When he first appeared on screen many people saw Jason Bourne as a natural heir to that other secret agent that goes by J.B.. But Bourne was an updated version of James Bond, much more rooted in a recognizable reality and with a darker, existential streak. “Bourne is a rebel,” director Paul Greengrass recently told the HFPA, “and I believe that makes him an emotionally interesting character.” Greengrass left his mark on the franchise with The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). In 2012 Tony Gilroy directed The Bourne Legacy, which concentrated on the character of Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Now Greengrass and Matt Damon are back in Jason Bourne, which find the titular rogue agent still deep into his search for his identity. We asked them – and cast newcomer Alicia Vikander – about reprising the franchise and the character.

Read what Matt Damon told us in his first HFPA press conference, back in 1997.