Jason Bateman revealed the A-list actor who wanted to take over his role in the critically-acclaimed comedy Arrested Development.
On the latest episode of Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, Bateman made that revelation and a few others about the beloved sitcom. “I remember Matt Damon coming up to me at—I think it was like a Golden Globes or something—and I was so excited to meet him and, and he was a huge fan of Arrested Development. And he was saying, ‘You know, I really think I could play, because I hear you guys are doing the movie, I think I could—can I play you?”
The show, which aired from 2003 to 2006 on Fox and had a two seasons on Netflix in 2013 and 2018, almost had a film version, but it never got off the ground. Bateman described that one idea for the movie would’ve actually allowed for Damon to fulfill his wish of playing the main character. Show creator Mitch Hurwitz “was thinking the story of the Arrested Development movie would be that in the show, Hollywood wanted to make a movie about [the Bluth family], and we certainly couldn’t play ourselves, because we’re not actors.”
Bateman’s character Michael Bluth “would be on set, watching Matt Damon play Michael Bluth and be so excited,” he explained, adding that his co-star Will Arnett had been talking to Will Ferrell about playing the “movie” version of his character GOB.
“Of course, David Cross would play Tobias in the film as well, because he was an actor,” Bateman continued, referencing the show’s running joke about Cross’ character’s pursuit of an acting career. As O’Brien tried to convince him that the movie would still have interest from the show’s fans today, even six years since the final season streamed, Bateman wasn’t convinced.
“I don’t think anybody gives a s--t, I think it’s done,” Bateman said about a potential Arrested movie.
“That’s not true,” O’Brien said, after having spoken at length about his son’s love for the show.
“Your son would be the only guy in the theater,” Bateman replied.
It wouldn’t be the first time Bateman underestimated interest in his work. He also revealed on the podcast that not long before landing his role on Arrested Development, he’d almost left the entertainment industry—and the country—for good.
“My 20’s were, it was not a comfortable period,” he said. “I was really petrified about being able to support myself and have the rest of my career not be anticlimactic. I thought about liquidating what little I did have, literally cashing out, and literally putting what cash I had in a duffel bag, driving to the Bradley terminal at LAX, looking up on that board, picking a city, and going and just kind of unplugging from this… competition.”
Before he could pack that bag, the opportunity he’d been waiting for landed in his lap. “When I heard about Arrested Development, like, here’s a single camera comedy and it’s kind of a mockumentary, and Ron Howard’s behind it,” he said, recalling that he thought at the time, “‘They don’t want my garbage on that.’”
“But I managed to guess right and get that job,” he said, which was a “huge reset button for me.”
