Oscar Outlook 2012: The Bourne Legacy ~ Cinesnatch

Jeremy Renner seems to be spreading himself across any franchise that will take him (Charlize Theron seems to be taking his cue), hoping that one of them will stick: Mission: Impossible, The Avengers. He'll have one of the title roles in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, but my suspicions are that the boardroom daydreaming over its franchise potential just might have dissipated once the producers got closer to the final product. Its push back date doesn't smell right. On the other hand, his Bourne film sounds very promising. I know nothing about the novels, but it almost seems appropriate that they start with a new star and production team for the first of seven novels penned by Eric Van Lustbader, since Robert Ludlum's original three novels have all been made into movies now with Matt Damon. Ludlum wrote his Bourne novels in the 1980s and died eleven years ago. Since then, Van Lustbader has written seven new books, the first one of which, The Bourne Legacy, will be coming out as a film this Summer. Doug Liman directed the first from a screenplay by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron starring Damon. It received great reviews and was a box-office hit. Liman constantly locked horns with the producers and Paul Greengrass took over the directing reigns for The Bourne Supremacy, which, according to Damon, was never in the plans while filming Identity.

The second installment received equally positive reviews to the original (which isn't common) and surpassed its progenitor in box-office receipts. After a smoother production compared to Liman's, Greengrass stayed on for the The Bourne Ultimatum, and, in what may be unprecedented in cinema history, the third film in the series not only surpassed the previous two commercially, but the critical reception was even greater. What wasn't unusual was its much larger budget, yet, from a financial and critical standpoint, it was well worth the investment. Gilroy had his hand in all of the screenplays starring Damon. Christopher Rouse has edited or coedited all three films. Oliver Wood lensed and John Powell composed the original scores for all three films. A few years ago, Greengrass and Damon were cagey in interviews about their involvement with Legacy, but eventually dropped out of the picture.

"You ask too many questions."

Cast-members returning from the franchise: Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Albert Finney, Scott Glenn. The new addition of Rachel Weisz is pretty sick (good for her and the film). And, gulp, I think I'm actually looking forward to Ed Norton's participation. Who know? As far as the crew ... Film Editing: John Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Warrior, Salt). Cinematography: Robert Elswit (Oscar nominee for Good Night, and Good Luck., winner for There Will Be Blood). His recent work includes: the latest Mission: Impossible, The Town (both with Renner), and Salt. He has worked with PT Anderson since Hard Eight, but isn't involved in The Master. Costume Design: Shay Cunliffe (The Bourne Ultimatum). Production Design: Kevin Thompson (Michael Clayton, Young Adult). Art Direction: Molly Hughes (Harry Potter franchise). Original Music: James Newton Howard (highly recognized, he's also behind the music for Snow White and the Huntsman this summer as well as The Hunger Games). Out of the previous three Bourne films, only the last was recognized by the AMPAS (film editing, sound editing, sound mixing), of which it won all three of its nominations. The only returning winner is sound mixer Kirk Francis.

Hello!

Lensed last summer in South Korea, Philippines on a $90M budget (smartly less than Ultimatum), and NYC, Universal Pictures will drop the picture on the 3rd of August US, similar to the release date five years ago for Ultimatum. [6/22 Note: Universal blinked and now will move out of Total Remake's way and release on 8/10] Producers Frank Marshal and Patrick Crowley have been involved throughout the entire franchise. Have you watched the trailer yet? It's pretty bad-ass. However, Nat, over at The Film Experience isn't expecting much Oscar-wise outside of possible sound recognition.