15 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About The Bourne Identity

The Bourne series was never expected to make it beyond a single film, yet has grown to become one of the most successful modern action franchises.

But how much do you know about the man who barely knows himself? Take a look at our gallery and find out.

(Images: AllStar)

1

Other actors in the mix to play Jason Bourne included Russell Crowe and Sylvester Stallone, both of whom would have given the film an entirely different spin...

2

It was the first film in the UK to be released with the new 12A rating which means that parents are allowed to decide to take kids under the age of 12 to see films with that certificate.

3

The legendary car chase in the film was actually shot by the second unit director Alexander Witt as director Doug Liman was filming other scenes elsewhere in the city.

4

The scenes in Zurich were actually filmed in Prague at a particularly cold time of year. Damon's wardrobe was developed in Paris so he was underdressed and freezing. One scene between him and Franka Potente in an alley was so cold that his voice was slurred and had to be fixed in post-production.

5

It was actually filmed in 2000 but due to various reasons, including reshoots, it wasn't released until the summer of 2002.

6

Most of the US marines who appear in the Zurich consulate near the start of the film were actually played by real marines, something requested by producer Frank Marshall. They even used their own uniforms and used real tactics for clearing the embassy.

7

A lot of the Treadstone details were actually inspired by Liman's father who worked for the NSA.

8

Marie's character was originally going to be an American, played by Sarah Polley but Liman didn't want someone familiar to audiences so opted for Frank Potente instead, due to her work in Ron Lola Run.

9

Due to reshoots and disagreements about what the movie should be, the film finished $8million over its $60million budget.

10

Universal hated the farm finale and repeatedly insisted that it be completely rewritten. It was only kept because Matt Damon sided with Doug Liman.

11

Despite his high billing Clive Owen is only in the movie for around three minutes.

12

Almost none of the plot of Robert Ludlum's source novel makes it into the film and even the bits that do are in the first five minutes.

13

Even though the film became a hit, the significant shooting disputes meant that Doug Liman was not asked to return for a sequel, which is why Paul Greengrass took over.

14

This was not the first adaptation of The Bourne Identity. There's a 1988 two-part mini-series starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith, which far more close follows the book's plot.

15

When the events of 9/11 occurred during production and the world became suspicious of a world in which government agencies were operating in secret, the producers opted to film an alternative ending, which positioned the movie as a flashback and saw Treadstone's nefarious ways toned down. If the ending had been kept it would have changed the path of the sequels considerably.