Matt Damon’s breakthrough came with the 1997 Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting. The movie was a turning point in both his life and career. And it was after that he landed the lead role of Jason Bourne in the 2002 action thriller film, The Bourne Identity. The film was a critical and commercial success, leading it to develop into a franchise consisting of five films, one of which also featured Jeremy Renner in the lead.
It has grossed $1.6 billion at the box office. However, the Oscar-winning actor was not always the filmmaker’s choice for leading the action thriller franchise, as he also approached Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise for the title role.
Brad Pitt Turned Down the Offer to Play Jason Bourne
The 2002 film The Bourne Identity introduced movie lovers to Jason Bourne, a man suffering from psychogenic amnesia and struggling to discover his identity amid a secret CIA conspiracy. Matt Damon, who portrayed the character in the 2002 action thriller, was highly praised for his performance.
However, the director of the film reportedly approached a number of actors for the lead roles, including Brad Pitt. He was among some of the biggest rising stars in Hollywood following his performances in movies like Seven and Fight Club.
As per a 2000 report from Variety, the actor was constantly receiving offers for several movies. The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman also offered him the lead role in the 2002 action thriller film. However, Pitt’s busy schedule reportedly caused him to turn down the offer.
He was busy with Tony Scott’s Spy Game. Despite several discussions between the Bullet Train actor’s team and the studio, they were unable to reach an agreement. After this, the filmmaker approached and cast Matt Damon as the star of the movie.
Tom Cruise Almost Led The Bourne Franchise
While Tom Cruise has given a range of performances throughout his career, he has become highly popular for his action movies, including the Mission Impossible franchise. Having several Oscar nominations and leading two Mission Impossible movies at the time, which were among the highest-grossing films after their release, he was also one of the top choices for the role of Jason Bourne.
He also had plenty of experience with performing action scenes. However, director Doug Liman reportedly wanted to focus on the character and plot of the film instead of its action sequences. It is believed that Cruise would not have been able to do much with the character. The role eventually went to Matt Damon.
Liman shared during an interview that once he discussed the project with the Air actor, he “got the sense that he [Damon] understood” his vision for the movie. The filmmaker also claimed that he was a big fan of the Ocean’s Eleven star.
The Bourne Identity is available on Peacock.
