The phrase “never say never, but” comes up often in the film world, especially as it relates to further franchise installments.  Most of the time it’s a way to keep the door open while noting that the actor or filmmaker in question is almost certainly done with a role/series, and more often than not it marks a pretty definitive conclusion.  With regards to the Bourne series, however, the highly unlikely has actually come to fruition.  Matt Damon always said that he would only return to the Bourne franchise if his The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greegrass also returned, and seeing as how Greengrass and Universal left on not-so-great terms after Ultimatum, the reunion seemed like a longshot.

A couple of months ago, however, word broke that a deal had actually been reached and both Damon and Greengrass were poised to reunite on another Bourne movie.  And now we have confirmation straight from the horse’s mouth, as Damon himself (with a little help from Ben Affleck) has confirmed his Jason Bourne reprisal as well as a planned 2016 release date.  More after the jump.

Speaking with E! Online in celebration of the new season of Damon and Affleck’s reality series Project Greenlight, Affleck broke the confirmation of Damon’s return to the Bourne world:

"Well, [Damon's] going to be doing a Bourne movie next fall when I've just completely lost any semblance of physical fitness. So….,"

When asked to clarify, Damon himself reiterated Affleck’s comments, saying he will indeed be shooting a new Bourne movie in 2015:

"Yes, [we shoot] next year. It'll be in 2016 when the movie will actually come out. [Director] Paul Greengrass is going to do another one and that's all I ever said. I just needed him to say yes."

After taking his time in choosing a follow-up project to The Monuments Men, Damon has assembled himself a very busy schedule.  He’s starring in Kenneth Longergan’s drama Manchester-by-the-Sea and is next set to shoot Ridley Scott’s sci-fi film The Martian, and he recently accepted the lead role in Alexander Payne’s social satire Downsizing, which he will likely shoot before heading back into Bourne next fall.