NBC Olympics, Fandango to premiere 'I Love Movies: Rio Olympic Edition' video series, featuring swimmers Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin, Matt Grevers

NBC Olympics and Fandango launch multi-month celebration of original programming featuring dozens of athletes sharing the movies that inspired their Olympic journeys

NBC Olympics, preparing to broadcast thousands of hours of coverage from this summer's upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Fandango, the nation's leading digital destination for all things movies, are joining forces for the first time on Fandango's "I Love Movies: Rio Olympic Edition" digital video series, premiering today. The debut kicks off a multi-month Olympic celebration of original programming on Fandango, leading up to NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremony on Friday, Aug. 5.

The first three episodes of the series, available for viewing now on Fandango Movieclips on YouTube and Fandango.com, feature Olympic swimmers Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and Matt Grevers, all of whom share their love of movies and the cherished film moments that have impacted their lives as athletes.

Over the next several months, NBC Olympics and Fandango plan to release multiple episodes with dozens of athletes from gymnastics, track and field, diving, basketball, rugby and Paralympic events, who will share their favorite, most inspiring movies, including "The Blind Side," "Miracle," "Race," "Bend It Like Beckham," "Gladiator" and "Star Wars." Interviews for "I Love Movies" are conducted by Cal Fussman, New York Times bestselling author and writer-at-large for Esquire Magazine. 

"The biggest stars this summer will be the Olympians going for the gold in Rio, and the special edition of our 'I Love Movies' series will reveal the movies that have inspired them on their Olympic journey," said Sandro Corsaro, Fandango chief creative officer. "We are very excited to partner for the first time with our sister company, NBC Olympics, to help celebrate their upcoming expansive coverage from Rio."

Fandango's "I Love Movies" showcases cultural influencers across globe, sharing personal stories and introducing fans to the movies that have touched their lives. Previous episodes have featured NBA all-star Dwight Howard, Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski, Grammy Award winners Reba McEntire and Brad Paisley, skateboarding icon and X Games gold medalist Tony Hawk, five-time heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield, rock legend Slash, rapper-producer Soulja Boy and author John Green.