Unfortunately, some difficulties made it impossible to proceed with the movie. And as a result of this, Cameron took a gamble with Sam Worthington. Thankfully, this decision paid off for the director since Worthington proved to be a great actor fit for the protagonist role. So who were the actors who were almost cast as Jake Sully? Here’s the list:
Matt Damon
Matt Damon was among Cameron’s first options for the role. But because he had a prior commitment to shooting the succeeding Jason Bourne movie, Damon had to decline the offer. Damon has since joked about this “missed opportunity” that could have allowed him to earn over $200 million on the first film alone. But the good news is that Cameron has talked about giving Damon a cameo role in a future film.
Jake Gyllenhaal
Cameron also approached Jake Gyllenhaal to play the role of Jake Sully. But he decided to decline the role since he was keen on his upcoming role as Dastan from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. “In this business, if you don’t listen to yourself, you’re going to meet serious trouble.”
Chris Pratt
Chris Pratt auditioned for the role. Obviously, Pratt wasn’t picked for the role and he has since acknowledged this decision. He even told SmartLess podcast that “there was literally nothing about my audition that was compelling at all.” Pratt revealed that during his audition, he wasn’t in the best physical shape.
RELATED: Chris Pratt Addresses ‘Demoralizing’ Audition for James Cameron’s Avatar
Chris Pine
Another actor who auditioned for the role was Chris Pine, who would have gotten his second sci-fi film after Star Trek if he had been cast as Jake Sully. In an interview with Red Eye Chicago, Pine revealed that he did not give a good enough performance during his audition. Halfway through his audition, Pine said: “How dare I put that poor casting director through the experience of watching me.”
Chris Evans and Channing Tatum
Speaking with Empire Magazine, Cameron revealed that there were three finalists for Jake Sully’s role at the end of it all. These actors include Sam Worthington, Chris Evans, and Channing Tatum. The director said that while the two gave a convincing audition, Worthington actually stood out from the bunch: “He had a quality of voice and a quality of intensity. Sam was ready. He was ready.” When Cameron was later criticized for choosing a new actor over the other two veterans, the director said: “I would have followed him [Sam] into battle and I wouldn’t have followed the other guys.”
Which actor would you have wanted to play Jake Sully?
RELATED: Avatar Star Sam Worthington Reveals He Almost Landed Green Lantern
