List of Actors Considered for 'The Bourne Legacy'

Universal and writer-director Tony Gilroy are currently searching for a new lead to headlineThe Bourne Legacy, a spin-off of the action-packed trilogy starring Matt Damon.

Unfortunately, Damon will not be returning for the fourth installment of the series as Jason Bourne due to his friendship with departing director Paul Greengrass and his increasingly busy schedule. “This is nota reboot or a recast or a prequel,” Gilroy said inOctober. ”No one’s replacing Matt Damon. There will be a whole new hero, a whole new chapter…this is a stand-alone project.” Gilroy, who wrote or co-wrote the first three films, called it an expansion of the spy universe established by those movies directed by Doug Liman and Greengrass.

According toVariety, Gilroy has an idea of the kind of actor he wants, but Universal is, of course, providing their own suggestions. This means the“short” list of names being considered amounts to a who’s who of late 20s, early 30s actors, many of whom you’ll recognize right away. But Gilroy insists on screen-testing each of the candidates, regardless of“A-list” status, which could be an issue for the prima donnas. To which I say, good, Bourne fans don’t want to see someone fill the role that isn’t willing to put in the effort.

Variety’s list includes: the Prince of Persia Jake Gyllenhaal, former Spider-ManTobey Maguire, Tron: Legacy starGarrett Hedlund, X-Men Origins: Wolverine’s GambitTaylor Kitsch, and Twilight vampireKellen Lutz.

Deadlineadds a few more names to the mix: Animal Kingdom actorJoel Edgerton, Black Hawk Down starJosh Hartnett, There Will Be Blood’sPaul Dano(what?),“Boardwalk Empire” starMichael Pitt, Guatemalan actor and Body of Lies actor Oscar Isaac, the new MagnetoMichael Fassbender, Clash of the Titans actorLuke Evans, I Am Number Four heartthrobAlex Pettyfer, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter leadBenjamin Walker.

So basically everyone. While a few of them seem downright ridiculous (no way will it be Dano), others such as Pitt and Gyllenhaal seem like worthy picks for the continuation.  Sure, Hartnett and Hedlund have a female following due to their rakish good looks, but they generally flat on screen and would mean a significant step down from Damon.  We’ll hopefully know more soon but, for now, do you have a favorite among the potential stars?

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