The Lord of the Rings is a cultural behemoth that, centuries from now, will be viewed as a pillar of storytelling. While J.R.R. Tolkien's books have a deeply loyal fan base, what truly solidified their place in the world's cultural lexicon was Peter Jackson's trilogy. The three films have grossed nearly three billion worldwide and brought a story that lived in many readers' heads to life. When fans go back and read the series, which many are doing while waiting for Rings of Power, they will most likely imagine the slew of characters having the faces of the actors who portrayed them.

One actor who has become synonymous with an iconic Lord of the Rings character is Sir Ian McKellan as the wondrous wizard, or sorcerer by D&D's definition, Gandalf. And while it is impossible to imagine someone else as the wise mentor of the Fellowship, there were other choices Jackson and his team wanted more than McKellan. One of those choices would have brought a particular suaveness to the role that might have distracted fans rather than immersed them. The actor in question is the late Sean Connery, known primarily for bringing the literary super-spy James Bond to screens.

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Sean Connery

Before approaching McKellan, who was a small name at the time, Jackson actually hoped to cast either Connery or Tony Hopkins in the Gandalf role. This was most likely due to their star attraction, as both had larger name recognition than the acclaimed British theater actor. Not only did Connery miss out on taking on another iconic role to hang his hat on, but he also missed out on adding approximately 450 million dollars to his bank account.

Connery was initially approached to play the part for a base salary of 30 million dollars. In addition to that, Warner Bros., which believes it still holds the big-screen rights to Tolkien's work, offered Connery 15 percent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy's worldwide box office. This percentage would have left him with a cut of nearly half a billion dollars. In the entertainment industry, this system of payment based on the film's financial success is referred to as points. It helps ensure that the film's production budget doesn't get consumed by paying the salaries of the director or stars and distributes the financial risk across the board.

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But beyond the six-figure salaries and studio malarkey, this casting story leads fans to wonder if Connery would have made a good Gandalf. It is safe to say the late actor was an icon for a reason. His vast filmography contains a wide range of characters, from the seductive spy James Bond to the intuitive Professor Henry Jones in The Last Crusade. He certainly could have captured the underlying strength inside Gandalf, but it's hard to imagine Connery bringing the same warm empathy McKellan brought to the character.

Unlike Amazon Studios' casting of The Ring of Power, Jackson and Warner Bros. did their best to give Connery a strong understanding of the character. Ultimately, he turned down the project because the story didn't resonate with him. Years after the critical and financial success of the series, Connery said he decided not to play the wizard because he "just didn't get it," even after reading both the book and the script. Based on this explanation, it's probably a good thing that he didn't take the role since the last thing anyone wants from an actor is them playing a character they don't understand.

In the end, Connery went on to join the cast of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen instead of venturing to New Zealand to shoot the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Funnily enough, McKellen went through a similar casting situation with the Harry Potter franchise. This only goes to show that sometimes, the first choice isn't always the best.

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