Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Matt Damon: Jeremy Renner 'Obvious Choice' For 'Bourne Legacy'

'He's such a good actor and can carry a movie,' actor tells MTV News.
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz


Jeremy Renner
Photo: Getty Images

In August, when "The Bourne Legacy" opens in theaters, the man behind Jason Bourne, Matt Damon, won't be anywhere in sight. At least that's what the actor says.

Damon sat down with MTV News' Josh Horowitz while promoting his new film, "We Bought a Zoo," and he insisted he had no part in the fourth "Bourne" movie.

"No, I'm not in that one. I haven't even read the script," he said.

But as a key component of the series, Damon was able to give his take on how "Legacy," which is being directed by Tony Gilroy, fits in with the previous three films.

"My understanding is that it's like if you think of 'X-Men' and then 'Wolverine,' the spin-off movie, just think of it in reverse," he explained. "There's the Bourne character, and then there's this whole world. It doesn't preclude [director] Paul Greengrass and I from doing another ['Bourne' movie]."

Damon had spoken with the star of "Bourne Legacy," Jeremy Renner, briefly, but he insisted the conversation didn't have much to do with the series. "We didn't really talk about the movie much. I'm just a huge fan of his," Damon said.

When Damon and Greengrass — who directed the second and third "Bourne" films — met to move forward with the series after "Ultimatum," Renner was a topic of conversation. "When Paul Greengrass and I were talking about the character and maybe doing a fourth one a couple years ago and maybe passing it off to somebody, Renner was the guy we talked about. He's an obvious choice, because he's such a good actor and can carry a movie," he said.

For Damon, the "Bourne" movies strike a difficult balance that he feels Renner can successfully handle.

"Those movies are really tough, because you need the guy to be internally tortured about something, and Jeremy's the kind of guy you could watch," Damon said. "You could remove the action and watch Jeremy just angst over something for two hours, and it could be really compelling."

Check out everything we've got on "The Bourne Legacy."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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