Matt Damon out of 'The Bourne Legacy'

Looks like Matt Damon will not be Bourne again. Damn it.

A lot can happen in two years, and even more can happen in a week, and it was during this past one that newly-signed director Tony Gilroy delivered the casting blow to Bourne fans everywhere.

Let's just say, this is not the sort of ultimatum we've come to know and love.

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PHOTOS: Casting Couch

"It's a completely original screenplay," Gilroy told Hollywood Elsewhere of the tentatively-titled The Bourne Legacy.

But fear not, film purists. They aren't exactly pulling a Spidey on us.

"This is not a reboot or a recast or a prequel," he explained. "No one's replacing Matt Damon. There will be a whole new hero, a whole new chapter…this is a stand-alone project.

"The easiest way to think of it is an expansion or a reveal. Jason Bourne will not be in this film, but he's very much alive."

A Bourne without Bourne? Perish the thought—not that Damon will likely be too broken up about it. The newly 40-year-old hasn't minced his words about returning to the franchise only on the condition that director Paul Greengrass be at the helm.

"We're going to show you the bigger picture, the bigger canvas," Gilroy said of the Damon- and Greengrass-free installment. "When you see where we're going and see what we're doing it'll be pretty obvious…but Jason Bourne's activities in the first three films is the immediate trigger.

"I'm building a legend and an environment and a wider conspiracy…the world we're making enhances and invites Jason Bourne's return."

No offense to whoever ends up taking the lead, but…it better.