To their number we can now add The Bourne Legacy , a continuation of the Robert Ludlum-inspired spy series without Matt Damon’s amnesiac assassin as its focal point.

To some it will be like Hamlet without Hamlet. Yet while Tony Gilroy’s fourquel never feels particularly vital, it’s certainly not the cynical cash-grab we might’ve feared.

For one thing it has Jeremy Renner, capably inheriting Damon’s mantle as another secret agent who finds himself at odds with his shadowy superiors.

Introduced as a full-bearded mountain man on a training outing in Alaska, Renner’s Aaron Cross soon proves himself to be a force to be reckoned with whether dealing with freezing water, snarling wolves or an automated drone plane.

He’s also no slouch on a motorbike, a climactic chase through the streets of Manila giving second unit director Dan Bradley (a Bourne veteran) another chance to run riot in a teeming urban environment.

This thrilling set-piece isn’t the only Bourne signifier. Like Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass before him, Gilroy juxtaposes action in the field with testy scenes at Espionage HQ, here with Ed Norton and Stacy Keach as government suits battling to contain the “infection” that Jason Bourne’s exploits have let loose.

Fleeting cameos from Scott Glenn, David Strathairn and Albert Finney further assist the movie’s aim to be a logical extension of a pre-established universe. The result is it’s surprisingly easy to see Legacy as a parallel adventure, allied to yet not reliant on what’s gone before.

But for all Renner’s swagger and physical dexterity, his hounded hero simply isn’t as compelling a protagonist as Damon’s Jason.

Robbed of his memory and sense of self, the latter’s quest to uncover his nature gave the original trilogy an almost existential element as Bourne strived to reconcile the man he was with who he hoped to be.

Aaron’s problem is more pedestrian: a chemical dependency on the ‘meds’ that make him quicker, stronger and brainier.

Teaming up with Rachel Weisz’s lab technician, Renner effectively conveys sweaty desperation as he races to get the pills on which his life depends.

Yet because he’s essentially a junkie after a fix, he’s a hard man to warm to in a film that, without a human connection, feels noticeably cold to the touch.

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The Bourne Legacy has released a new featurette in which cast and crew help explain how the new film fits into the universe established by the original trilogy.

As director Tony Gilroy explains, the ambition informing the project was to create a larger conspiracy than the one seen in the first Bourne films, with the existence of various other programmes revealed to be working alongside Treadstone.

There are also a few new bits and pieces of footage mingled in among the talking heads, all of which combines to get us good and excited for this one. The references to Jason Bourn ewill be particularly pleasing to fans of the original films.

Take a look at the new featurette below…

We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: Jeremy Renner looks an excellent choice to replace Matt Damon. He can handle the action with ease, has bags of charisma and also looks to share some good chemistry with Rachel Weisz. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he and Damon may yet share the screen in a future Bourne adventure.

Co-starring Ed Norton alongside old Bourne favourites Joan Allen, Albert Finney and David Strathairn, The Bourne Legacy opens in the UK on 13 August 2012. Skyfall had better watch its back…

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A first teaser trailer has been released online for The Bourne Legacy , and mighty exciting it is too, as Jeremy Renner sets about kicking arse and taking names.

The footage doesn’t give much away in terms of plot, asides from showing Renner’s character Kenneth Kitson committing to “the programme†and becoming “Aaron Crossâ€.

Ed Norton is on hand to grill Renner as to his suitability, whilst Bourne regular Albert Finney drops in to welcome his new recruit. And most tantalising of all? The proclamation that, “Jason Bourne was just the tip of the iceberg.â€

Take a look at the new trailer, below…

Yep, it turns out Jeremy Renner is definitely badass enough to become Matt Damon’s successor! As the trailer helpfully points out, “he’s Treadstone without the inconsistency.â€

And as if that wasn’t enough, a new poster has also been released, boasting the rather catchy tagline, “there was never just oneâ€. Colour us officially excited for the film’s UK opening on 15 August 2012.

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Edward Norton is close to signing on to play the villain in The Bourne Legacy .

Variety report that the former Hulk actor is in negotiations for the mysterious role.

If Norton signs on the dotted line, he’ll be going up against new franchise lead Jeremy Renner, who’s taking on the hero role in the Matt Damon-lite system reset.

Directed by Tony Gilroy, Legacy will also star the recently married Rachel Weisz, and takes place in the same world as the previous Bourne films – albeit minus their titular hero.

It’s been a while since Norton did something that not only capitalised on his considerable ability to play a total bastard, but also got our blood seriously pumping.

Legacy promises to do both those things, and for that it gets a round of applause.

The Bourne Legacy opens 3 August 2012.

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