Is actor Matt Damon set to return to the iconic role of Jason Bourne again?

WHISPERS in Hollywood suggest Matt Damon could be set to return to the blockbuster role of Jason Bourne in the smash film franchise he made famous.

Matt Damon returns as the trained assassin Jason Bourne for the latest showdown in The Bourne Ultimatum.

ONE of Hollywood’s biggest action film franchises could be set for a rebirth, with whispers that Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass are keen to revive Jason Bourne.

The character, a trained assassin on the run from his former employer the CIA, was portrayed three times by actor Damon, beginning in 2002.

The three Bourne movies brought in about $1 billion at the box office, before Damon moved on to other projects.

Hit franchise ... Matt Damon played trained assassin Jason Bourne in three films that grossed $1 billion worldwide at the box office. Picture: Universal

But Variety reports that Universal Pictures is in the early stages of work on an as yet untitled Bourne instalment.

Sources tell the industry bible that both Damon and Greengrass, who’d previously ruled out a return, are in talks about the possibility of a new movie.

Damon ignited fresh hope among fans back in 2012 when he told Playboy magazine he was open to worthy ideas.

“I love the character, and the three movies we did, so I’d love to figure out a way to do another one,” he told the magazine.

New movie in the works ... Matt Damon, pictured here with Joan Allen, is said to be open to a new Jason Bourne film. Picture: Jasin Boland

When the actor walked away, Jeremy Renner took over the lead in what became the blockbuster hit The Bourne Legacy.

Universal is in the midst of work on a Bourne-related movie, starring Renner again as the character Aaron Cross, due for released in mid-2016.

It’s unknown if that project would proceed should Damon sign on to play Jason Bourne again.