Bourne movies have brought the world of espionage and a fresh take of action into Hollywood. They have also jump-started Matt Deamon’s carrier. But, other than Deamon’s Bourne movies (one in which he doesn’t act), there were Bourne TV mini-series, as well as a TV show. So, let’s see how they all fit into a chronological Borne movies watch order.
The first Bourne title started in late 1988. It was actually a mini-series and no, Matt Deamon wasn’t in the shoes of secret agent Jason Borne. That title then belonged to Richard Chamberlain.
Let’s find out how many Jason Bourne movies are there.
How many Jason Bourne movies are there?
There are currently five Jason Bourne movies, one mini-series and one TV show. The movies are The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Bourne Legacy (2012) and Jason Bourne (2016). Mini-series is called The Bourne Identity, and one season TV show is called Treadstone.
To not make it so confusing, let us look at the best order to watch Bourne movies.
Bourne movies in a chronological order at a glance
- The Bourne Identity (1988)
- The Bourne Identity (2002)
- The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- The Bourne Legacy (2012)
- Jason Bourne (2016)
- Treadstone – Season 1 (2019)
The best way to watch Bourne movies in order
We will sort the Bourne movies just as above, but will also let you know about them, and what needs to be watched and what not. So stay with us a bit longer.
The Bourne Identity (1988)
This mini-series is a film adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s bestseller. The plot begins when fishermen find a wounded, almost dead man, whom they manage to save.
However, when the protagonist (Richard Chamberlain) regains consciousness he doesn’t remember anything. His past life is in complete darkness; he doesn’t even remember his name but soon discovers that he has an extraordinary knowledge of martial arts and a talent for negotiation.
It quickly becomes crystal clear to him that he must find out as soon as possible who he really is if he wants to save his life.
You don’t need to watch The Bourne Identity to be able to follow other Bourne movies.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
After being accidentally found and rescued by fishermen, the wounded man does not remember who he was or how he got into the sea. In time, he begins to recall details from his life, such as owning a Swiss bank account, and soon remembers his name as Jason Bourne (M. Damon), but it is still unclear to him what a gun and a forged passport do to him.
So Bourne sets off with his new friend Marie (F. Potente) in search of answers to his questions. Things will get complicated when he realizes that some dangerous people are not happy that he is alive.
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has left behind the life of a professional assassin, but the nightmares remind him of the days when he did dirty work for the CIA. With almost paranoid behavior, Bourne is no longer sure which memories are true and which are the product of his imagination.
Because of this, together with Marie (Franka Potente), he is forced to constantly change his place of residence in order to avoid the CIA radar and lead a more or less normal life. But after their hideout is revealed, Bourne decides to face his past, save the life of his beloved woman and prevent an international incident.
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Oscar winner Matt Damon plays professional assassin Jason Bourne. After losing his memory, and being left without the only person he loved, he will not be stopped by a rain of bullets from a new generation of specially trained assassins who follow in his footsteps and do whatever it takes to prevent him from finding out his true identity.
The Bourne Ultimatum brings heart-stopping action, death-defying acrobatics and excitement from the first to the last second.
The Bourne Legacy (2012)
The CIA lost every trace of Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) six weeks ago in Moscow. At the same time, Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), a government operative, is on a secret assignment from the Alaska Department of Defense, where he must survive extreme weather conditions and strenuous training, as part of a secret experiment in which he participates as a guinea pig. Namely, Croos was given drugs that enhance the mental and physical abilities of the users.
Meanwhile, after Bourne uncovered the secret operations of the CIA (Treadstone and Blackbriar), the FBI and the Senate are investigating the affair that came to the media, and under the magnifying glass are CIA Director Ezra Kramer (Scott Glenn), Blackbriar representative Noah Vosen (David Strathairn) and Treadstone doctor, Albert Hirsch (Albert Finney), who, in turn, decide to end all covert operations, including the one involving Aaron Cross, and all participants must disappear.
Jason Bourne (2016)
You know his name. Twelve years after exposing Operation Blackbriar and disappearing, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) has finally recovered from memory loss, but has also embarked on brutal fights without gloves.
In Reykjavík, Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) joins activists and hackers, led by Christian Dassault (Vinzenz Kiefer), whose intent is to break into a CIA mainframe to uncover the U.S. Secret Service’s most covert operations. The burglary alarms Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander), the head of the department in charge of cyber attacks, but also CIA director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones).
In the process, Parsons finds documents related to Bourne’s recruitment, discovers his father’s connection to the Treadstone program, and travels to Athens to let Bourne know what she has learned.
Treadstone – Season 1 (2019)
The treadstone project, after creating super spy Jason Bourne, is turning its attention to a new protocol to develop unstoppable superhuman killers.
Unfortunately, the show has been canceled after only one season. Treadstone shoud’ve been a potential set-up for the sixth Jason Bourne movie. It is not crucial to watch it after the movies, but it is a kind of continuation, so you can, of course.
Do You Need to Watch Bourne Movies in Order?
Bourne movies should be watched in order. Mini-series, The Bourne Identity, from 1988, and TV show Treadstone, are not crucial to the watch order.
Will There Be More Bourne Movies?
There will probably be more Bourne movies in the future. It will be some reboot, prequel, or something similar.
