Actors Who Almost Played Jason Bourne

Actors Who Almost Played Jason Bourne

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Before Matt Damon was cast in the lead role of The Bourne Identity, some big stars were considered to play assassin Jason Bourne instead.

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Before Matt Damon secured a franchise-leading role in The Bourne Identity, a few other A-list actors were in the running to play Jason Bourne. Damon made his debut as the deadly assassin from Robert Ludlum’s novels in 2002. Bourne Identity received great reviews upon its release, with the Doug Liman-directed action film making over $200 million worldwide. The performance helped secure the franchise, and it would continue with Damon in the lead for years to come.

Damon has starred in four movies as Jason Bourne; the original trilogy was completed by 2007 and he returned to the part in 2016’s Jason Bourne after the failed Bourne relaunch with Jeremy Renner in the lead. The Bourne films led by Damon earned over $1.2 billion collectively around the world and each installment revealed new information on Bourne’s history. After The Bourne Ultimatum’s reveal that he volunteered to be part of Operation Treadstone, Jason Bourne included the twist that his father founded the program and he was killed to push Bourne towards joining.

Through his multiple appearances, Damon has turned Jason Bourne into a career-defining role and arguably his most popular one. But, Damon wasn’t the obvious choice to play the former CIA secret agent when The Bourne Identity was casting in 2000. His biggest roles were in dramas like The Rainmaker, Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, Rounders, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. He was attached to star in Ocean’s Eleven at the time, but the movie had yet to hit theaters. None of these films showed if Damon had what it takes to be an action star, which is why Universal Pictures considered some other big names before turning to Damon.

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Brad Pitt Turned Down Playing Jason Bourne

Among the many stars that almost played Jason Bourne, Brad Pitt appeared to be the one closest to getting the job. At the time, Pitt was one of the biggest rising talents in Hollywood after performances in Se7en, 12 Monkeys, and Fight Club. Liman and Universal offered Pitt the chance to make a true action movie, but he was already attached to star opposite Robert Redford in Tony Scott’s Spy Game. Negotiations between Pitt’s team and the studio weren’t able to reach an agreement on the production schedule to accommodate Pitt, so he was forced to pass. It wasn’t long after that Damon was offered the starring role and began prepping to be in The Bourne Identity.

Pitt might have been the strongest contender to lead the movie before Damon but several others were rumored to be in the mix. Liman reportedly approached Tom Cruise and Russell Crowe about playing Jason Bourne, as well as established action star Sylvester Stallone. It’s unclear how seriously Liman considered any of these actors for The Bourne Identity, but it came down to Pitt and Damon at the end of the day. Once Pitt formally passed, Damon was ready to step in and change the course of his career.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/jason-bourne-actors-almost-cast-brad-pitt-matt-damon/

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