There's some rather big news, but apparently not what you're expecting.

USA Network announced a few months ago that it would be launching a series built in the Bourne-iverse, titled "Treadstone" (if you're slavering after news of a sixth film, you know Treadstone is the name of the secret CIA super-soldier program that produced Jason Bourne).

The series will not feature Bourne himself but rather "sleeper agents across the globe as they're mysteriously 'awakened' to resume their deadly missions," according to a network release.

This news isn't entirely unexpected. Literary espionage is turning into a pretty successful genre lately (the Bourne character was created in a book series by Robert Ludlum). AMC has made a pair of hit miniseries out of John Le Carre novels ("The Night Manager" and "The Little Drummer Girl"), Epix's flagship drama "Berlin Station" was created by modern spy-fiction great Olen Steinhauer, and Amazon made a streaming hit out of Tom Clancy's super spy Jack Ryan in the cleverly named "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan."

"Treadstone" is drawing on a much more popular book property (Ludlum's novels were mega bestsellers in their time, and the series continues today under new writer Eric Van Lustbader), and so it stands a pretty good chance to make a big mark on the budding genre.

Production is slated to start this year, but there's no word on a premiere date.

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Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided.