Well, Jeremy Renner is almost Jason Bourne in that he’s been offered the role as Matt Damon’s replacement. He’s also almost Jason Bourne because he’ll be playing a new character in the same Bourne-verse. Of course, Jason Bourne isn’t even Jason Bourne so it all evens out. According to Deadline Barrelsvile, the two-time Academy Award nominee who defused bombs in The Hurt Locker has been offered the starring role of a Bourne spin-off directed by Tony Gilroy. Now, it’s a matter of him accepting it or turning it down. This, of course, couldn’t make more sense if it had a gun to our foreheads. Renner is set up as an action star that brings acting talent and an intensity cocaine addicts only wish they had to the table. But there’s still a chance he might pass on the role. Why? For one, a packed work schedule. Both The Bourne Legacy and Avengers are slated for 2012, so they’ll have to make it work. Renner also has Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol coming out later this year as well as Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters filming right now for a 2012 release. For two, it’s a question as to whether Renner would be able to/want to take over as the point man for both the Mission: Impossible and Bourne franchises. That’s a lot of spy work for one man. His star is rising, of course, and while he’d be brilliant in this, the choice also almost seems myopic – as if there

Tony Gilroy, who has previously directed Michael Clayton and Duplicity, is hoping to keep movie theaters freshly stocked with new Jason Bourne movies. Currently there are nine Bourne novels in existence, with a tenth on the way in 2012, so there is no shortage of material for the director to adapt to the big screen. Already he has written a script for The Bourne Legacy, and he intends to direct the film himself, so it seems like all systems should be go. The only problem is that Matt Damon is done with the series, so he’s going to have to find himself another actor to play the title character. In a way, a changeover of actors is fitting for The Bourne Legacy. The first three novels in the Bourne series, which have all been adapted into films starring Damon, were written by Robert Ludlum. Starting with “Legacy” all of the rest of the sequels have been written by Eric Van Lustbader. If there was ever a time to change up some things about the film versions of Bourne’s adventures, then this is probably it, even though Gilroy has said that Legacy will have little to do with the established novel other than a shared title. The Latino Review reports that Gilroy and company have decided that Jeremy Renner is the guy they’re looking for to fill Damon’s shoes, and an offer to star has been sent his way. Originally Gilroy wanted Sucker Punch actor Oscar Issac for the role, but