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Matt Damon’s breakthrough came with the 1997 Oscar-winning filmGood 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.
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Brad Pitt Turned Down the Offer to Play Jason Bourne
The 2002 filmThe Bourne Identityintroduced 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, includingBrad Pitt. He was among some of the biggest rising stars in Hollywood following his performances in movies likeSevenandFight Club.
As per a 2000 report fromVariety, the actor was constantly receiving offers for several movies.The Bourne IdentitydirectorDoug Limanalso offered him the lead role in the 2002 action thriller film. However, Pitt’s busy schedulereportedlycaused him to turn down the offer.
He was busy with Tony Scott’sSpy Game.Despite several discussions between theBullet Trainactor’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.
Read More:Matt Damon Put His Body Through Torture, Suffered Serious Injury to Learn Golf For The Legend of Bagger Vance
Tom Cruise Almost Led TheBourneFranchise
WhileTom Cruisehas given a range of performances throughout his career, he has become highly popular for his action movies, including theMission Impossiblefranchise. Having several Oscar nominations and leading twoMission Impossiblemovies 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 Limanreportedlywanted 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 aninterviewthat once he discussed the project with theAiractor, he“got the sense that he [Damon] understood”his vision for the movie. The filmmaker also claimed that he was a big fan of theOcean’s Elevenstar.
The Bourne Identityis available on Peacock.
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Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3451
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
