Jason Bourne. There’s no way you are a fan of the spy genre and haven’t heard that iconic name. Bourne is a pop culture icon, and stands tall alongside other named spy movie franchises such as James Bond and Mission Impossible. What sets it apart from its contemporaries is that, in a time when action blockbusters have become more reliant on CGI, the Bourne franchise stuck to delivering raw action in the form of real stunt work
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Based on the character from Robert Ludlum’s spy thriller novels of the same name, Jason Bourne skyrocketed Matt Damon’s fame as an action star, making him the face of the Bourne franchise. All three of Ludlum’s books were turned into films, and Damon starred in four of them, namely, The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), and Jason Bourne (2016). Damon's Borune was replaced by Jeremy Renner's Aaron Cross as the lead in The Bourne Legacy (2012), which was set in the same world as Ludlum’s works but took inspiration from the novel of the same name written by Eric Van Lustbader.
There have also been two TV series under the Bourne franchise, the 1988 miniseries The Bourne Identity starring Richard Chamberlain as the titular character, and Treadstone (2019) that expanded the world of Jason Bourne in a familiar setting, going deeper into the Bourne mythos. There have been talks of a sixth film in the series, but as much as Frank Marshall wants it, the future is murky for now.
While it is true that compared to the recent Bond and Mission Impossible films, the Bourne franchise seems to have made less of an impact with its later two installments. However, whether you are a spy literature addict looking to explore the films and TV shows, or a die-hard fan wanting to revisit an alternate reality where a rogue agent decimates a corrupt CIA, you have to acknowledge the fact that Jason Bourne is a name that incites a sense of awe and mystery. So let’s dive right into the world of Jason Bourne, first in the order of release dates of the films and TV shows, and then in chronological order, and you can decide which sequence suits you the best.
The Bourne Movies and TV Shows in Order of Release Date
- The Bourne Identity (miniseries) - May 8, 1988
- The Bourne Identity - June 14, 2002
- The Bourne Supremacy - July 23, 2004
- The Bourne Ultimatum - August 3, 2007
- The Bourne Legacy - August 10, 2012
- Jason Bourne - July 29, 2016
- Treadstone (series) - September 24, 2019
The Bourne Movies and TV Shows in Chronological Order
The Bourne franchise maintains a well-detailed timeline, and most of the projects fall in line with the order of release date. The Bourne Identity (1988) was the first take on Robert Ludlum’s Bourne novels, and though there are several similarities with the 2002 film of the same name, it follows its own story and is not related to the rest of the titles in the series. So it is uo to you, whether you want to watch the late 80s take on Bourne or jump directly to the main film series, you can get the most out of your binge-watch if you go along with the following order:
1. The Bourne Identity (1988) (miniseries)
The Bourne Identity was the first adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne novels. It was a one-shot miniseries, with a total run time of 3 hours 5 minutes divided into two episodes. Directed by Roger Young and starring Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne, the film follows the story of a mysterious man found unconscious and injured on a French beach by some local fishermen. He is left on the doorstep of a local doctor, who nurses him back to health. The man has no memory of his past life, his only clue being the access code for an anonymous Swiss bank account found implanted on his thigh. He sets out on a dangerous journey to rediscover his identity, with the help of the valuables he found in the bank locker and taking on the name “Jason Bourne”, which he finds on his American passport. He soon realizes someone wants him dead, and there are higher powers at play. There are some key differences from Ludlum’s novels, as the adaptation being a one-shot miniseries is based on the first novel and ends it right there, whereas Ludlum’s story goes on for another two books. It still is a delight to watch and a great miniseries from the early 1990s spy thriller era.
2. The Bourne Identity (2002)
The early 2000s saw the rise of the Bourne franchise, as one of the most revered and refined spy movie franchises the world had seen. Originally planned to be a trilogy, The Bourne Identity was a game-changer in terms of its storyline, action sequences, and cinematography that perfectly projected the sense of mystery and consternation that you felt while reading Ludlum's novels. A young man is found by Italian fishermen close to a Mediterranean beach, unconscious and badly injured with two gunshot wounds on his back. They tend to his wounds, but the man wakes up having no memory of his past. A secret laser projector is found under the man's hip that shows codes to a safe deposit box in a Swiss bank. He is surprised at his own special abilities that he somehow still remembers as a reflex, such as fluency in multiple languages and exceptional combat skills. The Bourne Identity keeps the viewers on their toes, as the man in question thwarts numerous attempts on his life while discovering more about his past life, taking on the identity he found on one of his fake passports, Jason Bourne.
3. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
The Bourne Supremacy, the second film in the Bourne trilogy, sees the titular character turned into a more hardened killer. After an assassination attempt on Bourne’s life goes wrong, resulting in the death of his girlfriend Marie, he sets out on a crusade to seek revenge and subsequently finds out he has been a victim of a false cover-up. Jason Bourne is framed for a theft he never committed, and the person responsible is none other than the head of the organization that gave him his extraordinary abilities. The film delves further into his dark and mysterious past, showing the best of Bourne’s quick problem-solving skills and gripping close-quarter combat scenes, and leaves the audience hungering for more once the credits roll.
4. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Jason Bourne has been in hiding after the events of The Bourne Supremacy, living a regular life, but, of course, his past catches up to him. His life takes a turn for the worse when a British journalist's seemingly innocent investigation about Bourne’s past catches the attention of a new secretive evil operation. He seeks to uncover the secrets of who or what precisely is hunting him so ruthlessly, and why they see him as a threat. The last of the trilogy series and often regarded as one of the best action-thriller films of the 21st century, Ultimatum wraps up Jason Bourne’s story in the most satisfying way, packed with several nail-biting and death-defying realistic stunts and an intricately woven storyline.
5. The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Though not as successful as its predecessors, The Bourne Legacy sought to revive the public interest in the Bourne franchise. Despite being set in a world that was created by the original Bourne novelist Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Legacy was based on a novel of the same name written by Eric Van Lustbader. With Jason Bourne still in hiding, and his whereabouts unknown, the lead role was passed on to a new character, Aaron Cross, played by Jeremy Renner. Cross is another super-spy who has been genetically enhanced by the Department of Defense to carry out covert operations. However, unlike Bourne, his abilities are dependent on a certain kind of drug referred to as “chems”, and after the events of The Bourne Ultimatum, his life becomes a living hell. His former employers want him dead, and without them, he will run out of his supply of chems.
6. Jason Bourne (2016)
The last film (for now) in the Bourne series saw a return to the original storyline, and brought back the beloved super-spy for one last mission. Matt Damon reprised his role as Jason Bourne, and with several other familiar faces returning, we get to have a deeper look into Bourne’s past. It's revealed that his father was responsible for the formation of the organization that gave Bourne his astonishing abilities, however, he was assassinated because he was against the notion of turning his son into a cold-blooded murderer. Bourne’s new revenge-driven crusade unravels a new mystery, along with several amazingly choreographed close-combat and action sequences that’ll keep you perched on the edge of your seat till the very end.
7. Treadstone (2019) (series)
Treadstone works both as a prequel and a successor to the Bourne movie series. It explores two timelines, the 70s when the CIA was looking for ways to develop super-soldiers known as “assets”, turn them into sleeper agents using gruesome techniques to be used in covert operations, and the present timeline after the final disappearance of Jason Bourne. Treadstone was supposed to expand the world of Jason Bourne, exploring beyond Ludlum’s novels, and tie up into a sixth Bourne film. However, the show was canceled after a single season, and the probability of a future film looks uncertain. The show is still a great watch, lined with action-packed fight segments and answering several questions that were left untouched in the movies.