Jason Bourne is a book.
Jason Bourne . Bourne is the antihero in a series of fourteen novels ( to 2016 ) and subsequent film adaptations . He first appeared in the novel The Bourne Identity ( 1980 ) , which was adapted for television in 1988 . The novel was very loosely adapted in 2002 into a feature film under the same name and starred Matt Damon in the lead role . The character originally featured in three novels by Ludlum , released between 1980 and 1990 , followed by nine novels written by Eric Van Lustbader since 2004 . Jason Bourne is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass written by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse .