The Bourne Legacy (novel)
 The Bourne Legacy first edition cover | |
| Author |
Robert Ludlum (Series creator) Eric Van Lustbader |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Craig White |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Jason Bourne |
| Genre | Spy novel |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Publication date | June 22, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 464 pp (First edition) |
| ISBN | 0-312-33175-4 |
| OCLC | 55488053 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3562.U752 R63 2004 |
| Preceded by | The Bourne Ultimatum |
| Followed by | The Bourne Betrayal |
The Bourne Legacy is a 2004 spy fiction thriller written by Eric Van Lustbader. It is the fourth novel in the Jason Bourne series created by Robert Ludlum and the first to be written by Lustbader. He has also written eight more novels in the series, The Bourne Betrayal, The Bourne Sanction, The Bourne Deception, The Bourne Objective, The Bourne Dominion, The Bourne Imperative, The Bourne Retribution and The Bourne Ascendancy.
Plot summary
- For a more detailed background of the main character, see Jason Bourne.
With the climactic events of The Bourne Ultimatum behind him, Jason Bourne is able to once again become David Webb, now professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. However, this serenity does not last for long and, when a silenced gunshot narrowly misses Webb's head, the Bourne Persona awakens in him yet again.
Bourne's first objective is to get to his longtime friend and handler at the CIA, Alex Conklin.
However, unbeknownst (as yet) to Bourne, a Hungarian by the name of Stepan Spalko has now drawn Jason into a web—one which he cannot escape as easily as his professorial façade.
Finding Alex dead along with Doctor Morris Panov, Bourne realizes the trap as soon as he hears the police arriving. With his car outside and his fingerprints in the house, he immediately understands that he has been framed.
So, with only Conklin's cell phone and a torn page from a notebook to go on, Jason Bourne sets off to find out who's trying to kill him and who killed his friends.
After warning Marie and his two children, Jamie and Alyssa, to proceed immediately towards their safe house, he slips through the CIA cordon and makes his way to an independent agent who was talking to Alex Conklin when he was killed. Having received travel plans to Hungary and a mission to meet Janos Vadas, Conklin's contact in Hungary, he proceeds to unravel the truth behind why Alex and Morris Panov were killed.
Meanwhile, a group of Chechen terrorists have been fighting a losing battle against Russian invaders when a man named Stepan Spalko appears to solve their problems. Spalko, we later discover, had Conklin and Panov killed and kidnapped a doctor by the name of Felix Schiffer. Schiffer is an expert in bacteriological particulate behavior.
Spalko intends to release a bacteriological weapon during peace negotiations between many world leaders to be held in Reykjavík, using the terrorists he is cultivating as a diversion.
The book charts Bourne's course from the United States, to France and then to Budapest in Hungary where he learns the final thing he needs to do—to stop Spalko's attack in Iceland.
This, of course, all has to be done in the face of a CIA sanction for him to be immediately terminated, as he is believed responsible for the deaths of Conklin and Panov.
There is also the matter of Spalko's hired assassin, Khan, who is preternaturally able to track Bourne where everyone else cannot. Khan is revealed In the Bourne Legacy; he is Joshua, David's son from his first marriage, who believes erroneously that he was left for dead by his father in Vietnam. Bourne, however, refuses to believe that Khan is Joshua, convinced that Joshua was killed decades ago, and continually tries to avoid him and the truth.
Though Khan is at first working for Spalko, he eventually realizes that he has been used as a pawn in Spalko's personal game. After revealing later on to Bourne that Annaka Vadas, the daughter of Janos Vadas, is a traitor, he begins to feel that Bourne is not the hateful father that he had imagined.
Unfortunately, Bourne is still unable to believe Khan is Joshua—until he hacks into the CIA database and discovers that Joshua's body had never been found. In a fit of rage, he attacks Khan, first believing that it is a conspiracy to hurt him, but is later captured by Spalko.
After rescuing Bourne from Spalko, Khan makes an uneasy peace with his father. While on the plane to Iceland, however, Khan reveals a piece of information that finally convinces Bourne that Khan is his son. When Bourne subsequently reveals that he lost his memory while undercover as Cain, Khan begins to rethink his views regarding his father.
After completing the operation and stopping Spalko, Khan—Joshua—makes up with his father and realizes that his hatred was always a reflection of his personal struggles and that, in truth, he truly loved Bourne. He requests Bourne, however, not to reveal his identity to Marie, in whose life he feels he has no place.
Film
George Nolfi, who co-wrote the screenplay for the Bourne Ultimatum film, was to write the screenplay for a fourth film. Matt Damon was also attached to the project from the start,[1] and Julia Stiles as well as Joan Allen have been asked to join the project. Paul Greengrass was slated to return as director; however, on November 30, 2009, he said he wasn't interested in directing,[2] and Matt Damon has since said that he would not make the film without Greengrass.[3]
On June 9, 2010, it was announced that Tony Gilroy will be writing and directing a movie entitled "The Bourne Legacy" and it will have a 2012 release date.[4] The film did not take place in a new canon; neither was it a reboot or prequel in any way, but more like a side-story or full spin-off with a new character "in the mold of Bourne" dealing with the ramifications of the Treadstone conspiracy. Gilroy also stated that he is not ruling out a future return by Damon or Greengrass.[5] On October 29, Universal set the release date for The Bourne Legacy at August 3, 2012.[6]
On February 9, 2012, the first trailer was released,[7] which also confirmed the release date of the movie; August 10, 2012.
References
- ↑ Fleming, Michael (October 16, 2008). "Universal moves ahead with 'Bourne' Recently however, this project was cancelled. When asked about the stalled development and whether a fourth film in the franchise would be getting made at all, Damon said, "We can't keep going forever... we may come back and shoot some other time."". Variety (Reed Business Information). Retrieved October 20, 2008.
- ↑ Greengrass: No Bourne 4 - IGN
- ↑ Matt Damon Says No More Bourne Without Paul Greengrass | FirstShowing.net
- ↑ "Tony Gilroy Will Write The Bourne Legacy for 2010". The Film Stage. June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
- ↑ "Matt Damon Won't Star In 4th 'Bourne'; Tony Gilroy Introducing New Assassin; Why Damon Could Be Jason Bourne Again". Deadline Hollywood. October 19, 2010. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
- ↑ "Universal Sets Release Dates Through 2013". October 29, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2010.
- ↑ "Rlsdate.net". February 9, 2012.
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