The Real Reason Sean Connery Rejected Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Before he died in 2020, Sean Connery closed out his acting career by voicing the title role in an obscure British animated picture titled "Sir Billi." Connery's presence was enough to secure the film international distribution, and the movie was indeed released in theaters stateside under the moniker "Guardian of the Highlands." Whatever it's called, the film was widely lambasted upon its arrival and became a clear-cut financial failure, only managing to gross just under $16,000 at the box office against a production budget of roughly $19 million. Some even consider "Sir Billi" one of the worst animated films of all time (although IMDb users have singled out one that might be even worse).

"Sir Billi" was made after Connery's final on-screen appearance in 2003's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," a genre-blending action-adventure film based on the celebrated comic book of the same name by Alan Moore. That movie was also a major critical misfire but only a modest financial disappointment (taking in $179 million at the box office on a $78 million budget), and it has even gained a second life in the age of streaming thanks to platforms like Tubi. Collectively, these two movies brought Connery's time in the spotlight to an inauspicious end, though he was undeniably a massive box office draw in his heyday and remains a deeply respected actor/movie star even now. Be that as it may, when Connery formally announced he was retiring from acting in 2006, he stuck to his guns ("Sir Billi" notwithstanding).

There was a moment, however, when he was almost lured out of retirement for one last on-screen performance by Steven Spielberg. The director, you see, wanted Connery to reprise his role as Indiana Jones' father, Dr. Henry Jones, Sr., for the fourth installment in his adventure franchise, which was ultimately titled "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Connery memorably joined the property in 1989's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," so it stood to reason that his character would return for the film's sequel almost 20 years later.

Speaking in a 2007 interview uncovered by The Hollywood Reporter in 2018, Connery confirmed that he had turned down an opportunity to come out of retirement for "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." His reasoning was simple enough: He felt that his part wouldn't have been big enough to justify him un-retiring.

In the final cut of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," there is a scene in which Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) looks wistfully at a photo of his father, lamenting that he had passed away. This was a logical dramatic decision for the film, as it takes place in 1957, a full 19 years after its predecessor. Also, the twist in "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is that Indy has a college-aged child (Shia LeBoeuf) that he's never known about, forcing him to be the father figure this time around.

However, Spielberg had initially wanted to include Henry Jones, Sr. in the movie. It was only going to be a small cameo, however, and Connery didn't like that. Initially, the actor released a statement about why he had passed on the film, claiming that he was simply enjoying retirement too much and didn't want to give up his rest and relaxation. But when he spoke in the aforementioned 2007 interview, he was more candid, stating:

"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."

So, that's exactly what Spielberg did: Henry Jones, Sr. was killed off before the events of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" take place. Perhaps there's a parallel universe out there where Connery did have a major part in the film, although it's debatable if his presence would have improved the not-terribly-well-liked movie. Stranger still, it seems that "Sir Billi" was, in fact, appealing enough for Connery.