I don't know if wiki is reliable on this, and I don't have access to IMDB at work, but Cosmic Banditos is apparently going to be made with John Cusack directing. I'd like to see someone like Sam Rockwell play the part of Mr. Quark, even though it screams the cliche J. Depp role. Luis Guzman as Jose would also be cool. If done right, this movie will be unreal. Chances are, it'll meet my expectations at god awful.
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman. A more cynical take on intergalactic war than Starship Troopers (though I think both stories are epic). "The Long Watch" - Robert Heinlein. A short story from The Green Hills of Earth. Read it and you'll understand. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson. An epic mix of Sumerian mythology, futuristic internets and samurai swords.
Two books come to mind for me. They are both by Ken Follett. The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. They are 2 of my favorite books of all time. I feel like they could be some of the most epic movies ever, if they followed the story to nearly every detail. In fact, it would be better suited for a mini series or just a regular series in general, simply because they are each well over 1000 pages. They take place in medieval England, the first around 1200 and the second right around 1350 if I am not mistaken. In short, Pillars is about a family where the father is an architect and chief builder of cathedrals. He has a few very motivated and selfish adversaries and they will stop at nothing to see him fail. The second book is about descendants of the dad from "Pillars" who is also a very gifted builder and architect and his family is dealing with the plague. The books chronicle every detail of these peoples' lives and all the drama they encounter. The character development is perfect. Each of the stories cross several decades, but the plot is clear and the characters' motivations are such that you really are able to identify with their struggles and triumphs. On second thought, I hope they never make these books into a movie because they will NEVER get it right. There is just too much involved to do the books justice.
Seriously, buy the book instead of audio. It's one of those books you can just read over and over and it never gets tired (though I can state that 20% of the material you read is utter bullshit). You get every side of the endless head-shaking stories from all four band members (Mick has the most engaging and mature way of putting things, Tommy you just want to punch in the face for being so stupid), and they pull no punches on how they felt/still feel about each other. Even temp singer John "Crabs" Corabi has a couple of chapters, as well as managers and other associates that went though hell working with these drug-and-booze-fueled lunatics.