10 Actors Who Said They'd Never Go Back (But Did It Anyway)

The most famous case of an actor going back on his words, the decision by Sean Connery to return to the role of 007 one last time is a convoluted and fascinating story. Having seemingly left the series after the disappointing You Only Live Twice, Connery returned for 1971’s Diamonds are Forever. When the film again failed to reach the heights of his earlier 007 outings, Connery was out, proclaiming ‘never again.’

During the early 80's, Roger Moore had found his groove with his campier version of 007 proving successful. Conversely, Connery was starting to lose his touch, starring in consecutive box office bombs during 1982. At the same time, a complex court case was underway to decipher who owned the rights to the script for Bond film Thunderball.

What ensued was a bizarre situation were there were two 007 films competing against each other in the same year. Having won the court case in regards to ownership of the script for Thunderball, Warner Bros. signed Connery to star in their own 007 entry. The film wasn’t affiliated with the Eon franchise, with a plot that closely resembled Thunderball. The producers made fun of Connery’s earlier statements in regards not returning to the role of Bond with the film’s title, Never Say Never Again.

The film managed to be a critical and box office success, although it was edged commercially by Moore’s Octopussy. It was still good to see Connery in his iconic role one last time, with two decent Bond flicks in the one year almost making up for the poor 007 entries that closed out the 80’s.