``The Bourne Identity'' A revolution in realistic and stoic spy movies that changed the flow before and after The Bourne.

Mission to win the trust of the original author

It all started in the mid-1990s, when Doug Liman couldn't find an interesting new book at a bookstore before boarding a plane, so he had no choice but to read Robert Ludlum's `` The Assassin .'' Bourne Identity). This is the first time I've encountered this work since I was in high school. "Oh yeah! This is what it feels like!" As he turned the pages, the excitement of those days immediately came back to him. The writing style of this work, which does not let the reader get bored at all, is still amazing even when I read it now. And above all else, the main character is overwhelmingly charming. Wait a minute...Wouldn't it be fun to make this into a movie? ?

However, although he was in the spotlight at the time with the hit `` Swingers '' (1996), he had no experience working on a Hollywood blockbuster. In order to acquire film rights with such experience, you must first jump into the pockets of the author and win their trust. From this point on, Lehman's characteristic lightness of footwork becomes evident.

He immediately set up an opportunity to meet the original author, Robert Ludlum, and have a direct discussion with him. While staying with the Ludlam family for the next few days, the two hit it off. In the end, Ludlum decided to take a chance on this young man.

“The Bourne Identity” (C) 2002 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

What's interesting is that even though he had won the trust of the author, what Doug Liman started working on was vastly different from the original work.

When I tried to read the original story, I found that although the essence of the story is the same, ``A man with amnesia who is discovered at sea and tries to figure out his true identity,'' the content, structure, and details of the story are completely different. I'm so impressed that the author was okay with this content.

In fact, until he made his late-blooming debut as a writer at the age of 40, Robert Ludlum was a full-fledged person in the entertainment world, appearing on stage as an actor and even working in theater management. Therefore, it is not hard to imagine that he had a deeper understanding than anyone else of the differences between novels and movies, or the stage, and even the ``birth pains'' involved in renewing a story into a modern version.

“The Bourne Identity” (C) 2002 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

It is said that he was tolerant of bold adaptations and watched over Doug Liman's filmmaking with warm eyes, giving timely advice as needed. For this reason, Lehman was able to work freely while paying respect to the original work.

Robert Ludlum, the founder of the beloved ``Bourne'' series, passed away in March 2001, before completing this work. In response to the overwhelming quality of the movie version, I'm sure Ludlum in heaven would be celebrating with a big smile and saying, "That young man did it!"

Doug Liman's father was a prosecutor who investigated famous cases.