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Matt Damon once famously went off against theBournefilms writer Tony Gilroy. Damon alleged Gilroy of walking away fromThe Bourne Ultimatumafter submitting a bad first draft. When Gilroy was asked about Damon’s issue with him, Gilroy shared that he had no idea where Damon’s explosive rant came from. He regarded theGood Will Huntingactor as one of the greatest actors of the generation.
Despite these issues between Damon and Gilroy, the third film in the franchise received critical acclaim.The Bourne Ultimatumis considered one of the best films in the series. Gilroy took over the directing duties in the fourth film after Damon and director Paul Greengrass walked away from the offer.
Tony Gilroy Responded Maturely To Matt Damon’s Rant About Him
Matt Damonappeared in an interview with GQ and went off againstBournewriter Tony Gilroy for his rather unprofessional behavior duringThe Bourne Ultimatum. Universal Studios gave Gilroy a great deal for writing only one draft for the film. However, Damon shared that the studio was at fault for offering such a deal.
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He shared that he did not blame Gilroy for taking money and providing a bad first draft.The Adjustment Bureauactor described Gilroy’s first draft as unreadable and a career-ender. He shared that Gilroy did not commit himself to the film and left with the money for the first draft. Damon shared withGQ:
It’s really the studio’s fault for putting themselves in that position. I don’t blame Tony for taking a boatload of money and handing in what he handed in. It’s just that it was unreadable. This is a career-ender. I mean, I could put this thing up on eBay and it would be game over for that dude. It’s terrible. It’s really embarrassing. He was having a go, basically, and he took his money and left.
Gilroy helmed the fourth film,The Bourne Legacy, with Jeremy Rennerin the lead, who replaced Damon. During the promotion of the fourth film, Gilroy addressed Damon’s rant against him during the GQ interview. He rather responded with kindness to the actor’s rant, sharing with Empire that he didn’t know where it came from. He shared (via IndieWire):
I don’t understand that at all. I don’t know where it came from. I think Matt is one of the greatest actors of his generation.
According to theHuffington Post, Damon later contacted GQ to clear up his statement and even issued an apology. TheOppenheimeractor shared,“This is between me and him. So saying anything publicly is f*cking stupid and unprofessional and just kind of douchey of me.”Interestingly,theAndorcreatordid not return for the fifth film,Jason Bourne.
What Went Down InThe Bourne UltimatumBetween Tony Gilroy and Matt Damon?
Interestingly,Tony Gilroyand Matt Damon never had a problem duringThe Bourne Ultimatum. However, Gilroy and director Paul Greengrass had a problem. In the second filmThe Bourne Supremacy, Gilroy wanted to add scenes where Damon’s character shows repentance for his actions. He wrote specific scenes to portray such a side of the character.
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While Greengrass did an amazing job in visually presenting the film, he removed the repentance scenes. Gilroy shared about the film withThe New Yorker,“It was sort of like a crime against the gods of storytelling.”When he was called in for the third film, he had only one condition: he would not have to speak with Greengrass.
After Gilroy submitted the first draft, Greengrass enlisted the help of writers George Nolfi and Scott Z. Burns.The Bourne Ultimatumand otherBournefilms are now available for streaming on Starz.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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Jason BourneMatt DamonTony Gilroy
