Netflix's Hit New Jason Bourne Replacement Action Thriller Is Quietly Part Of A 7-Movie Franchise

Published Sep 3, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Richard Craig is a Senior Author at Screen Rant covering film and TV. Richard has also written extensively about horror and film soundtracks, contributing a chapter to the first major academic collection on the folk horror genre, The Routledge Companion to Folk Horror. Richard is also a performing musician and holds an MA in Music and Sound Art. Netflix's latest action-thriller success has given subscribers another fast-paced espionage adventure to add to their watchlists, and it's arriving at a time when audiences are always looking for the next great spy franchise. While Jason Bourne remains one of the defining action heroes of the 21st century, the appetite for globe-trotting conspiracies, elite operatives, and explosive set pieces has hardly disappeared. In recent years, franchises like John Wick, Mission: Impossible, and Netflix's own growing collection of international action movies have shown that viewers still have a huge appetite for highly trained protagonists navigating dangerous missions. The appeal is easy to understand. A good spy thriller combines action, mystery, and high-stakes drama in a way few genres can match. What's particularly interesting about one of Netflix's newest additions is that it isn't simply a standalone action movie. Although many may be discovering it for the first time through streaming, the spy epic already belongs to a much larger cinematic universe that has been steadily expanding for more than a decade. That shared universe has produced multiple blockbuster hits, connected recurring characters across several stories, and become one of the most successful franchises in modern Indian cinema. Despite being a relatively recent addition to Netflix's library, Alpha, the female-led spy thriller, arrives with years of franchise history already behind it. Alpha Is A Fun Watch For Fans Of Jason Bourne, John Wick & More Image via Netflix Directed by Shiv Rawail, Alpha stars Alia Bhatt and Sharvari as elite operatives forced into a dangerous conflict involving powerful enemies and high-level espionage. It was marketed as the first female-led installment in the YRF Spy Universe and features large-scale action sequences alongside the globe-spanning intrigue audiences expect from modern spy thrillers. The comparison to Jason Bourne is particularly easy to see. Like the Bourne movies, Alpha centers on highly trained operatives navigating conspiracies, betrayals, and dangerous adversaries. At the same time, its stylized action and larger-than-life set pieces occasionally bring to mind franchises such as John Wick. Alpha also benefits from being part of an established universe. Viewers familiar with previous YRF Spy films will recognize connections to a larger world of intelligence agencies, covert missions, and recurring heroes. For newcomers, however, Alpha functions well enough as a standalone adventure, making it an accessible entry point into the franchise. Alpha Is Part Of A 14-Year-Old Spy Franchise, So Will It Get A Sequel? Image via Netflix One reason Alpha has attracted attention on Netflix is that it isthe seventh movie in a series. It belongs to the YRF Spy Universe, which began in 2012 with Ek Tha Tiger and has since expanded through films including Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan, Tiger 3, and War 2. Alpha serves as the seventh installment in that interconnected franchise. Alpha also features appearances from established Spy Universe characters, further integrating it into the larger storyline. The franchise's growing interconnected approach has often been compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with heroes crossing over between films and storylines building toward larger events. As for a sequel, nothing has been officially announced. However, the YRF Spy Universe continues to expand aggressively, with sequels planned for multiple YRF movies. This makes an Alpha follow-up far from impossible. Whether Alpha receives a direct sequel or its characters return in future crossover projects, the franchise has made it clear that its long-term plans extend well beyond a single movie. For Netflix viewers discovering Alpha for the first time, there are already six other interconnected spy adventures waiting to be explored.