Did Sacha Baron Cohen Bail on Oscars to Avoid James Cameron's Wrath?

Actor reportedly backed out of his presenting duties when producers decide a sketch he planned with Ben Stiller would tick off the Avatar director

So much for Sacha Baron Cohen hosting the Academy Awards—the erstwhile Borat won't even be presenting.

The controversial actor, who was the first-choice emcee for producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic, was announced as a presenter just last week but has since stepped aside.

So what happened?

According New York magazine, the actor was teaming up with Ben Stiller for an Avatar spoof that involved Cohen as a female Na'vi pregnant with James Cameron's love child.

But the powers-that-be reportedly put the kibosh on the segment, fearing it would offend the almighty director. Heaven forbid he storm out of the ceremony—you know how Oscar viewers hate drama!

New York points out that Mechanic was the head of Twentieth Century Fox back when Titanic was over-budget and overdue, so he knows a thing or two about Cameron's temperament.

"Let's just say that Cameron isn't known to be, shall we say, 'self-deprecating,' " an unnamed insider is quoted in the mag.

"I hate to use the term because it's so ubiquitous, but there were 'creative differences,'" Cohen's rep, Matt Labov, says. "Nothing acrimonious, but both sides felt that since they couldn't agree, he might as well remain in London."