All 5 ‘Bourne’ Movies in Order (Including a TV Series)

The ‘Bourne’ franchise is a series of action thriller films based on the novels by Robert Ludlum. The central character is Jason Bourne, a highly skilled and trained operative suffering from amnesia. The series kicks off with ‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002), where Bourne is found with no memory of his past and discovers he possesses exceptional combat skills and speaks multiple languages. As it turned out ‘Bourne’ movies were quite popular, and a single first movie turned into an entire franchise that so far spans six movies and TV shows. Today, we’re going to tell you how to watch them in order.

Editor’s Note: This watch order was updated in November 2023 to reflect the latest news regarding the ‘Bourne’ franchise.

All 5 ‘Bourne’ movies and series in release date order

The first movie came out in 2002, starring Matt Damon. It was an instant hit among the critics, who were impressed with the action, storyline, and Damon’s performance. What made the movie stand out from the sea of other spy-thrillers was its realistic approach to the spy genre and the use of practical stunts and hand-to-hand combat. In the next 14 years, four additional ‘Bourne’ movies will be released, and here is their release order:

1. ‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002)
2. ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ (2004)
3. ‘The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
4. ‘The Bourne Legacy’ (2012)
5. ‘Jason Bourne’ (2016)
6. ‘Treadstone’ (2019) – TV Series, 1 season

Are all ‘Bourne’ movies connected? What’s the best way to watch them?

Yes, the core ‘Bourne’ movies are connected through the character of Jason Bourne and a continuous storyline. The central story follows Bourne as he navigates through a complex web of government conspiracies, identity issues, and international espionage.

The main trilogy, consisting of ‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002), ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ (2004), and ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ (2007), forms a cohesive storyline that explores Bourne’s quest to uncover his past and the truth behind the Treadstone program.

‘The Bourne Legacy’ (2012) introduces a new character, Aaron Cross, played by Jeremy Renner, and runs parallel to the events of the original trilogy. While it is a separate story, it is connected to the events of the previous films and expands on the universe. Matt Damon returned for the last installment in ‘Jason Bourne’ because the director Paul Greengrass also returned, and Renner had scheduling conflicts.

Based on everything we’ve said, the best way to watch the ‘Bourne’ franchise is in release date order.

All ‘Bourne’ movies & series in chronological order

Now, the chronological order of the ‘Bourne’ franchise would be fairly simple if it weren’t for the TV series Treadstone, which serves both as a sequel and as a prequel to the film series due to exploring the origins of the Treadstone program as well as the present day situation with operatives affected by it. In any case, if you’re new to the franchise, even if you were to watch the series first, I doubt that much of it would make sense. It’s best to stick with the release date order.

1.‘The Bourne Identity’ (2002)

An American man with amnesia is rescued by Italian fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea, revealing advanced combat skills and language fluency. Upon discovering a mysterious safe deposit box in Zürich, he investigates, finding various identities and currencies, adopting the name Jason Bourne, triggering the CIA’s Operation Treadstone to track him down and eliminate him.

2. ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ (2004)

Jason Bourne and Marie Kreutz, residing in Goa, India, grapple with Bourne’s amnesia as he records fragmented memories of his CIA assassin past. Meanwhile, in Berlin, a CIA operation to obtain Neski files is sabotaged by a Russian agent, Kirill, who frames Bourne for the attack, setting off a new chain of events.

3. ‘The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Following a tense escape from Moscow and grappling with his past in Operation Treadstone, Jason Bourne surfaces six weeks later. Meanwhile, journalist Simon Ross discovers Operation Blackbriar, prompting the CIA to track him using the ECHELON system, and Bourne returns to Paris to inform Martin Kreutz of his girlfriend Marie’s assassination.

4. ‘The Bourne Legacy’ (2012)

Six weeks post-Jason Bourne’s escape, Operation Outcome agent Aaron Cross faces a challenging punishment in the Alaskan wilderness—a training exercise involving navigating rugged terrain and being pursued by wolves. To deceive another Outcome agent, Cross claims to have lost his vital medication dog tags, which contain the “chems” crucial for maintaining the mental and physical enhancements of agents.

5. ‘Jason Bourne’ (2016)

Twelve years post-exposure of Blackbriar, Jason Bourne, now recovered from amnesia, lives as a street fighter in Greece. Treadstone technician Nicky Parsons, collaborating with a hacktivist group, discovers CIA secrets, including Bourne’s recruitment and his father’s involvement, prompting her to seek him out in Athens.

6. ‘Treadstone’ (2019)

‘Treadstone’ deals with the origin and current operations of the “fictional” CIA black-ops program, Operation Treadstone, employing a behavior modification protocol to transform recruits into highly skilled assassins. The series follows sleeper agents worldwide as they are unexpectedly activated, their personalities broken down, memories erased, and moral codes eliminated to carry out lethal missions.

Where to watch the above-mentioned movies and TV series?

‘The Bourne Identity,’ ‘The Bourne Supremacy,’ and ‘The Bourne Legacy’ can be streamed on Roku, DirecTV, Syfy and Freevee. ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ can only be streamed on Max. ‘Jason Bourne’ – the latest installment in the franchise is available for streaming on Peacock, TNT, TBS, and TruTV. The series, ‘Treadstone’ can be streamed on Hulu and Peacock.

Will there be more ‘Bourne’ movies?

There will be additional ‘Bourne’ movies. In November 2016, Universal Pictures expressed optimism about a Jason Bourne sequel, but a follow-up to ‘The Bourne Legacy’ seemed unlikely. Matt Damon cast doubt on a sequel in March 2017, questioning whether the audience was still interested in the character. However, by October 2019, a new film was confirmed to be in development, tied to the ‘Treadstone’ TV series, and in November 2023, it was officially announced that a sixth Bourne film is in the works, with negotiations for Damon to reprise the role and Edward Berger set to direct.

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