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Why was King John excommunicated by Pope Innocent III?

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Magna Carta Opening of the preamble to Magna Carta of 1215; in the British Library (Cotton MS Augustus II 106).

King John was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III primarily due to a dispute over the appointment of the archbishop of Canterbury following the death of Hubert Walter in 1205.12

When the monks of Canterbury and King John proposed different candidates for the position, Pope Innocent III rejected both and instead secured the election of Stephen Langton in 1206. John refused to accept Langton, barred him from entering England, and seized the revenues of the Canterbury see.123

In response, the Pope imposed an interdict on England in 1208, which forbade the administration of most sacraments and church rites. When John remained defiant, the Pope proceeded to excommunicate him in November 1209. The conflict persisted until 1213, when John, facing the threat of a French invasion and needing to secure his position, finally agreed to accept Langton and the Pope’s terms, eventually surrendering his kingdom to the papacy as a fief to gain the Pope as an ally.1234