Here’s why Sean Connery officially drew the line on playing James Bond again in the seventh outing Live And Let Die. The Bond franchise has been running for 60 years and counting, but it’s faced some bumps in the road along the way. For example, following the lukewarm response to 1974’s The Man With The Golden Gun, there was talk of ending the series completely. Likewise, there was a belief that 007 wouldn’t work in the ’90s and had GoldenEye underperformed, that likely would have killed the series. Undoubtedly the biggest question mark was if the franchise would continue when Connery first exited in 1967.
Overwhelmed by the fame and press attention the role brought him and feeling undervalued by producers, Connery left following the fifth entry You Only Live Twice. After his replacement George Lazenby exited after only one movie – 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Connery was tempted back for Diamonds Are Forever with a generous payday. He later used that money to set up the Scottish International Education Trust, but in interviews, he made it clear Diamonds was the end for him. The producers later enlisted screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz (via Caped Wonder) to have lunch with Connery to gauge his potential interest in Live And Let Die – which nearly co-starred Diana Ross. That’s where the star bluntly underlined his time with 007 through, stating “You know, boyo, I always hear that it’s my obligation to play James Bond. I’ve done seven, when does my obligation stop? After ten, twelve, fifteen?“
Connery’s Relationship With James Bond Was Complicated
According to Mankiewicz, not even the promise of boat chases and crocodiles could sway Connery’s opinion, and he passed on Live And Let Die. Connery was typecast by the character in the years that followed but proved with films like The Man Who Would Be King and The Untouchables that he was a movie star outside of the saga. Of course, Connery shared a famously contentious relationship with both the character and the series.
Nobody was prepared for what a runaway phenomenon the first 007 adventure Dr No would be, or the blockbuster franchise it would spawn. Connery then became one of the most recognised people on the planet and became extremely uncomfortable with the attention it brought. He also became increasingly angry with James Bond movie producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, feeling he wasn’t being fairly compensated based on the success of the series, and he wanted time to work on other projects. When this was rejected, he left, and his relationship with the producers never recovered. The subsequent typecasting involved with the James Bond role and the fact the decadent lifestyle of the upper-class spy was far from his own upbringing also saw Connery put distance between himself and the films in later years.
Why He Returned To Bond One Final Time
Diamonds Are Forever was Sean Connery’s last time playing the part in the official series, but he returned one last time for the “unofficial” Never Say Never Again. This film was the result of a complicated lawsuit involving Thunderball co-writer and producer Kevin McClory, who lured Connery back with a large payday and creative control. Ironically, Connery was also unhappy during production after clashing with the financiers behind it, feeling the film was underfunded and he took on more responsibilities than he should have. Still, Never Say Never Again was a hit – though notably grossed less than Roger Moore’s Bond outing Octopussy that same year. It would have been intriguing to see Connery return for Live And Let Die, but as he outlined to the screenwriter, his “obligation” to the role had to end sometime.
