This week, Fortnite is adding multiple skins based on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey film, including one of Matt Damon as Odysseus. While this is the first time the actor’s likeness has been in a video game, that was nearly not the case. Way back in 2008, a little game called The Bourne Conspiracy released, and the plan was originally for Damon to reprise his role of Jason Bourne for the project.
We heard rumors over the years, but it was a 2021 interview Matt Damon gave with Sean Evans’ Hot Ones that gave us concrete details. Damon was interested in the project and said he was offered a bunch of money to make it happen, but he didn’t want the game to be “just a first-person shooter” and hoped for something a little more cerebral. His point of reference for this was the puzzle-adventure game Myst, which famously has no gunfire, car chases, stealth, or fisticuffs.
Despite the star power that Damon would bring to the project, the development team at High Moon Studios evidently thought his idea was a bit of a non-starter. The game was developed without his involvement, nor the involvement of Chris Cooper, who played Alexander Conklin in The Bourne Identity. Franka Potente, who played Marie in the first two Bourne films, did reprise her role.
All in all, Damon didn’t end up missing out on that much. While The Bourne Conspiracy wasn’t a bad game, its mix of brawling, stealth, shooting, and driving made it a jack of all trades and master of none. The Bourne movie franchise has been on ice for years at this point, with the stinker sequel Jason Bourne releasing back in 2016. Really, as someone who loves the first three movies, you do not need to watch it. Just pretend it all ended with Ultimatum.