Later work and retirement

The 2000's saw Connery make two of his more regrettable career decisions. The first saw him turn down the part of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films, ostensibly because he "didn't understand the script". It was reported that he was offered around 15% of the JRR Tolkein adaptation's box office receipts for the role, a deal which could have seen him earn as much as $400million. In an attempt to learn from his mistake, Connery decided to accept another role he didn't "understand": the lead in comic book adaptation The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The production process was notoriously chaotic and the film received lukewarm reviews, causing Connery to become disillusioned with the industry and prompting his retirement from filmmaking.