The Real Reason Matt Damon Hated His Role In The Bourne Ultimatum

Despite the hectic process, the final product was a major financial  and critical success. Released on August 3, 2007, "The Bourne Ultimatum" opened to strong reviews. The film currently holds a 92% favorability score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest rated film in the franchise. At the box office, "Ultimatum" outperformed both its predecessors and its successors (via Box Office Mojo). Furthermore, according to IMDb, the film is one of Damon's best box office showings, ranked only behind such blockbusters as "The Martian" and "Ocean's Eleven."

As for Gilroy, he went on to both write and direct the franchise's fourth film, "The Bourne Legacy," which infamously doesn't involve the title character and instead focuses on Aaron Cross, as played by Jeremy Renner ("Hawkeye"). The movie failed to meet its predecessor's success with critics and at the box office, and Jason Bourne returned in 2016's "Jason Bourne," which was scripted by Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse.

It should be noted that before Damon's interview with GQ went to print, he contacted the outlet to expound further on the Gilroy debacle. Damon stated that he respects Gilroy, which is why he was so hurt by the work the writer turned in. He also acknowledged that he should not have aired his grievances in a public forum, saying he was stupid and unprofessional to bash Gilroy during the initial interview. Gilroy eventually responded to Damon's comments, telling Empire (per Indie Wire), "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."