James Cameron Sets the Record Straight on Matt Damon AVATAR Claim: “That Never Happened”

One of those great behind-the-scenes Hollywood stories has been the idea that Matt Damon walked away from Avatar, and in doing so, missed out on a jaw-dropping payday.

According to James Cameron, that version of events has been wildly overstated. The filmmaker is now clearing the air, saying Damon was never formally offered the lead, and the infamous 10% backend deal simply didn’t exist.

In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron explained that the situation never progressed beyond an early, informal discussion.

“He was never offered the part,” Cameron said. “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.”

That explanation directly contradicts a story Damon has shared publicly. Damon claimed Cameron pitched him a lucrative offer that included a slice of the film’s profits. “‘The movie is the star, the idea is the star, and it’s going to work,’” Cameron allegedly said. “‘But if you do it, I’ll give you 10 percent of the movie.’”

Cameron didn’t mince words when responding to that claim. He said it “never happened,” adding that Damon’s recollection is a “conflation of different things that were happening.”

At the time, Damon was already locked in to play Jason Bourne, a role that launched a hugely successful franchise and cemented his status as a major star. With Damon unavailable, Cameron cast Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, pairing him with Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri.

It was a gamble, especially since the studio reportedly pushed hard for a recognizable name instead of an unknown actor. That gamble paid off in a massive way. Avatar became a cultural phenomenon and went on to gross more than $2 billion worldwide on a $237 million budget.

Cameron also suggested that Damon’s understanding of his own deal structures may have blurred the memory. “What [Damon has] done is he’s extrapolated ‘I get 10% 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 world of Pandora has only grown since the original film reshaped blockbuster filmmaking in 2009. Avatar: The Way of Water arrived in theaters in 2022, more than a decade later, and proved the franchise still had serious muscle.

The third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has just hit theaters, with Cameron already deep into plans for two more sequels. Avatar 4 is currently slated for 2029, followed by Avatar 5 in 2031.

As for the idea that Damon lost millions by saying no, according to Cameron that deal was never on the table, and the decision came down to scheduling, not money.