What? A movie with ‘Bourne’ in the title and no Matt Damon in sight? No wonder all of this Bourne publicity has been confusing us!

Apparently Jason Bourne doesn’t have much to do with his own legacy with a new tough guy picking up where he left off. His name? Aaron Cross. The supporting cast has been kept intact, Joan Allen, David Strathairn and Albert Finney returning for round 4.

My skepticism doesn’t rest so much in Damon’s absence as it does in the departure of director Paul Greengrass whose rapport with Damon and his verité style filmmaking giving his Bourne trilogy the edge and success over other spy films. That’s not to say Jeremy Renner’s turn as Aaron Cross partnered with Bourne writer-cum-director Tony Gilroy won’t deliver the same thrills as their predecessors – we’re just hoping it’s different while still being nail-bitingly, adrenalin-filled and heart-racing. Not too much to ask, surely.

Our steely protagonist is an assassin, crafted by the same program that cultivated the reluctant and very confused Jason Bourne. Gilroy isn’t all that new either – he was the “narrative architect” on the first three films which very cleverly serve to have rent asunder Cross’s world. From set pictures, like JB before him, Cross seems to be on the run. Rachel Weisz has also been spotted running through alleys ways of the Manila set.

Will Damon ever make a reappearance? Or will Cross soon see fit to replace Bourne’s name in the titles? One thing’s for sure, The Bourne Legacy will roll out in cinemas worldwide in August and September.