The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 American-German action spy thriller film starring Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne character. Though it takes the name of the second Bourne novel, its plot is entirely different. The film was directed by Paul Greengrass from a screenplay by Tony Gilroy. Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in the United States on July 23, 2004. It is the second in the Bourne film series. It is preceded by The Bourne Identity (2002) and followed by The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Bourne Legacy (2012).