Jeremy Renner Replaces Matt Damon As Lead in New Bourne Movie

Posted on Fri Apr 22nd, 2011 8:45am PDT By X17 Staff

Jeremy Renner has been chosen as the lead in The Bourne Legacy, the latest flick in the Jason Bourne franchise.

Renner, who got Oscar nominations for The Hurt Locker and The Town, will replace Matt Damon as the lead in the franchise, though reports are that Renner will not be playing Jason Bourne. Instead, he'll be another super assassin similar to Bourne (we're guessing in case the studio wants to bring Matt Damon back at some point.) Production on The Bourne Legacy starts in September.

Renner's upcoming films include Thor, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Avengers.

See who else was up for the role after the jump (hint: one of them is Renner's former co-star.)

Also in the running for the role, according to numerous reports, were Tron's Garrett Hedlund, Friday Night Lights' Taylor Kitsch, Clash of the Titans' Luke Evans and The Adjustment Bureau's Anthony Mackie, who also starred with Renner in The Hurt Locker.