Zardoz is a 1974 science fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman and starring Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling. It depicts a post-apocalyptic world where barbarians (the Brutals) worship the stone idol Zardoz while growing food for a hidden elite, the Eternals. The Brutal Zed, driven by curiosity about Zardoz, instigates a confrontation between the two peoples. Boorman decided to make the film after his abortive attempt at dramatising The Lord of the Rings.