40 years of ‘Never Again’: How Sean Connery became James Bond again… and why 007’s future is uncertain

On October 7, 1983, Sean Connery took on the role of James Bond for the seventh and final time, making him famous. Secret agent 007 can count on the support of Domino, played by Kim Basinger.

In 1971, Sean Connery dropped a little bombshell, shortly after the film’s release Diamonds are forever. No, he won’t be reprising his role as James Bond, and this time, that’s really true. Because the producers, most notably Albert Broccoli, were able to convince him to once again wear the secret agent costume that was then created by novelist Ian Fleming. You only live twice (1967), after the actor refused to play On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) in which George Lazenby played 007 for the only time in franchise history.

A story of more than money..

Faced with the film’s failure, the studios wanted Sean Connery back and offered him a golden bridge: a salary of $1.25 million for… Diamonds are forever…a fortune at that time and a record. But that no longer satisfies him.

“Get rid of the weird touches and what do you have?” “A boring English policeman,” he said at the time. Vanity gallery. “One of the reasons I stopped was because I was really tired of the space stuff and the special effects,” he explained in the pages of 2005. Irish Examiner. And his friend Michael Caine is out to bid on Wall Street Journal “If you were his friend at the time, you shouldn’t bring up Bond. He was – and still is – a much better actor, but he became synonymous with James Bond. He would walk down the street and people would say: ‘Look, he’s James Bond.'” And that It particularly bothered him.”

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Kim Basinger and Barbara Carrera in Never Again.

Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

So Sean Connery hung up the Walther PPK and secret agent costume… but that was without relying on the ferocity of the producers. Securing the rights to the novel Operation ThunderTherefore, EON Studios is approaching Sean Connery, even though Roger Moore is the official face of the British spy. It was also Micheline Connery, the actor’s wife, who found the title Never againIn reference to the latter’s decision not to play James Bond again. The actor receives a salary of $3 million, has a say in the script – which he does not deny himself, as he is the one who will hire TV series writers, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, to make major changes – and distribution. He receives a percentage of the profits of the feature film.

On set – the production is filmed on the French Riviera and the Bahamas – Sean Connery takes on many of the producer’s responsibilities, gets injured by Steven Seagal during stunt rehearsals and doesn’t quite master his lines. “It’s a Mickey Mouse operation,” he says, exasperated by the amateurs who have noticed… which is by no means precluded Never again to a total of $160 million at the box office, just under $160 million Octopus With Roger Moore, released a few months ago.

What future for James Bond?

Now, with Daniel Craig stepping down from the role, the future of one of the most popular movie franchises — and the most profitable with revenues of $6.89 billion — is up in the air. At the moment, his successor has not been found, even if the names of Tom Hardy, John Boyega, Sam Heughan and Idris Elba are regularly bandied about. “We will have to reinvent James Bond, in the same way that every actor reinvents the role,” confirms producer Barbara Broccoli. This is what makes this franchise so challenging and fun, the character development. »

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Kim Basinger and Sean Connery

Photo courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

The only things you won’t compromise on? “James Bond should be British,” and at the moment, there is no doubt that James will become a woman. She says in the pages of the book: “We must write female roles, not replace men with women.” Comprehensive movie.

The writers’ strike delayed the writing of the next feature film in the series, an essential step before finding an actor who would then become the eighth to lend his features to 007 after Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig. .