‘The Bourne Legacy’ Shoots in the Philippines

Without question, out of Robert Ludlum‘s 23 authored thrillers, it is the Bourne series that has proven to be the most popular. This is largely due to the fact that the movie versions of these stories were taken to new heights with one Matt Damon taking on the role of Jason Bourne, and these productions have been able to stand toe to toe with Ethan Hunt and James Bond.

‘The Bourne Legacy,’ meanwhile, is the first of seven sequels post-Ludlum that was written by Eric Van Lustbader. And the movie (coming out on August 10 this year) is the first that will not star Jason Bourne. Jeremy Renner will instead lead a cast filled with all-star power, as he dons the role of Aaron Cross. Rachel Weisz (The Mummy) and Edward Norton (Fight Club) are also starring in the movie.

The Bourne franchise has also always been known to go to some of the most exotic locations, and for this movie, they have decided to put the Philippines on their list of spots to shoot at. ‘Legacy’ has gone to Manila and Palawan as the two areas that they wanted to go to.

(Local TV reporter Jessica Soho did a piece on the Bourne franchise’s arrival.)

It is a little surprising that Manila, in particular, has not been featured more with movies. LA Times blogger Dima Alzayat made the argument with the below excerpt from her piece:

“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…”

It is also a cool tidbit that local movie star John Arcilla, who actually has been in some international films, will be a part of ‘Legacy’ as a guest actor.

The arrival of ‘Legacy’ in the Philippines has created quite the buzz, with the country’s Film Development Council seeing the opportunity to make a case for more Hollywood projects to come on over. “It is also a melting pot culture where locations can be depicted as Asian, Hispanic or prewar American.”

In the past, Manila has been used as a setting to depict other countries. But this time around, Manila will be speaking for itself, and this has created a sense of pride for the Capital.

Check out the trailer, with shots of Manila starting at 1:58.

And be sure to catch the movie, on August 10, 2012.