When it comes to Hollywood , there’s no shortage of fan theories regarding some of our favorite movies. One such movie — 1996 ‘s The Rock , starring Sean Connery — is a James Bond movie, at least if you ask the folks on Reddit .
It’s a fun theory, one that’s gained momentum over the past few years. Unfortunately, it’s also totally incorrect, according to co-producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
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We need a refresher.
The movie features Connery as SAS Captain John Patrick Mason and Nicolas Cage as FBI Special Agent Dr. Stanley Goodspeed.
It’s directed by Michael Bay, so you kind of know what to expect plot-wise and explosions-wise. But Connery’s role has him doing James Bond-ish stuff, and the further down the rabbit hole you go, the more convincing the theory becomes.
What’s the evidence?
Connery’s character mentions in the film that he was trained by British Intelligence and captured in 1962 — the same year as the first Bond film, Dr. No .
If you’re willing to suspend your disbelief, the two timelines — the one established by the full chronology of Bond films, and the one within The Rock — match up fairly well.
Jerry Bruckheimer might be able to shed some light on the issue.
The mega-producer recently took part in a Reddit AMA, ostensibly to talk about his newest film, Top Gun: Maverick . But one of the most upvoted questions in the thread dealt not with the Top Gun reboot, but about the James Bond / The Rock fan theory.
Bruckheimer simply isn’t having it.
If you were hoping for some kind of elaboration on the theory from Bruckheimer, you’ll be disappointed.
When asked if The Rock was a Bond film, Bruckheimer responded curtly, “It was never discussed or even thought about it.”
Well, I guess that’s that.
But…the fan theory…
Bruckheimer was one of the principals involved in The Rock who would know, so his word should be taken as gospel. Still, the flat denial of the rumor didn’t sit right with some commenters.
“You hired Sean Connery, and the obvious similarities between John Mason and James Bond weren’t EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT?” asked one incredulous Redditor.
Jerry Bruckheimer’s done talking about it.
While his response led to further discussion (including a theory that he couldn’t publicly acknowledge that The Rock was a Bond film for copyright reasons), Bruckheimer didn’t take the bait to reply to any of the comments.
He was there to promote the new Top Gun , after all.
Do we just accept that the movie isn’t a Bond film?
That would seem to be the simplest explanation, considering no one involved in production of the movie has hinted that it’s actually a Bond movie. But it’s still hard to let go of the theory.
We’ll see a Bruckheimer/Cage reunion soon enough.
Connery’s co-star in The Rock is set to work with Bruckheimer once again, even if it won’t be on another film set in the same universe.
“I love Nicolas, he’s a brilliant actor and we are currently working on a script for National Treasure ,” wrote Bruckheimer.
Do you believe the fan theory?
Artists can be notoriously cagey about their work, particularly when copyrighted intellectual property is involved.
Have you seen The Rock ? It’s a perfect piece of ’90s nostalgia — and allegedly a secret Bond film to boot. Let us know your thoughts on the movie, along with your thoughts on the various fan theories, in the comments section.
