The great thing about the books (at least the first one) was that you didn’t know who Jason Bourne was. It wasn’t until late in the book that you realize that he isn’t even Jason Bourne! Damon would never be able to pull off a character with intelligence and an education; Good Will Hunting lost to Titanic after all...
Carlos the Jackal was not a fictional character. He was and remains a real terrorist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_the_Jackal. Mixing suspense fiction with the real life tribulations of the day (the 1970s) made the first book a great read.
Hollywood can’t seem to get these movies right. I suspect it is because they can’t read.