{"id":761741,"date":"2026-07-14T04:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T04:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/761741\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T04:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T04:58:13","slug":"gladiator-meets-the-lord-of-the-rings-in-hbo-maxs-497m-historical-epic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/761741\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Gladiator\u2019 Meets \u2018The Lord of the Rings\u2019 in HBO Max\u2019s $497M Historical Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the great beauties of entertainment in the modern age is the presence of variety. As we enjoy the wonders of Hollywood, esteemed filmmakers like James Cameron<\/a> deliver back-to-back box office hits<\/a>. From sci-fi to westerns, musicals, and epic horror tales, there is always a niche and genre for people to enjoy. One of the most celebrated genres in the industry, however, is the action-packed historical war epics<\/a>. These sword-and-sandal features take us back to different times in human history, often bringing the circumstances of our forebears to life. Toss fantasy into the mix, and we get the greatest film trilogy of all time, Peter Jackson<\/a>‘s critically acclaimed The Lord of the Rings<\/a> trilogy.<\/p>\n

To this day, Jackson’s work with J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium<\/a> is still held in high regard despite the improvement in technology and the industry at large. The Lord of the Rings films of the early 2000s made certain actors synonymous with the heroes in Tolkien’s tales. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better Gandalf than Sir Ian McKellen<\/a>, or a better elf skilled with a bow like Orlando Bloom<\/a>, who played Legolas of the Woodland Realm. However, with the conclusion of the trilogy with the release of The Return of the King in December 2003, these stars and their colleagues moved on to other projects, including one tale that helped shape Western civilization.<\/p>\n

The ancient Greeks and their epic poems and tales are some of the most iconic stories ever told. It was the foundation upon which Troy, the 2004 adaptation of Homer\u2019s The Iliad, was laid. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by future Game of Thrones co-creator David Benioff<\/a>. For years, Brad Pitt<\/a> has been the perfect man for Hollywood’s big occasions, and that remained true for Troy, as he played the leading role of Achilles. Starring alongside Pitt were Lord of the Rings’ Bloom and Sean Bean<\/a>, who plays Boromir in The Lord of the Rings and Odysseus in Troy. Now, ahead of the highly anticipated and somewhat controversial release of Christopher Nolan’s own Greek mythology movie, The Odyssey<\/a>, based on Homer’s poem. Petersen’s Troy has become a streaming sensation on HBO Max, while making inroads on VOD platforms like Apple TV Store, according to FlixPatrol.<\/p>\n

Collider Exclusive \u00b7 Middle-earth Quiz
\n Which Lord of the Rings
Character Are You?
\n One Quiz \u00b7 Ten Questions \u00b7 Your Fate Revealed<\/p>\n

The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly \u2014 the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc8dFrodo<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf3fSamwise<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc51Aragorn<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd25Gandalf<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udff9Legolas<\/p>\n

\u2692\ufe0fGimli<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udc41\ufe0fSauron<\/p>\n

\ud83e\udea8Gollum<\/p>\n

\n BEGIN YOUR QUEST \u2192\n <\/p>\n

01<\/p>\n

You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do?
\n The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.<\/p>\n

\n AAccept it. Someone has to, and running changes nothing.
\n BStay by the side of whoever carries it. They shouldn’t go alone.
\n CStep forward and lead. This is exactly what I was made for.
\n DIt’s mine now. I won’t let anyone else have it.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

02<\/p>\n

Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You:
\n True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.<\/p>\n

\n AFollow them without hesitation. I’d rather die beside them than live without them.
\n BRally others and forge a plan to help \u2014 strength in numbers.
\n COffer wisdom and guidance. My counsel may save them where swords cannot.
\n DLet them go. Only the strong survive, and sentiment is a weakness.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

03<\/p>\n

Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is:
\n Power corrupts \u2014 but only those who reach for it.<\/p>\n

\n ADestroy it. Nothing good comes from power this absolute.
\n BUse it to protect those I love \u2014 just this once.
\n CWield it wisely. I have the will and the knowledge to do good with it.
\n DSeize it. I have waited long enough. It belongs to me.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

04<\/p>\n

What does “home” mean to you?
\n Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.<\/p>\n

\n AA simple, peaceful place \u2014 green hills, good food, no adventure required.
\n BWherever the people I love are. Home is a feeling, not a place.
\n CA kingdom I must earn before I can truly claim it as mine.
\n DI lost it long ago. That loss is what drives everything I do.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

05<\/p>\n

When a battle is upon you, your approach is:
\n War reveals what we are made of \u2014 whether we like it or not.<\/p>\n

\n ASurvive by any means. I’m not a fighter \u2014 but I’ll do what I must.
\n BFight for the person beside me, not for glory or honour.
\n CLead the charge. Nothing inspires an army like a king at the front.
\n DStrike from range, fast and precise \u2014 never let them get close.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

06<\/p>\n

Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You:
\n Wisdom is not knowing all the answers \u2014 it’s knowing which questions to ask.<\/p>\n

