Brad Pitt is one of the most successful actors in the Hollywood industry and has played a very important role in shaping the entertainment industry for the better. His widespread fame and recognition have earned him a very lavish and easy life, but it is not without putting in the hard work. The actor grew so much in the industry that his name has turned into a brand and is currently reaping the rewards of his hard work, starring in and producing multiple blockbusters.
Well, it comes without a doubt that Brad Pitt too had his fair share of ups and downs in the industry, but never did he think that a movie role that he turned down would potentially become one of the most successful franchises of all time, earning billions at the box office. Due to some scheduling mismatch, Pitt turned down the role of Jason Bourne from the Bourne franchise.
Brad Pitt Turned Down a Billion Dollar Role
Brad Pitt has had a very successful run in the Hollywood industry and despite the hardships he faced during his early days he did a very good job with his versatile acting career and was one of the top A-listers of Hollywood during his prime. Pitt has taken on numerous roles and scripts and turned them into blockbusters, massive successes at the box office and earning the viewers’ respect, apart from acting the Fight Club actor is also a film producer and has some successful produces under his belt.
Just like he took on multiple roles and turned them into blockbusters, he too dropped many scripts, either due to deeming them poor or due to other unforeseen problems. But never in his wildest dreams did he think that a movie role that he dropped for a mere reason would amount up to billions at the box office and earn the love and respect of the entire industry. Brad Pitt was directly offered the role of Jason Bourne by director Doug Liman and even though he considered playing the part, he later turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with his other movie shoot.
The Bourne Franchise Was a Massive Success
Matt Damon is just as big of a superstar as Brad Pitt and the Bourne franchise played a very big role in his career, strengthening it to its core and providing him with a base. Well, Damon’s fame and respect within the franchise skyrocketed after his star as Jason Bourne and the credit partly goes to Brad Pitt, as if he hadn’t dropped the role, the Air actor would have never gotten the opportunity to shine. The franchise spans a total of five movies with Matt Damon starring in four of those and earning a total of $1.66 billion at the box office after its release worldwide with a budget of around $520 million.
Well, it’s not the only time Brad Pitt handed over a role to Matt Damon. He handed over the role in a Martin Scorsese movie to Damon because he thought that he was too old for it despite fighting for the rights to the movie. The Departed was one more blunder from Pitt’s side as the movie went on to receive an Academy Award and be on the receiving end of numerous accolades and high praise.
Though the movie was not a box office major, it earned $291 million at the box office from a budget of $90 million. This movie was also another milestone for Matt Damon as he definitely ticked off an Oscar and bagged the appreciation of many. Currently, Matt Damon boasts over $170 million in net worth against Brad Pitt’s $400 million.
The Departed is available for streaming on HBO Max.
Source: MovieWeb
