TheBournefranchise will live on, but not necessarily withMatt Damon. While the actor reunited with directorPaul Greengrassfor a long-awaited fourthBournemovie with 2016’sJason Bourne, the final result was rather lackluster considering the quality of the original trilogy. AfterJason Bourne’s release Damon and Greengrass went back to the position they’d kept in the years afterThe Bourne Ultimatum—not ruling out another sequel, but also not doing one until they had an idea worth telling. While we wait to see if that manifests or not, aBourneTV series is now moving forward at USA.
It was announced today (viaTHR) that USA Network has ordered four new pilots, includingTreadstonewhich explores the origin story and present-day actions of the titular CIA black ops program that created Jason Bourne. A TV series adaptation ofRobert Ludlum’s novels was actually in the works at CBS years ago fromCSIcreatorAnthony Zuiker, but it never came to fruition.
USA’s pilot is written and executive produced byTim Kring, who created the NBC seriesHeroes. FilmmakerRamin Bahrani, who directed99 Homesand the upcoming HBO movieFahrenheit 451, will executive produce and direct theTreadstonepilot.
This actually sounds like a pretty compelling way to keep the franchise alive, and there’s plenty of story to mine in Treadstone’s origins. Moreover, the hiring of Bahrani to direct the pilot signals that Kring and USA aren’t interested in a straight action series. Given Bahrani’s thoughtful sensibilities, it feels like they’re keen on digging into the serious political issues theBournefranchise tackled so well.
Additionally,Mr. RobotcreatorSam Esmailis spearheading a pilot calledBriarpatch, a Texas-set murder mystery based on theRoss Thomasnovel of the same name.Andy Greenwald, former Grantland writer and current co-host of The Ringer podcast “The Watch,” is writing and executive producing the pilot. Greenwald also served as a staff writer on the first season ofLegion.
Check out the full list of pilots ordered by USA Network below, and stay tuned to see which of these gets picked up to series.
Treadstone
From a producer of theBournefranchise,Treadstoneexplores the origin story and present-day actions of a CIA black ops program known as Treadstone — a covert operation that uses behavior modification protocol to turn its agents into nearly unstoppable superhuman assassins. The series follows sleeper agents across the globe as they’re mysteriously “awakened” to resume their deadly missions. From Universal Cable Productions,Treadstoneis written and executive produced by Tim Kring. Ramin Bahrani, who will direct the pilot, will also serve as an executive producer. Ben Smith and Jeffrey Weiner will executive produce on behalf of Captivate; Justin Levy will executive produce alongside Bradley Thomas on behalf of Imperative Entertainment.
Briarpatch
Based on the Ross Thomas novel of the same name, the drama follows Allegra Dill, a dogged investigator returning to her border-town Texas home after her sister is murdered by a car bomb. What begins as a search for a killer turns into an all-consuming fight to bring the corrupt hometown Allegra thought she left behind to its knees. Written for television by Andy Greenwald who will executive produce along withMr. Robotcreator Sam Esmail through his production company Esmail Corp and Anonymous Content’s Chad Hamilton, the series celebrates the beloved genre that Thomas’ book represents — a unique blend of crime, thriller, mystery and pulp fiction — while updating his electrifying sense of fun, danger and place for a new generation. Yann Demange will direct and serve as executive producer.Briarpatchis a co-production of Universal Cable Productions and Paramount Television.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Megan Abbott, who serves as writer and executive producer along with Gina Fattore, the drama is an unflinching exploration of volatile female friendships, jealousy, loyalty and the dynamics of power in a small Midwestern town. Peering behind the all-American façade, the series dives into the cutthroat world of competitive high school cheerleading, following the fraught relationship between two best friends after a new coach arrives to bring their team to prominence. Part coming-of-age story, part small-town drama, part murder mystery,Dare Meexposes the physical and psychological extremes that some young women are willing to endure to get ahead. The drama is from Universal Cable Productions in association with Film 44. Peter Berg and Michael Lombardo of Film 44 executive produce along with Sarah Condon and Karen Rosenfelt.
Created by Denis Leary and Alex Cary and starring Leary,Eraseis the story of Donal O’Neal, a dirty ex-cop who decides to do the right thing and bring down his complicit superior officers. But his best weapon in this battle — a photographic memory — is suddenly compromised by symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer’s. In this gritty crime thriller, laced with elements of black comedy, Donal races against time to repair the damage he’s done to his estranged family while trying to avoid being killed by his enemies. From Universal Cable Productions,Erasewill be executive produced Leary and Cary, along with Apostle Pictures' Jim Serpico.
