After an exhaustive search for the right leading man, EW has confirmed that the lead role in "The Bourne Legacy" has been offered to Oscar-nominee Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker," "The Town").
Written and directed by Tony Gilroy ("Michael Clayton"), the film is not a reboot of the "Bourne" franchise; Renner would play a new character within the "Bourne" universe, an agent in a different covert government program than the one that ensnared and pursued Matt Damon's Jason Bourne.

While Damon will not appear in "The Bourne Legacy," his character will be a presence in the new film as the title suggests. (Deadline first reported the story.)
Renner will next appear this December alongside Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," and will play Hawkeye in Marvel Studios' "The Avengers," due to begin shooting later this year.
"The Bourne Legacy" will likely start production in September.

Source: Cnn