Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne has a new adversary for the upcoming fifth movie in the franchise and it’s Vincent Cassel. The French actor of Trance and Ocean’s Twelve/Ocean’s Thirteen fame has been confirmed as the villain for Bourne 5. Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen had been previously rumored for the part before Cassel’s casting was announced earlier Tuesday.
Very little is known about the character that he will portray in the currently untitled Bourne film, but he is rumored to be playing an assassin tasked with tracking down and eliminating Jason Bourne (a real mission impossible as the previous films have shown). Earlier Bourne villains have included Clive Owen, Karl Urban, and Edgar Ramirez, so Cassel is in good company!
The Bourne movies are based on the novel series written and created by Robert Ludlum in 1980. Damon first portrayed Jason Bourne in 2002’s The Bourne Identity before reprising his role in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. A fourth sequel, The Bourne Legacy was made in 2012 with Jeremy Renner in the lead as Aaron Cross. However, there are no plans to include Renner in the new Bourne film.
Damon is reuniting with director Paul Greengrass for the third time in the Bourne series, with Julia Stiles also reprising her role as Nicky, one of Bourne’s allies. Alicia Vikander and Tommy Lee Jones have also been added to the cast of Bourne 5, which Greengrass is co-writing with Christopher Rouse.
The fifth Bourne movie will begin production later this year and hit theaters on July 29, 2016.
Nerdist readers, what are your thoughts about Cassel’s villainous turn in the new Bourne? Let us know in the comment section below!
HT: Variety
