Mild spoilers for Jason Bourne and The Accountant are in play here. If you haven't seen either film, bookmark this story and come back once you're up to date.
Last weekend, The Accountant was finally released into theaters, giving general audiences the chance to experience the joy that is Ben Affleck doing math and kicking ass. With talk of a sequel already floating around, there was one idea that's so mind-bendingly awesome it planted itself in my head during my viewing of Gavin O'Connor's film, and it hasn't let go since. That idea is, quite simply, that "Christian Wolff" should meet Jason Bourne, and the two should go on a world tour of destruction, leaving balance sheets and shell casings in their wake.
Ignoring for a moment all of the bureaucratic red tape that'd have to be cut between Warner Bros and Universal, two studios that already have an interesting relationship with crossing franchises, the idea is pretty solid. With The Accountant setting up the wild and crazy world of shady business dealings and Jason Bourne tying together clandestine operations and big business, the threads are there and waiting for the right person to sew them together. With these totally coincidental plot threads lying around, the following scenario seems like the best way to put Christian and Jason in the same room together.
By the end of Jason Bourne, we've learned that the social media giant known as Deep Dream has been funded by the CIA, in order to covertly boost their intelligence collecting capability. With Riz Ahmed's Aaron Kapoor, the CEO of Deep Dream, surviving the attempt on his life, he's been mentioned as a crucial character for the rest of the newly planned Bourne films, so the connection will more than likely still be in secret. However, this sort of funding undoubtedly leaves a paper trail, and who's really good at finding paper trails? That's right, The Accountant!
Christian Wolff's entry into the picture would see him decrypting the shady slush fund being used to tie Deep Dream to the CIA's intelligence operation, and during this puzzle-solving experience, Wolff and Bourne could collide and eventually form a partnership. With Bourne's interrogation skills, Wolff's financial know-how, and their mutual proficiencies in hand-to-hand and ballistic combat, their pairing would shake the CIA to its very core, and leave tons of crumpled bodies in their wake.
So why is this such a good idea? Well, first and foremost, it gives Jason Bourne someone of similar training to team up with. Rather than just seeing him go it alone, or dragging along a companion that isn't quite as good as defending themselves, we'd get to see Bourne team up with a fellow bad ass, thus increasing the body count and the efficiency of their efforts. Also, seeing as The Accountant had a very healthy sense of humor about it, Christian's riffing with/about Jason Bourne would serve as a breath of fresh air for the uber serious Bourne franchise. Above all other ideas, an Accountant / Bourne team-up would give us something we've needed for quite some time: an on-screen reunion between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
It's been some time since we've seen Affleck and Damon star in a film together, and with their reputations as action stars with prestige worthy chops growing every day, it just seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up. This was one of the recurring thoughts I had while watching The Accountant, as the action and Affleck's abilities to engage in said action, reminded me of the first time I'd seen Matt Damon turn into the world weary super spy Jason Bourne, back in 2002's The Bourne Identity. And seeing as Jason Bourne was one of the biggest let-downs of this year, it seems like a wise idea to try and rescue that franchise with the help of one of Damon's best collaborators.
While The Accountant / Jason Bourne cross-over I've just dreamed up doesn't seem to be an easy feat, it's one that's certainly worth looking into. The noir atmosphere and droll humor of one can most certainly benefit the globe trotting conspiracy action that the other brings to the table, creating a film that could stand as one of the best espionage films for the ages. That, and since we're quite possibly never going to see Matt Damon as Robin at any point in the future, this is the next best thing, seeing as The Accountant plays like an unofficial entry into the Batman canon.
Jason Bourne will be heading to Blu-Ray and all other home video formats on December 6th, while The Accountant is still in theaters now. Watch both, and tell me that this idea doesn't hold up!
