this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2026
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I heard this story, not sure if it's true, but I choose to believe it and will not hear any corrections; apparently, he was approached about Gandalf, but he turned it down because he didn't really understand it. Then he was approached about Dumbledore, but turned it down because he didn't really understand it. After seeing how those two franchises turned out, he said, "screw it, I'm taking the next role that I don’t get." That role was Alan Quartermaine in League of Extraordinary Gentleman. After that movie bombed he retired from acting altogether.
Which is a shame really because I remember it being... Kinda good? Clearly not a work of great art, but fun action silliness. Admittedly I watched it as a kid and never again so who knows really.
Didn’t hate it? It was a fun action film. Sometimes people take things too seriously.
With adult eyes, it's pretty bad. Also, it's an adaptation of a much better Alan Moore graphic novel.
It has some of the worst dialogue and pacing of any movie I've ever seen. I can see how it would be fun as a kid, but even as a teenager, it sucked ass.
I don't feel the need to discuss the rest of the movie but that car, though ... It was a thing of beauty.
I'd also argue that however the movie did after the fact, turning down roles you don't understand is probably the smarter option. Maybe those other movies would have also flopped if they had Connery in those roles.
Like I can't picture him doing a good Gandalf. It wouldn't be Gandalf, it would be Sean Connery in a wizard outfit. I can't think of any roles where Connery played someone who wasn't Sean Connery. He brought a lot of charisma to his roles but not a ton of range.
Jesus can you actually imagine if LOTR had Sean Connery instead of Ian McKellen? Hideous prospect. No shade to Connery, he's played some of my favourite characters over the years, but christ that would have been a terrible mistake.
Idk he could land "Run, you foolsh!" pretty well.
"You shall not pash!"
"Is it shecret? Is it shafe?"
"When did Sharuman the wishe replace hish wishdom with madnessh?"
You could play this game all day long
"I have no memory of this plashe..."
I agree that he wouldn't have been right for either part, but I'm sure they still would have been very successful franchises. Also, he probably wouldn't have gotten either part (definitely not Gandalf), they were just approaching him about it. Producers on Batman (1989) were in talks with Bill Murray and Pierce Brosnan before they moved on to Michael Keaton, but it's pretty unlikely either one would have made it.
He didn't quit acting just because the movie bombed. Him and the director had such epic fights on the set of the movie, that BOTH of them quit Hollywood afterwards.
I already told you, I will not hear corrections! Blocked!!!
Well, just for blocking me, I'm blocking you. In fact, I'm double blocking you! NyahNyah! ;P
In all seriousness though, thank you for the information, but I will still continue to believe that Sean Connery gave up acting because he could no longer figure out what good or bad movies were.
I mean, looking back at his filmography, he arguably never could. (Zardoz is good, though.)
Highlander rocks too. Time Bandits as well. He had some interesting, unorthodox choices throughout his career.