Friday June 8, 4:05 AM
CORRECTED: Sean Connery says no to next "Indiana Jones" film
Corrects day in second paragraph to Thursday.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Retirement has been good to actor
Sean Connery.
So good, in fact, the 76-year-old Scottish actor has
decided against appearing in the upcoming "Indiana Jones"
movie, the fourth in the series, Connery said in a Web posting
on Thursday.
"In the end, retirement is just too damned much fun,"
Connery wrote on Web site indianajones.com.
Fans had hoped the actor might be lured from retirement to
reprise his role as Jones' dad, Professor Henry Jones. Harrison
Ford previously announced he would again star in the title role
as the daring treasure hunter who battles exotic animals, jumps
off cliffs and wields a whip with extreme precision.
The film's backers, who include famed director/producers
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, said Oscar-winning actress
Cate Blanchett and veteran actors John Hurt and Ray Winstone
will join the fourth movie.
It is expected to land in theaters in May 2008, but the
title and story are being kept under close wraps. Spielberg
will direct and Lucas will co-write and produce.
Connery's participation was the subject of much speculation
among fans of the blockbuster series that has earned nearly
$1.2 billion at global box offices.
He has enjoyed a long career in Hollywood playing the first
British super agent 007, James Bond, and he won rave reviews
for his turn as Jones' dad in 1989's third "Indy" flick,
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."
While he will not be on the movie's set, Connery did have
some advice for Ford: "Demand that the critters be digital, the
cliffs be low, and for goodness sake keep that whip by your
side at all times in case you need to escape from the stunt
coordinator!"
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