Summary
Matt Damon’s sci-fi movie streak that ended withThe Martianrevealed a massive truth about his career. While the beloved actor, screenwriter, and producer is celebrated to this day for his action roles and his Boston-themed dramas, Damon’s career made a strong pivot in 2013 with the release ofElysium, which introduced Damon to the sci-fi blockbuster. Damon then went on to have a surprise cameo in Christopher Nolan’scelebrated intergalactic filmInterstellarbefore starring inRidley Scott’sThe Martian, which was nominated for 7 Oscars.These three sci-fi outer space movies remain some of the strongest installments of his acting career.
Damon’s recent movie,The Instigators, puts him and Casey Affleck back into the familiar setting of Boston in Doug Liman’s heist comedy. Despite the positive hype for the film,The Instigatorswas a critical letdown, receiving mixed reviews from critics and lackluster responses from audiences.Damon has starred in a variety of films throughout his career, primarily dramas, but has yet to win an Academy Award for acting. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in 2009’s sports dramaInvictusand received his second Best Actor Oscar nomination for his lead role inThe Martian, which is arguably the best film of his career.
Matt Damon Starred In Three Sci-Fi Movies Between 2013 And 2015
Given his track record, it would be great for Damon to return to the genre
Damon starred in three great sci-fi movies between 2013 and 2015 but then returned to a more traditional action role in 2016 with hisJason Bournereboot. His career is very diversified now and he’s at that stage where he clearly only does projects that he finds compelling, similar to Ben Affleck. Still, it would have been nice to see him in more sci-fi roles, particularly outer space projects, afterElysium,Interstellar, andThe Martian.There have also been conversations about anotherBournemovie, which doesn’t sound that exciting since there’s been so much content out of that franchise already.
It feels as though after the massive critical and commercial success ofThe Martian, Damon left a lot on the table by mostly abandoning the sci-fi genre ever since.There have also been talks about a sequel toElysiumfor yearsbut as time goes on, that prospect seems less and less likely to ever come to fruition. It does make sense that Daon consolidated his work in the sci-fi genre at a point when many great sci-fi movies were being made, particularly Interstellar, which is widely considered one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Given his track record, it would be great for Damon to return to the genre.
Elysium 2: 10 Years Later, Matt Damon’s Wrongly Maligned Sci-Fi Movie Still Needs A Sequel
Elysium was Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up to the acclaimed District 9, which might be a major reason why it was overlooked & still deserves a sequel.
Matt Damon’s Sci-Fi Movie Trend Was More Exciting Than His Jason Bourne Return
A return to sci-fi could finally land Damon an acting Oscar
Matt Damon’s exciting career pivot into the sci-fi genre was more promising than hisJason Bournereboot in 2016, which many consider to be good but not great. Now that the Bourne franchise has been in limbo ever since it seems like as good a time as ever for Damon to find the next great sci-fi project to get on board with. He has recently gone back to basics in a way with his numerous collaborations with Affleck in store, including 2023’sAir, 2024’sThe Instigators, and two upcoming movies titledRIP, a Netflix movie, andKilling Gawker, which will reunite him and AffleckwithGood Will Huntingdirector Gus Van Sant.
Damon really has nothing left to prove in his acting career, as an Oscar may not mean as much to him at this point in his career and he could choose to only focus on projects that he thinks will be fun or is passionate about. A return to sci-fi, however, would be a great route for Damon to finally secure his first acting Academy Award. Realistically speaking, Damon starring in another Bourne movie isn’t going to do the trick andhe may be past the point of interest in returning to that type of physically demanding role. Damon is 53 years old now and not everybody can, or wants to be, like Tom Cruise when it comes to action franchises.
Matt Damon’s First Jason Bourne Replacement Was This $94.5M Box Office Bomb That Just Hit Prime Video
Although the future of the Bourne franchise is still largely TBD, Matt Damon & Paul Greengrass teamed up for an overlooked Bourne follow-up in 2010.
Matt Damon Conquered The Sci-Fi Genre Just As Much As He Did Action
Damon’s risky pivot into sci-fi certainly paid off
In just a short amount of time, Damon made a big impact on the scope of massive sci-fi projects during the 2010s.His venture into sci-fi withElysiumwas certainly risky at first but mostly paid off, which likely led to his consideration of being in bothInterstellarandThe Martian. It’s encouraging to see that Damon was open to the idea of getting out of his comfort zone as an actor even though he very well could have kept churning out additionalBournemovies if he so desired, for better or for worse. Damon will be occupied with his upcoming Affleck collaborations, which is surely exciting, but should consider another pivot to sci-fi likeThe Martianat some point in the future.
Interstellar Ending & Space Travel Explained
The Interstellar ending, and how space travel works as a whole, are big questions in the Christopher Nolan film. But we’ve got the answers.
The Martian
Cast
Adapted by Ridley Scott from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name, The Martian follows the plight of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) after he finds himself stranded alone on Mars after he is falsely presumed dead during a mission. Unable to communicate with Earth and armed with little more than his scientific expertise as a botanist, Watney must find a way to survive on the barren planet until the next scheduled mission arrives.
