Many fans were disappointed when it became obvious that Harrison Ford andSean Connerywouldn’t be reuniting forIndiana Jones 4. ThenIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullhit theaters, and fans were just disappointed. Some went as far as to call it Steven Spielberg’sPhantom Menace. It appeared that Sean Connery had dodged a bullet. But it wasn’t for a lack of Spielberg’s aim. The iconic director actually wanted the former James Bond actor back in the movie. But Sean Connery couldn’t do it. Or rather, he wouldn’t. Why? Because the role was just too small.
That’s right, despite Sean Connery playing Henry Jones, father to Indiana, in 1989’s (seemingly) trilogy ending sequelThe Last Crusade, he was being relegated to a cameo appearance in the next one, and that didn’t sit right with Sean. If he was coming back, it would have to be for a co-starring role again. Or it just wasn’t worth the effort. He had this to say in an interview that was recently unearthed.
“I spoke with Spielberg, but it didn’t work out. It was not that generous a part, worth getting back into the harness and go for. And they had taken the story in a different line anyway, so the father of Indy was kind of really not that important. I had suggested they kill him in the movie, it would have taken care of it better.”
Sean Connery is now retired from acting, and his Henry Jones character was shown as having passed away inCrystal Skull. So there’s no chance he’ll be back for Disney’sIndiana Jones 5, which iscoming to theaters summer 2020. So, unimpressed with Spielberg’sIndy 4pitch, the actor said goodbye to the franchise for good.
2008’sCrystal Skullwould have marked Connery’s first return to the big screen in five years. He’d decided to call it quits after starring in the universally panned 2003 comic book adaptationThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The movie wasn’t a good experience for the actor. And he decided his time in front of the camera had reached its end.
“The last one I did, [Gentlemen director Stephen Norrington] was given $85 million to make a movie in Prague, but unfortunately he wasn’t certified before he started because he would have been arrested for insanity. So, we worked as well as we could, and [I] ended up being heavily involved in the editing and trying to salvage.”
While Connery did consider returning forCrystal Skullbefore politely saying no, there was a PR that claimed the actor would return. When pressed for why he didn’t reemerge in the role of Henry Jones, the actor gave a slightly different take on the reasoning. Instead of revealing his disappointment at such a small cameo, which would have happened at the end whenIndygets married toMarion Ravenwood, he told reporters that he was just having way too much fun being retired. And he wished Spielberg and his crew the best.There’s always the chance that Sean Connery could show up in another movie some day. And in 2012, he did provide a voice for the little seen 2012 animated comedySir Billy. This lost interview appeared inThe Hollywood Reporter.
