Although he won't be drawn on whether he's formally retired from acting, Sean Connery hardly ever accepts movie work anymore - and hasn't done for some time. Peter Jackson tried to lure him back to the big time by offering him the chance to play Gandalf in 'The Lord of The Rings,' but hit a stumbling block when it transpired than Connery was no fan of fantasy films, and had never read the original Tolkien books.
Connery wrote back to Jackson and politely thanked him for the offer, but said he didn't understand the script or the character. Ian McKellan got the part instead, and Connery watched as the movies made huge sums of money at the box office. Resolving that he'd accept the next script he found a little strange, Connery agreed to appear in 'the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' when he got the chance. It was good, but we're sad we never got to hear 'You shall not pass!' in Connery's accent.