Fans of the Bourne franchise have been decidedly polarized on their excitement for The Bourne Legacy and a Matt Damon-less installment in the franchise. Which makes this writer ask, are you excited for and anticipating The Bourne Legacy?

To recap:

– The Bourne Legacy does not feature Matt Damon or Jason Bourne in action, although from the trailers he is at least mentioned.

– The film is directed and written by Tony Gilroy, screenwriter of the previous Bourne Installment, although the past directors are not involved.

– Matt Damon did not return for The Bourne Legacy due to the absence of The Bourne Ultimatum helmer Paul Greengrass.

That’s essentially the gist of it, as Matt Damon and Jason Bourne have been replaced by Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross, another Treadstone operative on the run during the same timeline as the original Bourne trilogy. After all, as the tagline tells us, “there was never just one.” The response from the footage we’ve seen, as well as the whole idea of a Matt Damon-less Bourne entry, has been quite mixed. Some are excited to simply return to this universe and the action and intrigue these films present. Others are trepidatious of ruining the franchise. From the trailers the action seems inventive and new, and Renner seems promising. But will it be worthwhile of the stellar Bourne franchise that preceded it?

We’ll certainly see and review the film, as this writer happens to be quite interested in what the film will have to offer. But, much like The Hobbit films which are set to come out, there’s always the worry of messing with the success of that which came before. There’s a very firm camp of fans who just want to leave this franchise well enough alone. Will this film hold up to the legacy (sorry, couldn’t help it) of the previous Bourne installments?Where do you fall? Give us your take in the comments!