Part of the legacy of the Bourne franchise has been the pairing of the lead hero - be it Matt Damon or Jeremy Renner - with a capable and active female lead who helps the hero on his mission for the truth. As a result, the series has cast many great actresses over the years, including Franka Potente, Julia Stoles, Joan Allen. and Rachel Weisz, and if new reports are accurate, we may soon see it add yet another great name: Ex Machina's Alicia Vikander.
Deadline has gotten word that the Swedish actress is now in talks to join the cast of the untitled Bourne 5 - which is set to see the return of both Matt Damon as Jason Bourne and Paul Greengrass in the director's chair. Given that nothing is known about the plot of the movie thus far, no information is available about the role she might play, but hopefully Damon and Greengrass - who are co-writing the script, have some great stuff prepared for her.
Unfortunately, Alicia Vikander's possible presence in Bourne 5 may prevent her from taking part in another project to which she recently became attached. About two weeks ago, news came out of the Cannes Film Market saying that the actress had signed on to star in The Circle, a tech thriller based on the book of the same name by Dave Eggers. That project would have seen Vikander working alongside Tom Hanks - but now it seems that she is departing in favor of Hanks' Saving Private Ryan co-star.
With roles in Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, and Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate, Alicia Vikander has been coming up in Hollywood for a few years now, but now seems ready for stardom. Sergey Bodrov's Seventh Son didn't exactly blow anyone's minds earlier this year, but Alex Garland's Ex Machina absolutely did, and her performance has received rave review (from myself included). Later this year she will be seen playing the female lead in Guy Ritchie's The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and she will also be featured with Bradley Cooper in John Wells' chef comedy Adam Jones. In addition to being in talks for Bourne 5, Deadline is also reporting that he is having negotiations with New Regency about reuniting with Michael Fassbender to star in the Assassin's Creed movie.
Universal Pictures has announced that the untitled Bourne 5 is going to be released in theaters on July 29, 2016, which means that production on the film should start up in the next few months. As a result, you may want to stay tuned for more updates about this project, because as that production start date draws closer, more details about the project will surely leak out - along with new cast information. Be sure to stay tuned for more about the film, and hopefully details about the role that Alicia Vikander may play.
