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NBC Universal Acquires The Rights To Jason Bourne And Treadstone

NBC Universal lost the rights to Jason Bourne and Treadstone in May 2025, but today, they got them back following a bidding war.

There was a monumental shift felt across nearly all aspects of culture in the wake of 9/11. Obviously, the ripple effects of the attack can be felt in movies to this day, but one of the more obvious examples is the Jason Bourne films. They are exactly the type of spy film to come out of a post-9/11 era. This wasn't about James Bond or even Ethan Hunt anymore; people were looking for something different and seemed to embrace these films based on the books written well before the terrorist attack happened. The series has been in limbo since 2016, but according to Deadline, NBC Universal has secured a deal to acquire the rights to Jason Bourne and Treadstone following a bidding war.

Across five films, the Bourne movies managed to bring in a total of $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office. There was also one television show, Treadstone, which was released in 2019 on the USA Network and ran for one season and ten episodes. Matt Damon was the star of four of the five films, with Jeremy Renner starring in an attempt to make a spin-off film that fell on its face right out of the gate. Universal actually lost the rights to the franchise a couple of months ago, but this new deal would bring all of the rights back to the same studio.

The series lost its way following the third film and never really found its footing. They tried to start a new franchise with another character, but that didn't work, so they brought Damon back for another movie in 2016. However, the reviews were not great, and while the film made over $400 million at the worldwide box office, it seemed to indicate that people were losing interest in this particular spy franchise. Treadstone didn't fare that much better with critics, and while the pandemic didn't help, it can't be cited as the only reason they decided not to renew in May 2020. The world of Jason Bourne just hadn't kept up the momentum of other franchises like Mission: Impossible or the Bond films. Universal allowing the rights to lapse and then getting them back following a bidding war, which means they probably paid a pretty penny, is one of the more baffling business decisions of the year. Perhaps they jumped back in when they saw there was actual interest from other studios. Either way, it sounds like more Jason Bourne is on the way, whether we want it or not.

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