Movie audiences will not have seen the likes of Jason Bourne for nine-years by the time he graces our presence once again this summer. But before we get to the fifth installment in the franchise and the fourth one starring Matt Damon, we'd like one very simple question answered.
Just what exactly has Jason Bourne been up to over the last decade?
"He's been in the shadows of Europe," director Paul Greengrass, who is returning for his third go-around in the series, said in a recent interview.
Right, so what exactly does that mean? Greengrass seems to realize that not all of us are expertly trained spies while teasing us with vague details about his upcoming "Jason Bourne." Yeah, thanks a lot for the insight, Paul. But one thing we can determine for ourselves is that Damon is looking lean and mean for the role, meaning Bourne hasn't been sitting on the couch eating Burger King all this time.
"He's been active and he's been doing hard physical work," Greengrass continued. "Definitely not sunning himself on the beach." No, we didn't really think that was Bourne's style.
As it turns out, Damon's work ethic in regards to getting in shape for the role was a crucial factor in convincing Greengrass to return to the franchise.
"You don't make a movie unless you're 1000 percent committed to make the best movie we can, and you don't make this kind of movie unless you think it can be a worthy successor to the other movies we made," he said. "That phenomenal Jason Bourne shape was a segment of intent."
Still, even Greengrass had to admit to being a bit taken aback when Damon showed up for the first day of filming completely shredded.
"It gave all of us the most immense shock, because you think, 'Oh my god. This is weird. This is Jason Bourne, and he's back," he said. "That's sort of exciting."
"Jason Bourne" will hit theaters on July 29.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
