When Universal Pictures' Bourne 5 hits theaters this coming summer, nearly nine years will have passed since we last saw Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). Fans have been pleading for a follow-up ever since then, but Matt Damon had stated for years that he wouldn't come back unless director Paul Greengrass was at the helm, and they could find a suitable story. All the pieces finally came together last year, when the studio announced this follow-up, and as we count down the days to the July 29, 2016 release date, Entertainment Weekly has released the first official photo of Jason Bourne back in action.

Production started back in September, when we got our first look at Matt Damon on the set. The actor revealed this fall that, while Jason Bourne did get his memory back in 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum, it's been 12 years since that adventure, which was set in 2004, and he still doesn't quite know everything that happened to him yet. Here's what the actor had to say about this new adventure, teasing that modern-day societal issues will be at the heart of Bourne 5.

"There's been the financial collapse, the great recession, all these issues of cyberwarfare and civil liberties. We find him in a dark and tortured place."

New cast additions include Alicia Vikander, who is coming off a huge year after performances in Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Danish Girl, along with Tommy Lee Jones and Vincent Cassel. Tommy Lee Jones is said to be playing a high-ranking CIA official. Vincent Cassel is playing the villain, described as a deadly assassin, with Alicia Vikander playing a cyber-specialist.

Julia Stiles is also returning as Nicky from the original trilogy. It was hinted at the end of The Bourne Ultimatum that Nicky and Jason were romantically involved before his amnesia, but we don't know quite yet if this story line will be explored even further in this new adventure. Other supporting cast members include Riz Ahmed, Neve Gachev and Scott Shepherd, but no details for their characters have been revealed.

Paul Greengrass is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Christopher Rouse (Captain Phillips). Production will take place all throughout Europe, with the shoot ending in Las Vegas. Universal has set a July 29, 2016 release date, putting this sequel up against STX Entertainment's The Space Between Us. While we wait for the first trailer, take a look at the first official photo from Universal's Untitled Matt Damon Bourne Sequel.