James Cameron clears the air on Matt Damon's 'Avatar' story

Entertainment Dec 19, 2025

Director James Cameron says Matt Damon was never actually offered the lead in Avatar, despite Damon's old claim that he turned it down (and missed out on a big profit share).
Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter, "He was never offered the part."

What really happened?

Cameron explained that talks with Damon were very preliminary and they never discussed the character. Damon only called to say he couldn't do it because of his Bourne movie.
In the end, Sam Worthington landed the role of Jake Sully.

No hard feelings

Even with this mix-up, Cameron had nothing but respect for Damon and said, "So all respect to Matt. I'd love to work with him someday."
Worthington is set to return as Jake in future Avatar movies.