For the latest episode of the Film Stories podcast, a war movie, a boxing movie, and a few problems in the making of both.

1963's The Great Escape was a film that director John Sturges couldn't initially get off the ground, and he needed his success with The Magnificent Seven to make it happen. When it did? It wasn't the easiest of productions, with a lot of chopped down trees, and a star who wasn't happy with his part in the film.

Sylvester Stallone wasn't initially chomping at the bit to make Rocky III meanwhile, but when he opted to make the movie, his script would reflect the difficulties he was facing himself at the time. Then there was the small matter of finding the actor to play his opponent: Clubber Lang...

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Find Simon on Twitter and Bluesky at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstories

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