The controversial movie Sean Connery hated making: “So much incompetence, ineptitude, and dissension”
Every production carries a certain element of risk, regardless of who’s making it. Sean Connery was no stranger to a behind-the-scenes issue or two throughout his career, but he got more than he bargained for when he signed on for one of his most contentious movies.
The Academy Award-winning actor had weathered the storm of trying to avoid being typecast forever as the first official James Bond, he’d disarmed a known criminal in self-defence in the middle of shooting, had his wrist broken by Steven Seagal, and instructed attendees at the premiere of his final film to “check the local asylum” for the whereabouts of its absent director, so he was never one to fuck around.
Still, he wasn’t prepared for what was to come when he made a decision so contentious that it was immediately subjected to legal red tape. Despite bowing out of the 007 franchise for a second time after stepping into the breach to replace “prize shit” George Lazenby, Connery was convinced to dust off the tux and play Bond again in 1983’s Never Say Never Again, which came with several caveats.
Screenwriters Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham penned a story alongside Ian Fleming that would be used as the basis for Thunderball without crediting them for their work. That led to a breach of copyright lawsuit, which was settled by McClory being awarded a producorial credit and the rights to retell the same story after a ten-year delay, which he did by rubbing it in the faces of Eon Productions by bringing Connery back as the secret agent.
Naturally, the producers of the official Bond series tried to prevent Never Say Never Again from happening, but McClory was legally entitled to do it, and there was no justifiable reason for the courts to scrap the film. Despite boasting Irvin Kershner at the helm in his first directorial effort since The Empire Strikes Back, it certainly sounded like Connery regretted his decision to return.
“There was so much incompetence, ineptitude, and dissension during the making of Never Say Never Again that the film could have disintegrated,” he said when he was supposed to be promoting the movie and encouraging people to see it. “I ended up getting in the middle of every decision. The assistant director and myself really produced the picture.”
Summing up his feelings to Barry Norman, Connery described the entire debacle as “just the kind of Hollywood mess that I abhor.” Adding further insult to injury, Never Say Never Again lost the high-profile battle of the Bonds that had stirred up a media frenzy.
Released six months after Roger Moore’s Octopussy, the mainline 007 adventure cost less to make and earned more at the box office than Connery’s unofficial instalment, with Eon ultimately winning the war despite losing the key battle.
