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Renner was playing Renner like he always does. I know he wasn't playing Bourne, but that was most certainly seen as them trying to keep the series going by putting someone else in the leading role.
What are you smoking today, dude? You've just made two statements that are both total nonsense.
You said, "If a recasting worked for a franchise, it will work for every other franchise". - which, as I said before, is patently untrue.
Plus you say above that the casting of Renner was a strategic movie implemented to encourage 'demand' for a Damon return, which again is nonsense.
Because neither are true.
Truth says so.
Perhaps you could provide us all with the evidence that Legacy was a deliberate balls up to facilitate Damon's return?
The way I see it, George Nolfi has been writing The Bourne Legacy since 2009 with Damon in the lead as Bourne. It has been reported by producer Frank Marshall. But, Damon as well as Greengrass expressed their disinterest in returning to the franchise, with the latter more so than the former. But, a script, regardless was being written by Nolfi and a parallel one was written by Joshua Zetumer. Nolfi opted not to contribute for further development, apparently, since he was directing The Adjustment Bureau (with Damon in the lead, nonetheless), and Damon himself hinted at a prequel with another actor and another director (nonsensical, right?), but stated he would not come back to reprirse his role unless Greengrass directs the film. But, Marshall was insistent (as well as the studios) to produce another installment in the Bourne series, and a recasting, obviously, of the actor was too risky.
So, Gilroy came along and put his spin on it in a way it doesn't affect the franchise but at least keeps it alive for the time being, introducing a "a whole new hero in the Bourne mould". I do remember reading comments from everyone (the fans, that is) that a Bourne movie can't be done without Bourne, and some of them have been very biased about it (much like how the DanielCraigIsNotBond people think). Many have said they won't watch it. And frankly that's what happened. The film came out with a different hero in the lead and it merely grossed double the budget. After that kind of backlash even when the film was newly in production, someone must have kept an eye on the comments from the fans who attacked it (don't tell me that's not true), I am sure everyone involved in the film knew it was not going to be embraced, and that's what happened. Starting a sub-franchise in a series that's about Bourne has always been nonsensical, and I am sure, which they have not reported it (who'd do such thing?) after the backlash they knew they had to bring Matt Damon back to "undo the damage". See where I'm coming from?
Damon said himself that the character's arc was completed in Ultimatum and doing another one wouldn't have worked. I remember reading that. But, hey, he returned. Along with Greengrass, nonetheless, saying "Never Say Never".
Yeah, so as I was trying to say, it wasn't a deliberate cock-up to facilitate Damon's return. They genuinely thought they could board the expanded universe train (as everyone is attempting to) and it turned out the audience weren't game. To suggest they deliberately turned out a sub-par film is total rubbish.
Of course it did, no one would deny that. All I was saying is that your assertion below is incorrect.
They didn't do anything to 'make' the fans demand the return of Damon. Their intention was to have a parallel timeline in the same universe. Its relative failure was the catalyst for talks about a further Damon led installment, but there was no prior 'strategy'. Legacy was made with the intention of being successful.
I'm sorry, but you're way off here. The studio aren't beholden to the fans, whether they boycott, threaten to boycott, troll the studio... It certainly doesn't go unnoticed, but it was never going to stop them pushing forward into a post-Damon world. That's not to say Damon was 'out' - as far as I recall they were very candid about this running parallel with Damon's narrative, but while he was on hiatus they had a vision to expand the world and build on the 'legacy' they'd created - with Cross being the first foray.
Using the same logic you're suggesting, EON should've caved to fan pressure and accepted that by all accounts Craig was going to be terrible, focussing on a back up for when it all goes tits up. They didn't and no production team would.
This was not a 'bluff', as you bizarrely call it and people do not set out to, or become resigned to making duds, as you seem to keep implying. Nobody associated with that movie wanted it to fail.
The point being, this 'strategy' you talk of never existed.
What 'tactic'? Deliberately making a shit film?
Legacy was meant to be a way to have that sweet Bourne cash without Matt in the role, who at that time was against doing another, saying he would only return if Greengrass came along with a good story on hand. The studio leaned on and used Gilroy, the writer of the original three to try and recreate the magic of the originals, but failed.
There was never any bluffing or a methodical plan to entice Damon back from jump though, and that only happened when the film soured critically and financially and they knew they were in trouble down the line financially. If the film had been successful, netting box office cash close, equal or beyond the original trilogy, we'd have gotten more of Cross, with maybe a set up for Bourne to come back later, if Matt cared to in the future. But Legacy was never designed to restarted negotiations with Matt and co. With Legacy's failure the studio reached a point of desperation, with the realization that Damon and Greengrass were their golden boys and the only ones they could rely on to bring a winner, so they shelled out loads of cash to make it possible for them to return, taking a gamble that they had much more faith in than continuing with a Legacy sequel.
You mean the "Errrrrrrrwoooooouuuugh"?
It's majestic. I knew a girl who made a similar noise once. It wasn't as good as Julia, though.
:-?