Old stagers: Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade back in 1989.
So, Sean Connery will not reprise the role which he made his own. I refer not to his succeeding Daniel Craig by playing Bond in bifocals, but to his Professor Henry Jones, father of Henry "Indiana" Jones Junior.
"If anything could have pulled me out of retirement, it would have been an Indiana Jones film," Connery claimed in a statement on Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones website.
So why didn't it? "I love working with Steven and George," he continued, "and it goes without saying that it is an honour to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun."
What the hell? Perhaps Connery has no desire to resurrect a series that was effectively put to bed with The Last Crusade. Spoiler alert: Indiana is named after a dog. The End. But the idea that he smells a turkey and wants no part of it seems unlikley. After all, the guy happily made The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Harrison Ford is up for it, and as an actor, he knows where his bread is buttered (roles that involve looking distraught and being chased by something). Also, at 65 Ford is no spring chicken himself. He's only two years younger than John Hurt, slated to be Connery's replacement. Rumours even abound that Karen Allen will return to reprise Persecuted Damsel With Torn Dress.
It's sorely tempting to be gracious and wish Connery a happy retirement, not withstanding some infamous views on women. Claiming selfish, rabid fandom as reason for an actor to work in perpetuity doesn't hold much water as an argument. But dammit ... as any selfish, rabid fanboy/girl knows: when you grow attached to a series, one of the most annoying things to happen is when the actors get switched. Joss Whedon gets it. Sean, why can't you?
If an iconic actor signs up for a role that effectively becomes a successful franchise, do they have a duty to maintain the landscape of that fantasy world, so dear to its many fans? I'd like to think that most actors would find that concept appealing. At mercenary least, their wallets and agents should.
But when Last Crusade was made, there were no plans for a fourth instalment, thus no sneaky contractual obligations. Connery has enough money to live out several decadent lives in the Bahamas, and no doubt couldn't give a hoot what an agent would have to say. So if his reasons for not doing it are selfish, I think I'm entitled to a selfish reason for him to come back to the role. And we reach a shhtalemate.
I do think Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods - the working title - will sorely miss Connery as Professor Jones Senior. But I'm not convinced by Connery's excuse, particularly accompanied by his effusive praise of all those involved with the project. What's really going on, Sir Sean? If you don't owe us the role, you at least owe us a reason.
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