Director J.J. Abrams has revealed that he initially approached Damon for the reboot, but the actor declined his offer.

According to WENN, the Lost creator said that Damon was his first choice for the role, but was glad to give relatively unknown actor Chris Pine the part in the end.

“I actually approached Matt and we had some discussions, but everything happens for a reason,” he told America’s Life magazine. “On the one hand, it would have been great to work with Matt – but at the end of the day, it was such a better move to cast the movie with unknowns.”