The Martian, Ridley Scott's hit 2015 Oscar nominee, almost starred Channing Tatum as Mark Watney instead of Matt Damon. Based on the book of the same name by Andy Weir, The Martian centered on NASA astronaut Watney after he's accidentally left behind on Mars when his crewmates must abandon the planet. Forced to make Mars habitable, Watney struggles to survive while the best minds of NASA work to save him from Earth. Damon played Watney for the film, a role that nabbed him several major awards nominations, including the Oscar for Best Leading Actor.
The Martian was released in October 2015 and became a box office hit with $630.2 million at the worldwide box office. In addition to Damon, the film boasted an impressively starry cast that included Jessica Chastain, Michael Pena, Sebastian Stan, Kate Mara, Jeff Daniels, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, and Benedict Wong. The Martian was one of the best reviewed films of the year and even managed to score 7 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (though it won none).
It was certainly a success, but there was a time when The Martian could've looked a lot different. Weir recently spoke to CinemaBlend to promote his newest novel Project Hail Mary, but he still found time to talk about his breakout (and originally self-published) book. When asked if there had been a competition for the role of Mark Watney, Weir revealed Fox initially pushed for Channing Tatum instead of Damon. He said:
"Well, when Matt Damon threw his hat in the ring, we were like, ‘Oh hell yeah.’ Bear in mind, in The Martian I had no say whatsoever. My only job was to cash the check. The producers and Ridley were like, ‘Oh hell yeah. That works.’ But the studio was really pushing to have Channing Tatum play the lead. And I was like, ‘I don’t see that. He’s an absolutely gorgeous man, but I don’t see him being this really really smart guy.’ I’m sure the real Channing Tatum is plenty intelligent, but that’s not the kind of character he usually plays. He usually plays either a guy who’s gorgeous, or a guy who’s a badass, or both. But yeah, we got Matt, and Matt did such a fantastic job. He nailed it."
Tatum is best known for his roles in 21 and 22 Jump Street and the Magic Mike franchise, both instances where he puts on excellent performances. There's no question that Tatum is a talented actor, but at this point it's hard to imagine someone other than Damon portraying Watney's dry humor and determined survival instinct. Weir's reasoning for backing Damon over Tatum could perhaps inspire some outraged reactions from the latter's fanbase, but he had a right to push for the actor he thought could best inhabit his character. It's safe to say in this case, The Martian turned out really well with Damon in the lead.
In fact, by allowing Damon to star in The Martian, Fox caused the continuation of a new genre of films: Matt Damon Is Lost In Space. This happened in Interstellar, and some might say his cameo in Thor: Ragnarok contributes to this as well. Of course, Fox really just chose the right actor for the role of Mark Watney. Tatum could've been good in the part, but now this just feels like Damon's role through and through.
Source: CinemaBlend