Did Matt Damon Really Turn Down ‘Avatar’ And Lose $250 Million?
Did Matt Damon make the biggest mistake in Hollywood history?
In 2009, a little film called Avatar arrived and changed Hollywood forever. James Cameron’s blockbuster was not only a technological feat but a box office phenomenon, grossing +$2.8 billion and becoming a pop culture sensation. It spawned a sprawling franchise, including novels, stage productions, and theme park attractions.
20th Century Fox. All rights reserved/Courtesy Everett Collection
It also produced one very regretful Matt Damon, who told the Hollywood Reporter in 2021:
“Jim Cameron offered me Avatar,” said Damon, “And when he offered it to me, he goes, ‘Now, listen. I don’t need anybody. I don’t need a name for this, a named actor. If you don’t take this, I’m going to find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesn’t really need you. But if you take the part, I’ll give you 10 percent…”
As the film grossed $2.8 billion, Damon would have received an estimated $250 million from box office profits alone. At least.
At the time, the actor could not commit to the film and had to pass on the chance to work with James Cameron, a filmmaker he greatly admired. Damon told THR that it would have caused issues for Paul Greengrass and “all my friends on The Bourne Ultimatum.” Instead, Australian actor Sam Worthington was eventually cast as Avatar‘s lead and its eventual sequels.
Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
However, in a recent Hollywood Reporter article, Cameron denied the claim. According to the Titanic director, “He was never offered the part.”
“I can’t remember if I sent him the script or not. I don’t think I did? Then we wound up on a call, and he said, ‘I love to explore doing a movie with you. I have a lot of respect for you as a filmmaker. [Avatar] sounds intriguing. But I really have to do this Jason Bourne movie. I’ve agreed to it, it’s a direct conflict, and so, regretfully, I have to turn it down.’ But he was never offered. There was never a deal. We never talked about the character. We never got to that level. It was simply an availability issue,” said Cameron.
20th Century Studios / courtesy Everett Collection
“Now what he’s done is he’s extrapolated ‘I get 10% of the gross on all my films.’ And if, in his mind, that’s what it would’ve taken for him to do Avatar, then it wouldn’t have happened. Trust me on that,” added the director.
Whether it happened or not, it did spawn one of the greatest “what-if” scenarios in Hollywood, and, as Damon recounted, some funny words of wisdom from his friend John Krasinski. Damon said Krasinski told him that if he was cast in Avatar, nothing in his life would’ve been different, “except right now, we would be having this conversation in space.”
Remind