Renowned actors in Hollywood are no strangers to starring in major projects and making millions out of them. But there goes a fair share of losing roles and a bit of humbleness in the way they rise to fame. Speaking of losing roles, Hollywood veteran Sylvester Stallone once came inches close to landing the role of Jason Bourne.
However, he wasn’t the only Hollywood A-lister who got sought for the role in the epic franchise. Apparently, there was Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe, who were also eyed for the titular spy role. But unfortunately, none of them succeeded in landing the million-dollar project that later went to Matt Damon.
Also read: Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Was the Unsung Hero in Sandra Bullock’s Most Excruciating Shooting Ever
Sylvester Stallone Was Eyed for the Role of Jason Bourne
Following the success of James Bond movies that were adapted from Ian Fleming’s novels, several producers and filmmakers tried their luck in the spy genre. Thus, in the early 2000s, Hollywood came up with the adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s 1980 novel, which narrated the story of CIA’s most dangerous former operative, Jason Bourne.
When the Jason Bourne franchise was finally coming to the big screen, according to US Weekly, Sylvester Stallone was among the few actors who were sought for the titular role of the government agent. But unfortunately, due to his extremely busy schedule during the early 2000s, Stallone failed to take up the role of Jason Bourne.
The actor was busy with Eye See You, Liberty’s Kids: Est. 1776, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, and more projects during 2002 and 2003.
Russell Crowe Was Sought for the Bourne Franchise
Thus, after the Rocky actor failed to appear in the titular role of Jason Bourne, another veteran star was eyed for the film series. It was none other than the acclaimed actor Russell Crowe who came next in line for the role. Having played versatile roles throughout his career, Crowe was indeed a perfect choice for the role of CIA’s most dangerous former operative.
However, just like Sylvester Stallone, even Russell Crowe was super busy with several acclaimed projects in hand. During the early 2000s when Jason Bourne was in development, the actor was busy with A Beautiful Mind. Further, he got engaged with Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, released in 2003.
Brad Pitt Almost Replaced Matt Damon in Jason Bourne
After losing out on two veteran actors, according to US Weekly, producers of the Jason Bourne franchise went ahead to seek the rather young actor Brad Pitt. Rising to fame in the 90s and taking over the entertainment industry in the early 2000s, Pitt was the ultimate heartthrob who could have played the titular role of the secret agent.
Nonetheless, being one of the highly bankable stars in Hollywood, Brad Pitt was busy with other projects. Therefore, not out of disinterest, but because of his packed schedule due to his involvement in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Pitt had to unfortunately turn down the bad*ss role of Jason Bourne.
Eventually, when going after veteran actors and Hollywood heartthrobs didn’t serve well for the producers, they went after the Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon. And this time, they finally found the face of their globally acclaimed franchise.
