Sean Connery as Gandalf you have earned him $400 million dollars!

[Electrix]

New reports are surfcacing that Sir Sean Connery had been offered the role of Gandalf back in 1999. The kicker is that if he had accepted it, he would have made over $400 million dollars. Sean Connery turned down the largest paycheck in cinema history when he refused an offer to play Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, reports The Scotsman newspaper.
They reported the following,


If the actor had put on the long white beard and clasped the wizard's staff as the hero of Middle Earth he would have earned as much as $434 Million Dollars. Peter Jackson, the director of the fantasy trilogy, has revealed that New Line Cinema, the production company behind the films, offered the Scottish actor between 10 and 15 per cent of worldwide box office takings to secure his participation. A copy of the script was delivered to the actor in 1999 and the lucrative offer was put to CAA, the agency that manages him. However Sir Sean turned the offer down as he did not understand the complicated plot of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece. If he had accepted the terms of the contract, which included a small fee but a large chunk of the film's future earnings, he would have earned more from a single screen role than any actor in the history of motion pictures.
The three films in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring (2000), The Two Towers (2001) and The Return of the King (2002), earned a total of $2.9 billion at the box office, which would have meant the former Bond actor would have earned between $ 289 million and $434 million dollars. The fee would have dwarfed the $ 44 million earned by Jack Nicholson under a similar deal for his role as The Joker in Batman, released in 1989.


The offer, which had previously remained confidential, was revealed in a new biography of Mr Jackson, entitled A Film-Maker's Journey by Brian Sibley. In the book, Mr Jackson explained that he was under pressure from the producers to cast Sir Sean in the role, which eventually went to Sir Ian McKellen who was later nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Mr Jackson explained: "New Line were indicating that having a major name like Connery was necessary in order for them to green-light the film. They asked us if we would agree to send a copy of the Fellowship screenplay to Sean with a view to enticing him to play Gandalf. "I couldn't imagine him wanting to spend eighteen months in New Zealand, and I didn't think they could afford his fee, but [Mark] Ordesky [the film's executive producer] told me New Line were going to offer a small fee in exchange for a large slice of the gross.
"Mark said New Line was prepared to give him between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of the films' income. Some kind of offer must have gone in because in April 1999 the script was bundled off to Sean who read it - and declined the role."


At the time rumours swept through New Zealand that Sir Sean was taking the role and there were a number of fictitious sightings of the Scotsman. The director said he had been concerned that despite the actor's ability, his fame would eclipse the role. Mr Jackson explained: "I felt Gandalf would take on a Sean Connery persona, with a long beard and robe." Last year Sir Sean explained his decision to turn down the role: "Yeah, well, I never understood it. I read the book, I read the script, I saw the movie. I still don't understand it. I would be interested in doing something that I don't fully understand, but not for eighteen months." Last night, the book's author Mr Sibley said: "I don't know if Sean Connery regrets not taking the role. I suspect not as he clearly did not warm to the material, but you can imagine him in the role; he would have brought a different strength and charisma.
Mr Jackson this week upset fans of Middle Earth by stating that he would not be directing The Hobbit, the prequel to The Lord of The Rings. The director is in dispute with New Line over earnings he believes he is still due from the sales of DVD and computer games based on the trilogy. It is understood that he has earned $ 199 million dollars from the films.

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=756&Itemid=99

 

[Substance D]

he would have made a good gandalf.... and a good aragorn back in the day.

 

[Erundur]

I read about it the other day, quite interesting really. But I'm glad Ian got it, I believe both would of done a great job.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Love Connery, but I think he's too macho for Gandalf, who has always a balance between a warrior and philosopher.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Love Connery, but I think he's too macho for Gandalf, who has always a balance between a warrior and philosopher.

I agree. I like Connery well enough, but he seems too rough around the edges for Gandalf. It felt like Gandalf needed a more soft spoken touch, which Ian McKellan gave him.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=756&Itemid=99

S***!

 

[Substance D]

I agree. I like Connery well enough, but he seems too rough around the edges for Gandalf. It felt like Gandalf needed a more soft spoken touch, which Ian McKellan gave him.

A little too "soft", if you know what I mean.

 

[Hades]

Every movie he turns down now he says "I didn't undertstand it"

What's not to get

Well....at least he's not in it for the money.

 

[Ronny Shade]

I wouldn't take Connery over McKellan

 

[hitmanyr2k]

Love Connery, but I think he's too macho for Gandalf, who has always a balance between a warrior and philosopher.

Nah, Connery could have channeled his performance from Rising Sun. He was almost the same type of character as Gandalf.

 

[Ronny Shade]

He was also offered Morpheus in "The Matrix" I believe.

 

[Motown Marvel]

whats not to get? ring equals evil....destroy ring to destroy evil. paycheck.

 

[Ronny Shade]

It can't be that simple! : paranoid :

 

[Substance D]

whats not to get? ring equals evil....destroy ring to destroy evil. paycheck.

yeah, but it was seven years in a different country. sometimes it's not worth it, especially if you already have enough money.

 

[Matt]

He was also offered Morpheus in "The Matrix" I believe.

Not Morpheus, he was offered the role of The Architech in Reloaded and Revolutions.

He was also offered the role of Dumbledore in Harry Potter.

Its funny, after Potter and Rings were huge successes, Connery was quoted as saying he took LXG as to not make the same mistake he did by turning down Potter and Rings. If only he knew he made an entirely different kind of mistake.

 

[Matt]

yeah, but it was seven years in a different country. sometimes it's not worth it, especially if you already have enough money.

It wouldn't have been a consistant 7 years in New Zealand. Just a few months at a time, if that. Hell, for Gandalf, after filming Fellowship he probably only had to spend a couple weeks at a time.

 

[Ronny Shade]

Not Morpheus, he was offered the role of The Architech in Reloaded and Revolutions.

He was also offered the role of Dumbledore in Harry Potter.

Its funny, after Potter and Rings were huge successes, Connery was quoted as saying he took LXG as to not make the same mistake he did by turning down Potter and Rings. If only he knew he made an entirely different kind of mistake.

I heard it was originally supposed to be Will Smith as Neo and Sean Connery as Morpheus.

Maybe he was offered the Architect after the first film ws a success? Or maybe I heard wrong.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I love Connery, but I wouldn't replace McKellan in a million years.

 

[CConn]

It wouldn't have been a consistant 7 years in New Zealand. Just a few months at a time, if that. Hell, for Gandalf, after filming Fellowship he probably only had to spend a couple weeks at a time.

Wasn't it just 18 straight months of filming in NZ?

Granted, that is quite a while, but wholly worth 400 million dollars, IMO.

 

[The Chairman]

Connery >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Everyone.

But seriously, Connery IMO wouldn't have fit in well with the cast, just too high profile. People would've seen 007 / Professor Jones / Sean Connery. instead of Gandalf. McKellan wasn't as well known and therefore was more believable in the part. Still, Connery would've been great, just because he's ****ing Connery.

 

[MaskedManJRK]

I can just imagine it:

GHANDALF: You're f**king with a wizard-man, son!

t:

 

[Wolfwood]

I would've love to have seen Sean Connery as Gandalf, just for the novelty of it. At the end of the day I'd still pick Ian though.

 

[Backdrifter]

I've always said Patrick Stewart would have been an excellent Gandalf.

 

[Ronny Shade]

Patrick Stewart with all that hair?? Preposterous!

 

[War Lord]

I think that this deserves a