Curated playlist
American epic fantasy films
- The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)Ralph Bakshi used footage of actors in Orc costumes walking to lunch in his 1978 Lord of the Rings film.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingMany stars turned down Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. Sean Connery said he did not understand the plot.
- Star Wars (film)George Lucas forgot Star Wars was opening the day it came out. That night, he saw crowds lined up outside a theater.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Return of the King won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for. No fantasy film had won Best Picture before it.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersGollum was first planned as a voice only, played by Andy Serkis. Actors did better with him on set.
- Star Wars: The Last JediIn Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke hesitates to burn the Jedi library, so Yoda's spirit does it.
- The Empire Strikes BackOn the set of The Empire Strikes Back, the actor playing Vader was given a fake line.
- Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom MenaceA sudden sandstorm wrecked the Tunisian set of The Phantom Menace. The shoot still left Tunisia on schedule.
- Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerJohn Boyega left a Rise of Skywalker script in a hotel room, and it turned up on eBay.
- Star Wars: The Force AwakensIn early drafts of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Luke took over every scene. So he became the one being sought.
- Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the ClonesAttack of the Clones was the first Star Wars film not to be its year's top earner. It grossed $653.8 million worldwide.
- Excalibur (film)The 1981 film Excalibur began as an attempt to adapt The Lord of the Rings.
- The Odyssey (2026 film)The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan's film of Homer's ancient epic, went on sale to ticket buyers on the 17th of July 2025, exactly one year before its release. That was considered an unprecedented move for a major distributor, and audiences…