James Cameron clarifies that Matt Damon didn’t miss out on millions by rejecting Avatar: “It was just a matter of availability.”

James Cameron has clarified that Matt Damon was never officially offered the lead role in the 2009 blockbuster Avatar, nor was he presented with a deal for 10 percent of the film’s earnings.

Cameron explained, “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.”

In a clip, Damon claimed that Cameron offered him 10 percent of Avatar, stating, “‘The movie is the star, the idea is the star, and it’s going to work.’ But if you do it, I’ll give you 10 percent of the movie.” Cameron firmly stated that this “never happened,” suggesting that Damon’s comments were a mix-up of various discussions.

At the time, Damon was already committed to portraying Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity, which became a highly successful franchise for him. The role of Jake ultimately went to Sam Worthington, who starred alongside Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri. This casting was notable, as the studio initially pushed for a more recognizable actor instead of an emerging talent. Avatar went on to break new ground in cinema, grossing over $2 billion against a budget of just $237 million.

Cameron added, “What [Damon has] done is he’s extrapolated ‘I get 10 percent 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.”

The highly successful sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, premiered in 2022, 13 years after the original film. A third sequel, Fire and Ash, has just been released, with a fourth and fifth installment already in the works. Avatar 4 is slated for a 2029 release, while Avatar 5 is set for 2031.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently in theaters.