Matt Damon Calls ‘Bourne 5’ a Story of the ‘Post-Snowden World’

It’s been eight years since Jason Bourne delivered his final ultimatum. That’s a long time between movie sequels. (What’s that? A Bourne movie that didn’t actually involve Jason Bourne? Nah, I’m pretty sure that never happened. Who would make such a thing?) And that long time is exactly why Bourne is finally coming back for a new movie starring Matt Damon (and not Jeremy Renner) and directed by Paul Greengrass.

Promoting The Martian, Damon told Buzzfeed that he and Greengrass wanted to make another Bourne for a while, but because the first trilogy was really “about the Bush presidency” they “kind of had to wait for the world to change.” Eight years later, they believe it has, thanks in large part to the efforts of a man named Edward Snowden, who revealed the inner-workings of the National Security Agency. Damon says Bourne 5 will deal with the fallout of Snowden’s actions:

Without giving too much of it away, it’s Bourne through an austerity-riddled Europe and in a post-Snowden world. It seems like enough has changed, you know? There are all these kinds of arguments about spying and civil liberties and the nature of democracy.

He also said the new film stars in Greece (“the beginnings of democracy” and a country currently plagued by economic problems) and wind up in Las Vegas, which Damon described as “the most grotesque incarnation of...” well, he didn’t finish the thought. But you can probably imagine what he’s suggesting there. Bourne 5 opens in theaters on July 29, 2016.