''Bourne'' is a series of spy novels originally written by American author

Robert Ludlum Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 Thriller (genre), thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original ''Bourne (novel series), The Bourne Trilogy'' series. The number of copi ...

, featuring the fictional spy

Jason Bourne Jason Bourne () is the titular character and the protagonist in a series of novels and subsequent film adaptations. The character was created by novelist Robert Ludlum. He first appeared in the novel '' The Bourne Identity'' (1980), which wa ...

. Ludlum wrote the first three novels: The Bourne Identity (1980), The Bourne Supremacy (1986), and The Bourne Ultimatum (1990). After Ludlum's death in 2001, the series was continued by author

Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. Lustbader, and Eric Van Lustbader. He is a graduate of New York's Stuyvesant High School and Columb ...

, who wrote several additional novels expanding the character’s story. Van Lustbader departed the series in 2019 while working on a planned novel titled The Bourne Nemesis, which was ultimately abandoned. Following Van Lustbader’s departure, the Robert Ludlum literary estate selected author Brian Freeman to continue the series. Freeman began writing new Bourne novels starting in 2020.

Jason Bourne

Connected series

Treadstone

Blackbriar

In other media

''The Bourne Identity'' has been adapted into live action twice. The first adaptation was a 1988 television film starring

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (March 31, 1934 – March 29, 2025) was an American actor and singer who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently earned the title "King of the Mini- ...

and

Jaclyn Smith Jaclyn Smith (born October 26, 1945) is an American actress. She is most notable for her role as Kelly Garrett in the television series ''Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for it ...

. The second adaptation was a 2002 feature film starring

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

, which received critical acclaim and was a commercial success. It launched the ''Bourne'' film franchise, which includes five films, with the fifth installment released in July 2016. A television series titled ''

Treadstone ''Treadstone'' is an American action drama television series, connected to and based on the ''Bourne'' film series. A "special preview" of the pilot aired on USA Network on September 24, 2019, ahead of its October 15, 2019, premiere. The seri ...

'', based on the book series and set in the same universe, premiered on October 15, 2019. Created by

Tim Kring Richard Timothy Kring (born July 9, 1957) is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the drama series '' Strange World'', ''Crossing Jordan'', '' Heroes'', and ''Touch''. Early life Kring was born in El ...

, the show explored the origin and operations of the covert Treadstone program. In May 2020, the series was canceled after one season.

References

{{Jason Bourne Book series introduced in 1980 Novel series American novels adapted into films Novels adapted into video games