‘The Bourne Legacy’ trailer: Jeremy Renner is the new and improved Jason Bourne

Robert Ludlum, the creator of the Jason Bourne novels, died in 2001 at the age of 73, one year before Matt Damon brought his CIA trillers to life in “The Bourne Identity.” The “Bourne” films quickly became a phenomenon and a box office sensation. The films not only transformed Matt Damon into a full-blown action star, but also breathed new life into a book series that was written in the late 80s and early 90s.

The “Bourne” films were noted for their realistic cinematography and action sequences at a time when the genre was obsessed with CGI and special effects. By reverting to real stunts and explosions without the gimmicks, the “Bourne” trilogy even seemed to influence the Bond franchise to take a similar approach, which resulted in “Casino Royale” — the best Bond film in decades.

Before his death in 2001, Robert Ludlum only wrote the novels that correspond with the first three films; after his death, an author named Eric Van Lustbader continued the “Bourne” series with the permission of the Ludlum estate. Since then he has written seven additional volumes to the Bourne series, but his first was “The Bourne Legacy.”

When Van Lustbader took over the Bourne franchise fans of the series were most likely hesitant to approve of another author continuing Ludlum’s work, which makes it all the more appropriate that Van Lustbader’s “Bourne” is different than Ludlum’s.

According to a GQ interview, Matt Damon stated that he refused to do the fourth Bourne film due to Tony Gilroy’s script, which led to Jeremy Renner sliding in as his not-too-shabby replacement. Renner has Oscar pedigree from his starring role in “The Hurt Locker,” and co-headlined this winter’s surprise blockbuster “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.”

This summer’s newest Bourne film seems to feature all the same characters we’ve come to know and love — such as Albert Finny as the evil doctor and Joan Allen as the blonde CIA lady/Bourne sympathizer. And Renner isn’t the only A-list addition to a cast that features newbies Ed Norton and Rachel Weisz.

The trailer doesn’t really reveal much except the fact that Jason Bourne was the “tip of the iceberg,” and there were plenty of CIA assassins trained just like him. Having never read the novels, I have no idea if Van Lustbader’s books live up to Ludlum’s predecessors, but judging solely by the first trailer it still appears to be an action film worth seeing. Having said that, it would completely shock me if it comes even remotely close to “The Bourne Ultimatum.”