The Jason Bourne franchise will remain at Universal "in perpetuity," with plans to expand it into an entire "universe"

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Universal Studios retains the rights for the Jason Bourne franchise "in perpetuity" after a bidding war

Matt Damon looking determined as Jason Bourne
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

After a bidding war for the film rights to author Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne franchise, Universal Pictures will retain the rights "in perpetuity," per Deadline. That doesn't include the rights to the novels, though Universal has stated plans to expand the venerable action film series into an entire "universe" - a growing media trend.

The film rights to the Jason Bourne franchise lapsed earlier this year, according to the trade, with the Ludlum estate taking them back. This led to a bidding war in which Universal won the rights back. Universal also won the film rights for Treadstone, another book series spun-off from the Bourne franchise, which was previously adapted into a short-lived TV show on the USA Network.

"We are thrilled that the Bourne franchise will remain at Universal," adds Jeffrey Weiner, chairman & CEO of Captivate Entertainment and the executor of Ludlum’s estate. "We look forward to working with the Universal team to expand the Bourne franchise across Universal's varied platforms."

George Marston
George Marston
Entertainment Writer

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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