USA Network Gives Straight-To-Series Order For ‘Bourne’ Spin-Off Series ‘Treadstone’

The people behind the Jason Bourne franchise, which includes the hits ‘Identity,’ ‘Supremacy,’ and ‘Ultimatum,’ have tried desperately to make the spy films work without the titular character played by Matt Damon. First, they tried with “The Bourne Legacy,” starring Jeremy Renner, but that crashed and burned, leading to Damon’s triumphant return in “Jason Bourne.” But now, they’re going to try to spin off the franchise yet again, this time on TV.

Deadline is reporting that USA Network has given “Treadstone” a straight-to-series order. For those not familiar with the franchise, Operation Treadstone is the name of the covert agency that uses behavior modification to turn regular agents into superhuman spies. According to the report, the first season of “Treadstone” will follow sleeper agents that are suddenly “awakened,” similar to how Bourne was in ‘Identity.’ Again, they’re attempting to do Bourne without Bourne. We’ll see what happens.

“As the No. 1 cable entertainment network for the past 12 years, USA Network is delivering a dynamic lineup of big, bold programming – and what could be bigger and bolder than the Treadstone mythology?” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.

There is one interesting wrinkle to the whole situation that may spell success for the series before it even premieres. Originally, USA was moving forward with “Treadstone” as a pilot first. However, the deal was sweetened when discussions began between Universal Cable Productions and Amazon about the international rights to the series. If Amazon comes aboard, that means that the money made from that leads to a cheaper “Treadstone” production for UCP. Netflix has done similar deals with networks, for international streaming rights.

As for the creative minds behind the series, “Treadstone” is being developed by veteran TV writer-producer Tim Kring. Kring is best known as the man that created and spearheaded NBC’s franchise “Heroes.” He’s also the man behind the short-lived Kiefer Sutherland series “Touch,” and the creator of “Crossing Jordan.”

No premiere date has been announced, but in all likelihood, “Treadstone” could launch in the last half of 2019.