Bourne is a series of spy novels originally written by American author Robert Ludlum, featuring the fictional spy Jason Bourne. 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, who wrote several additional novels expanding the characterâÂÂs story. Van Lustbader departed the series in 2019 while working on a planned novel titled The Bourne Nemesis, which was ultimately abandoned.
Following Van LustbaderâÂÂs departure, the Robert Ludlum literary estate selected author Brian Freeman to continue the series. Freeman began writing new Bourne novels starting in 2020.
The Bourne Identity has been adapted into live action twice. The first adaptation was a 1988 television film starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith. The second adaptation was a 2002 feature film starring Matt Damon, 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, based on the book series and set in the same universe, premiered on October 15, 2019. Created by Tim Kring, the show explored the origin and operations of the covert Treadstone program. In May 2020, the series was canceled after one season.