Matt Damon Brands James Bond 'Outdated'

Matt Damon

HOLLYWOOD - Matt Damon is urging 007 creators to bring James Bond into the 21st century, branding the current incarnation outdated and misogynistic.

The actor, who plays screen spy Jason Bourne in the blockbuster franchise, insists characters like his emphasize the need for change.

He says, "(Bond is) an imperialist and he's a misogynist. He kills people and laughs and sips martinis and wisecracks about it.

"Bourne is this paranoid guy. He's on the run. He's not the government; the government is after him. He's a serial monogamist who's in love with his dead girlfriend and can't stop thinking about her. He's the opposite of James Bond."

And Paul Greengrass, Damon's director of Bourne Ultimatum and its 2004 predecessor The Bourne Supremacy, agrees Bond needs to move forward.

He says, "He's an insider. He likes being a secret agent. He worships at the altar of technology. He loves his gadgets. And he embodies this whole set of misogynistic values. He likes violence. That's part of the appeal of the character. He has no guilt. He's essentially an imperial adventurer of a particularly English sort.

"Personally, I spit on those values. I think we've moved on a little bit from all that 'The martini shaken, not stirred.'"

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