Filming For Sean Connery’s 1998 Spy Comedy Movies Gets Candid Reflection From Co-Star

Sean Connery holds the honor of being the first big screen 007. Connery made his James Bond debut in 1962 with the Terrence Young-directed film Dr. No. Connery went on to star in five more James Bond films — From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Diamonds Are Forever — even returning to the franchise after a brief interruption by George Lazenby’s one-off Bond film and the non-EON Bond movie Never Say Never Again. Little did he know at the time that the Bond Movies would become one of the biggest action franchises to date.

Bond took up the better part of a decade of Connery’s career, beginning in 1962 and ending with Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 in the traditional series. Prior to his death in 2020, Connery went on to have a long acting career after ending his Bond tenure. His first 007 follow-up was The Offence in 1973, but he then went on to star in a number of films, including Murder on the Orient Express, The Man Who Would Be King, Time Banditsand Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. One of Connery’s later works was another spy movie in 1998.

Connery’s The Avengers Is Dissed By Co-Star

This 1998 Film A Remake Of A Classic Series

Connery’s co-star for The Avengers speaks out in opposition to the film. The Avengers is a 1998 superhero spy comedy about two British agents who team up together to try to stop the evil Sir August de Wynter from changing the world forever with a weather-altering machine. Connery played the villainous role in this film, and The Avengers’ leading cast also included Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman, Jim Broadbent, Fiona Shaw, Patrick Macnee, Carmen Ejogo, and Eddie Izzard. The movie is a remake of the 1961 British TV series of the same name.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Shaw reveals how negative her experience was on The Avengers. Speaking about her past work, Shaw mentions that “The Avengers was absolutely a terrible film.” The actor then goes on to detail the production process for the movie, which she describes as “quite strange.” Shaw explains that the team “did a lot of night shooting,” but did not have good help from their producers. In Shaw’s words, these producers “were always sort of playing golf out the back.” Check out the full quote from Shaw below:

The Avengers was absolutely a terrible film. We did a lot of night shooting and the producers were always sort of playing golf out the back. It was quite strange, that film.

Our Take On Sean Connery’s The Avengers

The Film Did Not Sit Well With Critics

Shaw is not the only one who feels this way about the 1998 film The Avengers. The film was loathed by criticswho gave it a mere 5% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences also hated the movie, as it still holds a Popcornmeter of only 15% decades after its release. The movie failed to revitalize the classic series and was derided by new viewers and classic fans. Based on Shaw’s statement, it seems like the effort put into the spy comedy was lackluster.

Source: Vanity Fair

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The Avengers (1998): In this British spy adventure, agent John Steed partners with Doctor Mrs. Emma Peel to thwart Sir August de Wynter’s scheme to control the world’s weather. Steed, operating under the directives of “Mother,” investigates Peel who is suspected of involvement in the villain’s plot.

Release Date

August 13, 1998

Runtime

89 minutes

Cast

Ralph Fiennes
, Uma Thurman
, Sean Connery
, Patrick Macnee
, Jim Broadbent
, Fiona Shaw
, Eddie Izzard
, Eileen Atkins
, John Wood
, Carmen Ejogo
, Keeley Hawes
, Shaun Ryder
, Nicholas Woodeson
, Michael Godley
, Richard Lumsden
, Solly Assa
, Nadim Sawalha
, Christopher Godwin
, David Webber

Character(s)

John Steed
, Emma Peel
, Sir August de Wynter
, Invisible Jones (voice)
, Mother
, Father
, Bailey
, Alice
, Trubshaw
, Brenda
, Tamara
, Donavan
, Dr. Darling
, Butler
, Boodle’s Porter
, Bob
, World Council of Ministers

Director

Jeremiah S. Chechik

Writers

Don MacPherson

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