Universal Studios is pushing forward with plans for a fourth “Bourne” movie — even with star Matt Damon in doubt.
The sequel, tentatively called “The Bourne Legacy,” will apparently go forward even though Damon has said he won’t participate without two-time franchise director Paul Greengrass, who bowed out of his directing duties last fall.
Universal has hired Tony Gilroy, who also wrote the first thee Bournes, to write the script, Variety reports.
But whether or not Damon and Greengrass will take part in the fourth film is an open question. Back in February, Damon said he wouldn’t reprise the role without Greengrass. Yet both men left the door open to returning to the franchise down the line.
Universal may offer the sequel with another actor taking Bourne’s identity or having the name given to a uniquely positioned government operative. Such a storytelling technique would easily allow Damon and Greengrass to reenter the fold in the future.
Film industry website The Playlist claimed that Greengrass had walked away from the project after studio bosses at Universal hired a new writer without informing him.
The site said Greengrass preferred screenwriter George Nolfi’s script, who is also a friend of Damon’s.
In a statement, Greengrass said: ‘My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge.”
Lindsay Lohan has been approached by Donald Trump to star in the next “Celebrity Apprentice” season.
The actress, who claims her alcohol-monitoring SCRAM device was set off Sunday night when someone spilled a drink on her at the MTV Movie Awards, reportedly is considering an offer to appear in the NBC hit if filming fits around her movie career.
Her mom, Dina, told the New York Post’s Page Six, “Donald is a friend of the family, and producers of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ have approached Lindsay to appear in the next season. She’s deciding if she wants to do it or not, but she currently has three films in production, so she’s very busy.”
NBC refused to comment, saying it was “too early to talk about casting” because filming doesn’t start until late this year. A source said, “They are in advanced talks with Lindsay and Dina, but a lot depends on what happens with Lindsay’s legal issues.”
On Tuesday, Lindsay was relaxing by a pool in Los Angeles in a swimsuit and showing off her SCRAM bracelet while her lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, was fighting for her in court.
Judge Marshal Revel had issued a warrant for Lohan and set bail at $200,000 because her SCRAM bracelet went off after she attended the MTV show and Katy Perry’s after-party.
Holley, who met with the judge, acknowledged the bracelet “indicated the presence of a small amount of alcohol on Sunday night.” Lohan avoided jail after her bondsman posted 10 per cent of the new $200,000 bail set by the judge.
The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland says singing sensation Susan Boyle will likely perform for Pope Benedict XVI on his tour of Britain later this year.
A spokesman said yesterday that negotiations are still taking place, but Boyle is expected to sing at an open-air papal Mass in Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park on Sept. 16.
Benedict’s four-day trip will be the first papal visit to Britain since Pope John Paul II in 1982.
His itinerary also includes an address in Parliament and the beatification of 19th-century Catholic convert Cardinal John Henry Newman.
Forty nine-year-old Boyle became an overnight sensation after her appearance last year on a TV talent show was viewed millions of times on the Internet. Her debut album became a global best-seller.
The mayor of the City of Light has honored actress Jane Fonda in a Paris ceremony.
Bertrand Delanoe bestowed the Great Medal of the City of Paris upon the Academy Award-winning actress Thursday.
Fonda, who was sporting a navy pantsuit for the occasion, said she loves being in France and considers the country “like a second home.” The ceremony took place during a news conference about the Paris Cinema festival, which will also count Indian-born director M.
Night Shyamalan and French heartthrob Louis Garrel among its guest stars.
The festival runs from July 3-13.
— The Associated Press also contributed to this report
