You Think You Know Movies?

You definitely know Alien, and you love the series’ long-running heroine, Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver. But did you know that in the original script for Alien, Ripley wasn’t written as a female role? It was director Ridley Scott who had the idea to make the character female, and to cast a relative unknown, because he thought (correctly) that audiences would assume this young woman was doomed, leading to a surprise when she becomes the survivor of the xenomorph’s attack. That’s just one of the alienating facts featured in the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

Everyone remembers E.T. and his famous lines like “Be good” and “E.T. phone home.” But did you know that the voice of E.T. was provided by at least 18 different people? It’s true; the majority of his lines were provided by Pat Welsh, an elderly smoker. But additional sounds and lines were provided by director Steven Spielberg, actress Debra Winger, and sound designer Ben Burtt’s sleeping wife when she had a cold. That’s just one of the extra-terrestrial facts featured in the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

If you saw The Fate of the Furious over the weekend, you saw its fun opening race, set in Havana, Cuba. But did you know the eighth Fast & Furious was the first Hollywood movie in decades to shoot on the island? It’s true; and it’s just one of the facts featured in the latest installment of You Think You Know Movies!

You know that Christopher Reeve played Superman in four movies in the 1970s and ’80s. And you know he didn’t get to wear a suit that enhanced his muscles like many of the movie superheroes that came after him. But did you know that Reeve got into shape to play the Man of Steel by using a training regimen supervised by none other than David Prowse, the man who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy? It’s true, and it’s just one of the facts featured in the latest installment of You Think You Know Movies!

You surely know that Paul Walker tragically passed away in 2013. But did you know that in order to finish Furious 7 while giving his character, Brian O’Conner, a fitting sendoff, the creators of Furious 7 had to use a combination of digital effects and body doubles, which included Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody? That’s just one of the fast facts featured in the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

If you saw Tim Burton’s original Batman, you remember Billy Dee Williams playing the role of Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent. Williams never got to play Dent’s evil alter ego, though; when Dent became Two-Face in Batman Forever, the role was recast with Tommy Lee Jones. That all changed with The LEGO Batman Movie though, when Williams got to play Two-Face by providing the voice for the role in the new animated film. That’s just one of the LEGO facts featured in the latest installment of You Think You Know Movies!

If you’ve seen the original Ghost in the Shell anime, you remember some of the classic shootout scenes. But did you know to get authentic gunplay correct in the movie, director Mamoru Oshii took his staff to Guam to practice firing weapons? During their research, they discovered that there are no sparks when bullets ricochet off stone, which is why there aren’t any sparks in the film’s museum scene. That’s just one of the ghostly facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

If you’ve seen Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, you definitely remember the alien warrior Dulcea. But did you know that Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay was cast in the role at one point, and even filmed several scenes for the movie? Eventually, producers decided she wasn’t right for the part and replaced her. That’s just one of the mighty facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

If you’ve seen Guardians of the Galaxy, you know and love Baby Groot and his dancing antics in the closing credits. But did you know Groot’s moves were based on the dancing of director James Gunn? It’s true. And that’s just one of the galaxy-spanning facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!

You know Kristen Stewart from the Twilight franchise. But did you know she got the role of Bella Swan because of her work in another movie? In 2007, Stewart played a supporting role in Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch. It was Hirsch who recommended Stewart to Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, and set the actress on the path to her most famous part. That’s just one of the facts in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!