In an alternative universe, Matt Damon might very well have cashed in on one of the biggest blockbusters of all time if he had agreed to star in James Cameron’s Avatar.
According to the Odyssey actor, he was initial talks to play the lead in Cameron’s sprawling sci-fi extravaganza in its early development.
At the time, Damon said he was offered 10% of the movie’s gross as compensation for his role in the film. Given the fact that Avatar went on to earn a whopping $2.9 billion worldwide, that 10% cut would translated to a gargantuan payday of approximately $250 million to $290 million.
Sadly for Damon, however, the actor decided to turn down the role to more fully focus on the Bourne trilogy he was currently starring in, costing him what might very well have been the most lucrative film in his career.
“I was offered a little movie called Avatar,” Damon said in a recent Q&A, laughing. “Jim Cameron called me. He offered me 10% of Avatar. You will never meet an actor who turned down more money than me.”
“But I was in the middle of shooting The Bourne Ultimatum and he wanted to shoot during our post production,” he continued. “And we always needed more work in our post production. And I needed to be around. I needed to be available to do more work in our post production.”
In spite of Damon’s repeated claims regarding this offer, Cameron himself has disputed the story, stating that he never formally offered Damon the lead role in the film.
“He was never offered the part,” Cameron later told THR. “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.'”
However, Cameron does confirm that Damon turned down the chance to work on Avatar due to his prior commitment on the Bourne series.
“‘I really have to do this Jason Bourne movie,'” Cameron quoted Damon as saying. “‘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.”
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