Tommy Lee Jones Joins Matt Damon in BOURNE 5

Frankly, I'm still surprised that another Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass Bourne movie will be in theaters almost exactly one year from today, but it's actually happening. Julia Stiles is a returning veteran and Alicia Vikander will be the newbie to the franchise, with Viggo Mortensen reportedly being eyed for the villain (though that remains to be confirmed). Now Variety reports that there's another new addition to the cast, and it's not an up-and-coming starlet — it's Tommy Lee Jones.

There's no word yet on who exactly Jones will play, though Variety's sources indicate he'll portray a superior officer of the CIA similar to the characters played by David Strathairn, Brian Cox, Edward Norton, and Chris Cooper earlier in the franchise. The Oscar-winning scowler has built his career playing intimidating authority figures, so this should be a walk in the park for him.

What's interesting about all of this to me — aside from the talented cast and director, of course — is that Greengrass wrote this screenplay with editor Christopher Rouse (making his writing debut here), meaning this will be the first Bourne film that doesn't feature the writing of Tony Gilroy, the architect of the entire franchise and director of the Jeremy Renner-led The Bourne Legacy. What will a Bourne film feel like without Gilroy's influence? Will it retain the elements that everyone loved about the original trilogy, or will it feel like there's something missing? We'll find out on July 29th, 2016.