Brad Pitt Turned Down Playing Jason Bourne For A 126-Minute Thriller That's Officially Being Cut From Netflix

Published Oct 28, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. In another world, Brad Pitt was going to be Jason Bourne, if not for his commitment to a thriller that's about to leave Netflix. Released the year before Matt Damon became the lethal spy in The Bourne Identity, Pitt took a lead role opposite one of Hollywood's greatest talents in a 126-minute film from a genre master, with the expectation of turning it into a major hit and culturally lasting release. Pitt was a natural contender to play Jason Bourne when Doug Liman and Universal were working on adapting Robert Ludlum's novel. He was one of Hollywood's brightest rising stars, after scene-stealing work in Thelma & Louise and True Romance and an incredibly successful run of starring in Interview with the Vampire, Legends of the Fall, Seven, and 12 Monkeys. With The Bourne Identity's development heating up right after one of Pitt's best movies, Fight Club, came out, it made sense that he was among the actors considered for Jason Bourne before the part went to Damon. The role has become a career-defining part for the latter, as he's made four movies that grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide; Damon's return for Bourne 6 is in the works, too. All that could have been Pitt's if not for Spy Game, another spy-centric action thriller. It came out in November 2001, just seven months before the Bourne franchise launched, and is the movie that ultimately prevented Pitt from becoming Jason Bourne. Brad Pitt Chose Spy Game Over Jason Bourne Pitt was interested in working with Liman to make The Bourne Identity, but the movie's production schedule ultimately became a conflict. The filmmaker and studio were looking to cast their Jason Bourne in the first half of 2000 so production could begin in the fall. That wasn't an issue for Damon, but it was for Pitt because of Spy Game. The actor had a desire to work with Robert Redford and Tony Scott again. Pitt previously starred in 1992's A River Runs Through It, which Redford directed, as well as Scott's 1993 crime thriller, True Romance. The conundrum for Pitt was that Spy Game also had a fall shoot scheduled. When it came time to make a decision in May 2000, Pitt turned down The Bourne Identity, which led Universal to offer Damon the role. The rest is history. Damon reported to set as Jason Bourne in October 2000, while Pitt went to Morocco and Budapest in November to film Spy Game. Ironically, the actors came together almost immediately after to film Ocean's Eleven throughout the first half of 2001. Spy Game Is A Solid Thriller, But It's No Bourne Pitt's decision is understandable on some level. He had a familiarity with his director and co-star on Spy Game that The Bourne Identity didn't offer. The results were fairly good, too. Spy Game is an underrated action thriller that has Pitt, Redford, and Scott working exceptionally well together. The movie is very tense as the political thriller plot unfolds, with Scott showing a real mastery over the material and genre. Redford and Pitt are individually excellent, and their on-screen chemistry is also superb. Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order. Viewers' mileage may vary on the overall quality of Spy Game, but it is, at worst, a solidly entertaining entry in the genre. That is where the problem lies with Pitt's decision. He chose a good movie that didn't cut through the pop culture zeitgeist over one of the 21st century's best action movies that launched a massive franchise. The Bourne Identity is superior to Spy Game in just about every way, especially as an action thriller. Pitt's film is a bit more limited in its action elements, while they are prominently featured in Damon's. The Bourne Identity was so big that Liman's shaky-cam action filming style became the dominant approach for action blockbusters. Would Bourne Have Worked With Brad Pitt? Image credit: Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Over 25 years removed from Pitt's decision, it's a bit difficult to imagine him playing Bourne. Damon did such an excellent job making the role his that not only has the franchise had trouble finding a future without him, but it is tough to envision any of the other actors who almost played Jason Bourne in the role. That said, Pitt has proven throughout his career that the Bourne franchise could have worked if he was at the center. He hadn't done any action-heavy roles at that point, but making Troy and Mr. & Mrs. Smith a few years later showed the talent he possesses for the genre. He would've made Bourne a bit older, as Pitt is six years older than Damon. This would have made Treadstone's agent come across as more of a veteran of this life, but that could have still worked in the film. The question is whether the Bourne movies would have had a challenge bottling Pitt's more natural charisma or reworked the character some to allow that to come through. The one area that the Bourne movies arguably would benefit the most from Pitt's involvement would be at the box office. Damon was coming off major hits in Good Will Hunting and Saving Private Ryan, but Pitt was still the more established star. The already strong box office performance for the Bourne movies likely would be even better if Pitt's name and face were part of the marketing. Spy Game Is Leaving Netflix, But Bourne Isn't It is officially confirmed that Spy Game is leaving Netflix on November 1, 2026, in North America. That means that subscribers have until the end of the day on October 31 to watch the movie before it is removed from the streamer's library. Spy Game might not be a typical movie to watch this Halloween, but it's worth checking out before then if you've never seen it. The good news for Netflix subscribers seeking a great action thriller is that the Bourne movies will still be around even after Spy Game departs. Damon's four films, plus Jeremy Renner's spinoff The Bourne Legacy, started streaming on Netflix in October and will remain there through November, at least. Rather than bypass Spy Game and just go back to watching or rewatching the Bourne movies, there is now a perfect opportunity to watch them all with Pitt's sliding-doors decision in mind. Spy Game offers a small glimpse of how he could have excelled in The Bourne Identity if he made a different decision. Given how well Damon tackles the role, perhaps this ended the best for all involved. The Bourne franchise got a great star to lead it forward, while Brad Pitt got to shine in a different type of action thriller without the pressure of launching a Spy Game franchise. Release Date November 18, 2001 Runtime 126 minutes Director Tony Scott Writers Michael Frost Beckner, David Arata