# Burt Reynolds never made a sci-fi movie. He turned down two in the 1970s, but ‘Star Wars’ isn’t the one that got away

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/burt-reynolds-never-made-a-sci-fi-movie-he-turned-down-two-in-the-1970s-but-star-wars-isnt-the-one-that-got-away/
- Published: 2026-10-31T00:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T01:51:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/burt-reynolds-never-made-a-sci-fi-movie-turned-down-two-1970s/
- Topics: Business, Celebrity, Entertainment, Film, Markets

## Key points

- Reynolds passed on Han Solo to make *Smokey and the Bandit*.
- He regretted missing *Zardoz* after illness forced him to withdraw.
- *Star Wars* became 1977’s box-office leader and propelled Harrison Ford.

## Summary

Burt Reynolds never appeared in a science-fiction film, despite turning down roles in two prominent 1970s projects. He declined Han Solo in *Star Wars* because it clashed with *Smokey and the Bandit*, and said he did not feel he had missed out; the article argues that passing on *Zardoz* was the decision he regretted.

Reynolds became one of Hollywood’s biggest box-office draws during the science-fiction boom that followed *Star Wars*. *Smokey and the Bandit* was the second-highest-grossing film of 1977, while *Star Wars* topped the box office and made Harrison Ford a household name. Reynolds said illness forced him to withdraw from John Boorman’s *Zardoz*, and he later felt bad about disappointing the director, whom he regarded as the best he had worked with.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.