James Bond filmography portrayal of Bond into the history of the others in the series through the post-credits sequence use of the , previously seen in "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball", "thus immediately evoking the memory of [Sean] Connery". Brosnan's characterisation of Bond was seen by Jeremy Black as being "closer to the Fleming novels than Moore ... yet he is also lighter and less intense than Dalton". Black also commented that the shift in character in the first three films reflected changing social opinions, with Bond not smoking. Brosnan was clear he wanted to change Bond's smoking habit, saying "I don't give a damn
James Bond filmography boring". After a hiatus of one film—"On Her Majesty's Secret Service", in which George Lazenby played Bond—Connery returned to the role for "Diamonds Are Forever" after David Picker, the head of United Artists, made it clear that Connery was to be enticed back to the role and that money was no object. When approached about resuming the role of Bond, Connery demanded—and received—a fee of £1.25 million (£ million in pounds), 12.5% of the gross profits and, as a further enticement, United Artists offered to back two films of his choice. His performance received mixed reviews, with Raymond Benson considering