Matt Damon: I'd rather play Jason Bourne than 'misogynistic' James Bond

'And Bourne would obviously win in a fight'

With the world falling over itself to declare who will be the next James Bond, no one ever stops to ask the question; wait, who actually wants to be the next James Bond?

Tom Hiddleston is certainly "very gratified to hear the enthusiasm" around him as top pick, yet others have more carefully distanced themselves away from the role; Game of Thrones' Kit Harington flatly responding to a query as to whether he'd consider the role with, "not really, no".

As an American treasure, Matt Damon's unlikely to ever be under consideration for the British cinematic icon, specifically when he's already taken to screen another massively popular spy. And, as it turns out, he's much happier playing Bourne than he ever would be with the likes of Bond.

“I like Bourne better than Bond. Bourne has today’s values," the actor told GQ. "Bond has the values of the 1960s. Daniel’s Bond has upgraded him and brought him more into the present, but, classically, that character is a misogynist who likes swilling martinis and killing people and not giving a shit."

"Whereas Jason Bourne is a serial monogamist – and he’s tortured by the things he’s done and feels empathy and compassion for other people. And Bourne would obviously win in a fight."

The actor's currently promoting the latest in the Bourne series, simply titled Jason Bourne; which heralds a return of both Damon and director Paul Greengrass, after the franchise was briefly handed over with Jeremy Renner in the role in 2012's The Bourne Legacy.

"Over the years, so many people would ask me about a comeback and [director] Paul Greengrass said the same thing. So, after a certain point, you’re kind of an arsehole if you don’t give it to them," Damon said of the decision to return. And, certainly, there's always new territory to explore with the character, considering the original trilogy was very much embedded in the political climate of the time.

"With Ultimatum, it was about the war on terror – and we put the three major set pieces in London, Madrid and New York because, at the time, those were the places that had been directly affected by terrorism," Damon explained.

"This time, we’re in a post-financial crash and postmodern world with the refugee crisis, so we start at the Macedonia-Greece border and go into Athens for an austerity riot, then through London and we end up in the sewer beneath Las Vegas, kind of fighting to the death and rolling around in the detritus of modern-day capitalism."

Jason Bourne hits UK cinemas 27 July 2016.