Connery Story Likely About Brett Ratner?

In the wake of Sean Connery’s passing on Saturday, people have been sharing their stories about the actor on social media. One of the most interesting comes from “Billions” showrunner and “Rounders” scribe Brian Koppelman.

Koppelman revealed that he and his regular writing cohort David Levien were doing re-writes on a film in 2004 when Connery got involved with the project. Connery worked with them on and off on extensive re-writes on top of their existing re-writes to accommodate Connery’s vision for the story.

So far so good, with Koppelman raving about Connery’s work ethic and their relationship with hm. Then the film’s director gets involved and things get messy. Koppleman explains:

“There’s a tricky action sequence, under water, that the director wants to do. We set a call to discuss how to write it, what it should be. Sean asks the director how he’s planning to shoot it. Director says ‘I’ll use movie magic’. You could hear the silent anger on Sean’s end of the phone. ‘I started making movies before your daddy started pleasuring himself. I want to know, shot by shot, how you will execute this?’.

Director says, ‘let’s talk on Friday. 11AM. I will run you through my story boards and shot list. And for that call, it can just be me and you, Sean, we don’t need the writers.’ We are fine with this. Let them sort it and tell us what they need. 11:15AM Friday rolls around. Our phone rings. Sean says ‘where the f–k is the director?’ We say, we don’t know.

And then, suddenly, we hear a sigh. ‘Ahhh fer Chrissakes! I just turned on the tele and there he is’ ‘There who is?’ ‘(Director’s name). He’s in a goddamned female player’s box at the f–king French open. I’m afraid, boys, I agreed to do a movie directed by a fraud. You’ve done very well. But I am quitting this thing. Today.’.”

Koppleman ended the long thread, which can be read in full here, saying Connery “was brilliant, honest, suffered no fools, and never missed a call, meeting, conversation. Rip to one of the all time greats.”

In the wake of the story post, The Playlist has indicated that all signs indicate “Rush Hour” filmmaker Brett Ratner is the director in question as it was confirmed that around that time Koppelman and Levien were doing re-writes for the feature “Josiah’s Canon” at Fox which Ratner was slated to direct.

That project follows a Holocaust survivor who becomes the world’s leading bank robber and sets out to execute a heist on an impenetrable bank in Switzerland filled with Jewish treasures stolen during WW2.

In September of that year, it was reported that Connery had abruptly withdrawn from the feature – walking away from a $17.5 million payday and retiring from film altogether – making 2003’s “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” his last on screen role.

Ratner, who faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment and abuse from at least six women in 2017 which led to Warner Brothers severing all ties with him, wrote his recollection of the events on Saturday but made no mention of any conflict with Connery.

The post Connery Story Likely About Brett Ratner? appeared first on Dark Horizons.

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