See Matt Damon As An Avatar For Way Of Water
This fan art depicts Matt Damon as a Na'vi from Avatar.
This article is more than 2 years old
Although it’s difficult to imagine somebody other than Sam Worthington in the role of Jake Sully in the epic science fiction flick Avatar, which was helmed by James Cameron, Matt Damon was one of the studio’s first choices to tackle the part. He ended up passing on the role to focus on The Bourne Ultimatum in a move that cost him around $250 million, but thanks to some artwork shared by MovieWeb, we now have a good idea what the star would have looked like had he appeared in the movie. The image features the actor as a blue-skinned, sapient humanoid, and it manages to capture his familiar facial traits.
When it was released in 2009, nobody could have anticipated that Avatar would go on to become the highest-grossing motion picture of all time, with an astonishing global total of $2.9 billion. When Matt Damon was offered the chance to appear in the film, he was also guaranteed 10% of the movie’s box office profits, which is more than half of what The Bourne Ultimatum grossed during its theatrical run. Although the actor kicks himself for turning down the part of Jake Sully, he’s admitted in the past that it wasn’t entirely because of the money.
While speaking with British GQ back in 2019, Matt Damon discussed being offered the lead role in Avatar by James Cameron and his decision to pass on the project. The actor explained that the director insisted if he didn’t accept the part, he would simply cast an unknown star in the role. He also shared that his biggest regret in turning down the part came in the realization that he missed the opportunity to work with the renowned filmmaker and he may never get the chance to do so ever again.
Matt Damon may have missed out on a massive payday in passing on Avatar, but his decision certainly hasn’t had a negative impact on his career in any way, shape, or form. In fact, he’s appeared in over three dozen projects since 2009, including blockbusters like Elysium, True Grit, and Invictus. He also headlined the 2015 Oscar-nominated, science fiction drama The Martian, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
In addition to starring in several upcoming projects including Air Jordan, Oppenheimer, and The King of Oil, Matt Damon will also serve as a producer on features like the television movie Thirst, the TV series Green Beret’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse, and the forthcoming thriller Witness for the Prosecution, where he’ll work under the direction of Ben Affleck.
Meanwhile, Sam Worthington will return as Jake Sully (sorry, Matt Damon) in Avatar: Way of the Water, which arrives in theaters on December 16. The hotly anticipated sequel is projected to earn between $150 to $200 million in its debut weekend. James Cameron returned to helm the long-awaited follow-up, which sees Jake working with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet from a familiar threat that has returned to finish what was previously started.
