22 years after The Bourne Identity, Matt Damon says his reunion with director for new action comedy will be very different

Matt Damon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alfred Molina and Jack Harlow in The Instigators
(Image credit: Total Film/Apple)

Matt Damon says his reunion with The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman on new action comedy The Instigators will be a little bit different this time around. 

"'It was fun shooting a different kind of car chase with [Liman]," Damon tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, June 20, which features Deadpool and Wolverine on the cover. "Jason Bourne knows exactly what he’s doing, and where he’s going at all times. And obviously Rory is the opposite."

The Instigators follows two thieves named Rory (Damn) and Cobby (Casey Affleck) who are forced to go on the run after a botched robbery – and end up dragging along one of their therapists in the process (Hong Chau). 

The cast includes Paul Walter Hauser, Toby Jones, Alfre Molina, Ron Perlman, Jack Harlow, and Ving Rhames. Liman directs from a script penned by Chuck Maclean and Casey Affleck. Take an exclusive look at the film above too.

"The last time I worked with Matt, we were basically kids being yelled at constantly by the authority figures in Hollywood," Liman recalls, lamenting on his first big blockbuster film. "I had a moment on The Instigators when I was like: 'Holy shit, there’s no studio boss. This is for Matt and Ben [Affleck]’s company. How did this happen, that we are now the adults in the room?'"

The Bourne Identity, based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name, hit theaters in 2002 and starred Damon as a man with psychogenic amnesia who starts to unravel his mysterious connections to the CIA. The film was a massive success, grossing $214 million at the global box office, and kick-started a trilogy. The Instigators marks Liman and Damon's first pic in over 20 years.

The Instigators is slated for a limited theatrical release in the US starting on August 2 before hitting Apple TV Plus and select UK cinemas on August 9. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, June 20.

Check out the covers below:

Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on the cover of Total Film's Deadpool & Wolverine issue

(Image credit: Total Film/Marvel Studios/Disney)

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it's in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers. 

Total Film subscriber offer

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Amazon)
Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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