James Cameron addresses Matt Damon’s alleged claim to ‘Avatar’ lead role

James Cameron broke silence over Matt Damon’s claim that he was offered the lead role in Avatar.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron, who has directed all three films in the franchise, said Damon was never actually offered the role of Jake Sully in the original 2009 film.

Damon had told British GQ in 2019 that he was offered 10% of the film’s profits if he took the lead role, claiming he missed out on an estimated $250 million after the film grossed $2.79 billion.

Now, they had discussions about the 55-year-old star joining the film, Cameron told The Hollywood Reporter, “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.”

The director continued, “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.’”

He added, "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.”

The 71-year-old filmmaker speculated that the Interstellar actor may have applied the idea of 10% of the gross to all his films afterward, but "if that agreement is what it would have taken to get Damon on the film, then it wouldn't have happened — trust me on that."

James Cameron also praised Matt Damon’s professionalism, “He felt compelled to call me personally and tell me; he said he didn’t want it to come from the agent, that’s an honorable guy… So, all respect to Matt. I’d love to work with him someday."

For the unversed, Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled to release in theaters on December 19, 2025.