Conceiving Bequest : The Philippines' Bourne Legacy

It was a good movie after ALL.

 

 

"The shooting is here in the Philippines... and the credits go to the Philippines."

Perhaps it is one of the most celebrated movies of all time - in the Philippine context, to be exact. It is a good timing and a blessing as well for the Philippines because a mega-budget Hollywood film was to shoot here - and all credits to the exact places were to be attributed to the country itself.

The second installment of Gilroy's masterpiece.

The Bourne Legacy is to be starred by Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz, of which Renner is the main star. Succeeding Matt Damon who first played the lead role on the first installment, Renner really had to live up with the grandeur of the first film.

Manila has a history of being used to portray other cities: It served as Jakarta in Peter Weir’s 1982 drama “The Year of Living Dangerously,” Bangkok in Jonathan Kaplan’s 1999 thriller “Brokedown Palace,” and Panama City in Showtime’s 2000 biopic “Noriega: God’s Favorite.”

“Legacy,” however, will be the first notable Hollywood movie to represent the capital as itself. Action scenes including a helicopter hovering above the financial district and a long car chase through a major thoroughfare are to be shot in the city, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. The production will also film in Palawan, an island province known for its pristine beaches and tropical rain forests.

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Why Damon was off for the Legacy Ultimatum...

  

Legacy will feature a new protagonist that, like Bourne, is a covert government agent that was trained (or rather, brainwashed) to become an assassin by the government and likely played a role in either Operation Treadstone (from The Bourne Identity) or Blackbriar (from The Bourne Ultimatum). The fourth Bourne film – which will not contain any plot elements from Eric Lustbader’s novel of the same name – is not a reboot, as it both continues the storyline developed in the first three movies and acts to “expand the franchise mythology” by shifting its focus away from Jason Bourne himself.

Gilroy told Deadline that he “couldn’t imagine trying to replace [Damon as Bourne]“ and that the Jason Bourne character himself is still very much alive in Legacy. While Damon essentially closed the door on his involvement with Bourne 4 earlier this year, he could easily return for a later film – assuming that Bourne Legacy does well enough, financially speaking, to justify a fifth movie.

Another chance for Damon's Legacy.

Ultimatum nicely wrapped up the main plot threads introduced in the previous two Bourne movies and was both the most financially successful and critically-acclaimed of the first three pics in the franchise. Gilroy is already up against the wall to deliver a fourth Bourne movie that either matches or exceeds the quality of its predecessor – not to mention that a lot of moviegoers will likely take a pass on Legacy solely because Damon will not be back.

Is Gilroy up to the challenge? He proved himself to be both a solid screenwriter and director with his Oscar-nominated pic Michael Clayton back in 2007 – not to mention that he has been involved with the Bourne franchise since the very beginning. Bourne 4 will require someone with the technical prowess to mix engaging action sequences with drama, so Gilroy will be in mostly untested territory with his next directorial effort.

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Malacañang acknowledged [the expectation that tourist dollars might follow] on Tuesday when Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda welcomed the filming of the movie here since “it will be a boost to tourism.”

Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Francis Tolentino added that the decision to shoot a major Hollywood movie in Manila also shows it is safe to visit the Philippines.

According to various media reports, scenes will be shot in Metro Manila and the island of Palawan which is noted for its pristine beaches and natural landscape. Apart from Ayala Avenue in Makati City, however, many of the planned film locations in the Metro are not exactly noted for their physical beauty. Included in the reported itinerary are some public markets, narrow alley ways in the older more decrepit parts of Manila, and the infamous Navotas City Fish Port. Some buildings were even modified to make them “look older”.

Obviously, the nature of the Philippine capital as the quintessential Third World megalopolis is the key essence of Manila’s contribution to the setting of Bourne Legacy. Juxtaposed against its other location, the pristine scenery of Palawan, the Philippines’ place in the scheme of Bourne highlights the reality of the country — a nation of stark contrasts: extreme ugliness and breathtaking beauty with not much of note (at least to a film producer) in between. (Source: Get Real Philippines)

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The Bourne Legacy arrives in Manila 

- CBSNews

MANILA, Philippines — Officials say the cast and crew of the Hollywood action thriller "The Bourne Legacy" have arrived and will start shooting a portion of the film in the Philippine capital on Wednesday.

The fourth of the blockbuster "Bourne" series based on the spy novels of Robert Ludlum will be shot around the Philippines for a month. It stars Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz and Edward Norton but not Matt Damon, the star of first three "Bourne" films.

Francis Tolentino, head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, said Tuesday he is fielding 120 crowd control personnel to assist traffic enforcers during the first day of shooting in Manila's Malate tourist district.

President Benigno Aquino III's spokesman Edwin Lacierda says the movie will boost tourism and provide jobs.

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The Bourne Legacy Plot  

(Click to read)

Manila - Pasay Rotonda. Best traffic and chasing scenes.

It really is more fun in the Philippines as this Bourne Legacy Mania strikes the Metro at its 3 month escapade towards the finishing of the scenes. From the spotlights and glimpses of true Hollywood actors and actresses, the Philippines really is making a deal in this mega-movie debut.

"The shooting is here in the Philippines... and the credits go to the Philippines." 

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Spying on the movie set like a PRO. Enjoy the shooting days and the epic movie of the Bourne Legacy fellow 9gaggers and reader.

Because we like it watching the taping and the actual stunts like a pro.

seems legit to me. :)