve been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on.”

Obviously he’s going to publicly say that there are no hard feelings, but we know the actual truth, thanks to The Playlist. So what about Bourne 4? If Greengrass definitely isn’t going to be back, who can take over the reigns? It’ll be quite a monumental task for whatever director they hire in the end. My money is on Tony Gilroy right now. He’s in deep with Universal, he helped write all three Bourne screenplays, and directed both Michael Clayton and Duplicity (the latter of which was at Universal). I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re priming him to take over the Bourne series and even work on the new screenplay as well. Only time will tell.

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