Justin Lin Set To Direct Universal’s New ‘Bourne’ Movie

Justin Lin is all set to bring his skills to yet another popular franchise.

The man who helped Universal Pictures make a metric ton of money from the Fast and Furious franchise is setting his sights on yet another series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lin recently signed on to direct the upcoming Bourne movie for the studio.

The filmmaker reportedly dropped out of Fast and Furious 7 because Universal wanted to get the next installment on the big screen as soon as humanly possible. Since Justin Lin was experiencing “franchise fatigue” at the time, he decided to step aside and let The Conjuring director James Wan take the reins.

Deadline explains that the new entry in the series is a sequel to The Bourne Legacy. Instead of heading back into Jason Bourne territory, Universal is forging ahead with Aaron Cross’ story. The very busy Jeremy Renner is coming back for the follow-up.

It’s not surprising that Universal wants to keep Justin Lin around for a long as possible. The last three movies in the Fast and Furious franchise grossed a combined $1 billion, a number that most filmmakers can only dream of amassing. What’s more, his sequels just keep getting better.

So why exactly did Justin Lin decide to walk away from one of the most popular franchises on the planet? He recently told ScreenRant that it was simply “time to walk away.”

He explained:

“If you watch ‘Fast and Furious 6,’ you do see that it’s a culmination of something and I think it’s the end of a chapter. It’s something that I felt like in ’05 when I pitched it, some people might have thought I was crazy. In my wildest dreams I wanted to achieve that, and now that we have, I feel like it’s time to walk away… I mean, to walk away from everybody is a tough thing, but I think it’s the right thing to do. You know, as a filmmaker I’ve been developing a lot of other things in the last eight years and it’s time for me to keep growing and try new things, you know? So, it’s just time.”

However, it could be a while before Lin brings the next Bourne flick to theaters. The movie is reportedly still in development, but the studio has yet to hire someone to put together a script. This means the filmmaker could work on another project in the meantime.

What do you think about Justin Lin directing the next Bourne movie?

[Image via Universal Pictures]