Comic book movies are all the rage now, attracting big box office, A-list stars, critical acclaim, and even major awards. But there was once a time when they were, how to put this kindly, not great. One such example, and possibly one of the best examples of this bygone era, is 2003’s , which was so bad that it caused major Hollywood player and former James Bond, Sean Connery , to quit acting forever.
Directed by Blade’s Stephen Norrington, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is based on the comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West, Jason Flemyng, and Richard Roxburgh alongside Connery, the superhero action movie follows several literary characters as they join forces (much like a literary Avengers) to stop a mysterious global threat. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is now streaming free on Tubi , and you can check out the official synopsis below.
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“A team of extraordinary figures culled from great adventure literature (including Alan Quatermain, vampiress Mina Harker from Dracula, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, an American secret service agent named Sawyer, Captain Nemo, and Dorian Gray), are called to stop a villain intent on turning the nations of the world against one another.”
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was mercilessly savaged by critics at the time, earning a score of just 14% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were kinder, awarding the movie a still “rotten” 44% and helping the movie garner financial success with over $179 million at the worldwide box office.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has become an infamous guide on how not to make a comic book adaptation. Particularly the ones written by Alan Moore. The movie marked Connery’s final live-action role (he provided his voice for a couple of projects afterward) before his retirement in 2006 and death in 2020 at the age of 90. At the time, it was widely reported that Connery and director Stephen Norrington did not get along. Which is probably an understatement. “I’m fed up with the idiots,” Connery said upon announcing he was quitting Hollywood, alluding to his experience working with Norrington. “The ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who greenlight the movies.”
The pair even reportedly came to blows on set after the filmmaker shut down production for a whole day over his dissatisfaction with a prop. Connery was said to be “livid,” threatening to get Norrington fired. Norrington then reportedly challenged Connery, declaring, “I’m sick of it! Come on, I want you to punch me in the face!” While these stories were questioned by some of the other cast, namely Dorian Gray actor Stuart Townsend, Norrington did not attend the movie’s LA premiere, with Connery replying “Check the local asylum” when asked about the filmmaker’s whereabouts. Surely, you can't pass up the chance to stream this infamous piece of cinematic history for free?