\n AListen, then offer honest encouragement. Sometimes people just need belief.
\n BGive them practical help \u2014 words are fine, but action is better.
\n CSpeak carefully. I have seen much, and I know what counsel can cost.
\n DTell them what they want to hear. Trust is a tool like any other.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

07<\/p>\n

How do you see yourself, honestly?
\n Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.<\/p>\n

\n ASmall and ordinary \u2014 but perhaps that’s exactly why I was chosen.
\n BDefined entirely by who I serve and love. I am nothing without them.
\n CForged by hardship into something the world has not yet fully seen.
\n DDiminished from what I once was \u2014 and consumed by the need to reclaim it.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

08<\/p>\n

Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world?
\n Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.<\/p>\n

\n AI find peace in it \u2014 forests, rivers, open skies. Nature restores me.
\n BI prefer the earth underfoot \u2014 stone, mines, solid and real things.
\n CI have watched the world change for longer than most can comprehend.
\n DNature offers hiding places, cold water, raw fish. That’s enough for me.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

09<\/p>\n

You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You:
\n How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.<\/p>\n

\n AShow mercy. Even the most broken souls deserve a chance at redemption.
\n BPity them \u2014 but never trust them. They made their choices.
\n CSee them as a tool. Their knowledge or skills may still serve a purpose.
\n DDestroy them before they can cause more harm. Mercy is a luxury we cannot afford.\n <\/p>\n

NEXT QUESTION \u2192<\/p>\n

10<\/p>\n

When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you?
\n In the end, we are all just stories.<\/p>\n

\n AThat an ordinary person did an extraordinary thing \u2014 and came home.
\n BThat I never abandoned the person who needed me most.
\n CThat I was worthy of the crown \u2014 and everything it demanded.
\n DNothing. I don’t need songs. I needed it, and now it’s gone.\n <\/p>\n

REVEAL MY FATE \u2192<\/p>\n

The Fellowship Has Spoken
\n Your Place in Middle-earth<\/p>\n

The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story \u2014 the Fellowship was never made of simple people.<\/p>\n

\n \ud83d\udc8d
\n Frodo<\/p>\n

\n \ud83c\udf3f
\n Samwise<\/p>\n

\n \ud83d\udc51
\n Aragorn<\/p>\n

\n \ud83d\udd25
\n Gandalf<\/p>\n

\n \ud83c\udff9
\n Legolas<\/p>\n

\n \u2692\ufe0f
\n Gimli<\/p>\n

\n \ud83d\udc41\ufe0f
\n Sauron<\/p>\n

\n \ud83e\udea8
\n Gollum<\/p>\n

You carry something heavy \u2014 and you carry it alone, even when you don’t have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.<\/p>\n

You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated \u2014 but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you’d do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.<\/p>\n

You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.<\/p>\n

You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know \u2014 which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.<\/p>\n

Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure \u2014 you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.<\/p>\n

You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable \u2014 and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don’t do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.<\/p>\n

You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control \u2014 not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you’re not entirely wrong \u2014 just entirely too far gone to course-correct.<\/p>\n

You are a study in contradiction \u2014 pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes \u2014 but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.<\/p>\n

\n \u21bb RETAKE THE QUIZ\n <\/p>\n

‘The Odyssey’ Is a Star-Studded Adaptation From Christopher Nolan<\/p>\n

Just like with ancient Rome. A trip to Ancient Greece is always worth it, be it via the pages of books or the pristine lens of 70mm IMAX film cameras<\/a>, like Nolan\u2019s upcoming ambitious adaptation of Homer’s legendary epic. Starring several A-list stars, The Odyssey<\/p>\n

is already shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of the year<\/a>. Several reviews have praised the work done by Nolan, with Collider’s own <\/a>Perri Nemiroff<\/a> referring to The Odyssey as “a filmmaking feast” and “a grand and gripping rendition of Homer\u2019s epic, and one that feels uniquely Christopher Nolan.” Likewise, Collider’s Steve Weintraub<\/a> described it as<\/a> “incredible,” writing, “I’m really blown away by this film.”<\/p>\n

The cast includes Matt Damon<\/a> as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who embarks on a 20-year journey back home after fighting in the Battle of Troy. Tom Holland as Telemachus, his son, who is not yet old enough to rule in his stead. Anne Hathaway as Penelope, his grieving wife and de facto queen with no real power in Ithaca. The Odyssey looks poised to sweep the box office. When you toss in other stars like Robert Pattinson, Corey Hawkins, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Berthal, Zendaya<\/a>, Charlize Theron, and more, it feels like a forgone conclusion that the film will succeed when it arrives in theaters on July 17.<\/p>\n

You can see Nolan’s The Odyssey in theaters on July 17 and stream Troy on Max. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the great beauties of entertainment in the modern age is the presence of variety. As we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":761742,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[88,206],"class_list":["post-761741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=761741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/761741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/761742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=761741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=761741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=761741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}