The Empire Film Podcast

The London Film Festival — one of the greatest festivals in the world, and we're not just saying that because it's right on our doorstep and we can see a film and still be home in time for a combo of cocoa and Columbo — is back back back, folks, and to celebrate we are once again bringing you a special episode of the Empire Podcast. This one is a little different, in that it features two brief interviews with Michael Winterbottom and Randall Park, two directors who both have films at the festival (Shoshana and Shortcomings, respectively), in which they tell Chris Hewitt about their film festival experiences in general. If you want to hear more from both men, longer interviews will be gracing regular episodes of the Empire Podcast soon. Then, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Beth Webb, Ben Travis, and Sophie Butcher, who talk about their LFF memories and then recommend the films that they are looking forward to most this year. Enjoy.

Another hat-trick of directors on this week's beautifully-designed, utterly symmetrical Empire Podcast, folks. First, Ben Travis says what a marvellous day for a chat with David Gordon Green, director of The Exorcist: Believer. Then, Beth Webb (yes, actual Beth Webb, back on the podcast!) chats with Chloe Domont, the writer/director of the savage relationship drama, Fair Play. And then John Nugent travels to Venice to have a chat with the one and only Wes Anderson — who was wearing pyjamas monogrammed with his own initials — about his Roald Dahl short films, currently streaming on Netflix. John didn't have any pod equipment with him, which is why his audio is slightly spotty in this one. Then, back in the virtual podbooth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which they review The Exorcist: Believer, Fair Play, The Great Escaper and Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, come to grips with an almost total absence of movie news, and answer a listener question (well, more of a challenge, really) that leaves Amon, Helen and James in particular shaken AND stirred. Enjoy. RUNNING ORDER (all timings approx)Intro/Listeners QuestionDavid Gordon Green: 23:24.00 - 42.48.00Movie NewsChloe Domont: 54:21.00 - 1:12:51.00ReviewsWes Anderson: 1:36:29.00 - 1:56:09.00

Loki who's back! Yes, it's Tom Hiddleston's God Of Mischief, back for another season of melon-melting misadventures with the time-hopping TVA. And in this very special preview of Loki season 2, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with the show's executive producer, Kevin R. Wright, and Marvel visual effects legend-turned-director Dan DeLeeuw to talk about Loki's arc, the show's unique aesthetic, new characters, and more. This is a preview episode, and we're very mindful of spoilers, so this should be safe for you to listen to before the first episode drops on Disney+ on Friday October 6. However, DeLeeuw is the director of the season's second episode, and so much of that conversation is focused on that, so you might want to wait a week or so before you listen to all of that. Or ask the TVA to sort it out for you. They're good with time, we hear. Enjoy.

We love the London Podcast Festival — held every year at our spiritual home of Kings Place, London — so much that this year we did not one, but TWO podcasts there. The first, aka The Artist Also Known As Episode 581, is already up for your listening pleasure, but we're very excited and proud to bring you the second, which is the mash-up episode the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — recorded with the brilliant ladies of the Drunk Women Solving Crime podcast. That's a pod, if you haven't guessed, in which a group of women — Taylor Glenn, Hannah George, and Catie Wilkins — solve crime. While drunk (mostly). So, naturally, we were the only choice to team up with them for the LPF, given that Chris and Helen are teetotal, and James only drinks to forget. Anyway, we had a simply lovely time with the Drunk Women gang, solving a true-life Hollywood crime, suggesting our own entries for Worst Movie Crime, and then helping to crack the case of an audience member or two. It was raucous, hilarious, and features the best Jennifer Coolidge impression this side of... well, of Jennifer Coolidge. Enjoy.

It's another jam-packed episode of the Empire Podcast this week, as Chris Hewitt chats to three very different directors, and learns a lot about them (and himself) along the way. First up is John Carney, the Irish director of ultra-charming musical comedy-dramas like Sing Street and his new movie, Flora & Son, who tells Chris all about his first guitar, focusing on his childhood, and directing Eve Hewson in the title role. Then Gareth Edwards, who makes a triumphant return this week with new sci-fi The Creator some seven years after his bruising experience directing Rogue One, sits down with Chris for a natter about opening weekends, and forging the right creative path. And last but not least, Chris talks caps (financial and sartorial) with Craig Gillespie, director of Dumb Money. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they talk about the movie they've seen most often in the last ten years; discuss actual movie news in the week that the Writers' Strike finally got resolved; and review Saw X, No One Will Save You, The Creator, and The Old Oak, which is reportedly the last film for the legendary Ken Loach. Oh, and James declares war on a badger. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS (ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?): Intro/Listeners Question: 0:00.00 -- 20:38John Carney -- 20:38 - 39:24Movie News -- 39:25 - 1:01:00Gareth Edwards -- 1:02:00 - 1:19:00Reviews -- 1:19:05 - 1:40:00Craig Gillespie/Outro -- 1:40:05 - 1:58:52

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees comedian, actor, writer, director and future King of England, Mike Birbiglia, drop by the podbooth to have an extended, but very funny, natter with Chris Hewitt about Birbiglia's one-man show, The Old Man And The Pool, which is on now at the Wyndham's Theatre in London. They talk about that, about Mike's attempts to crack Ireland, about his movie Don't Think Twice (from 2016), and more. Then Chris is joined on Zoom by Brian Duffield, the writer/director of the very good alien/home invasion thriller, No One Will Save You, which hits Disney+ this week. And either side of those, Chris is joined in the studio by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they further develop a plan to save cinema, try heroically to stretch the movie news section out to a decent length despite the absence of any movie news, and review Flora & Son, Dumb Money, Ballywalter, and The Expend4bles, which we regret to inform you appears to be the film's official title. Oh, and Chris has a few timestamps of interest for those asking. Bear in mind, these are approx, because of adverts and such, but Mike Birbiglia runs from 19:38 to 47:04 or thereabouts; Brian Duffield is 1:05:00 to 1:22:00, and there's a very special one for the guy who left us a glowing review on Apple's podcast store the other week, but nevertheless gave us two stars because we often forget to include timestamps. You, and he, can find that between 06:28 and 06:33. Enjoy!

They say you should never invite a vampire into your home, because then they can come and go as they please, without even stopping to do the dishes. But what if you invite the director of a vampire movie into your podcast? Well, frankly, Pablo Larrain, the brilliant Chilean director of Jackie, No, and Spencer is welcome to drop into the podbooth any time after this week's episode, in which Chris Hewitt invites him to sit down and natter all about his new movie, El Conde, in which the Chilean director, General Pinochet, is reimagined as a bloodsucking, power-hungry vampire. Either side of that chat (which starts at 41:36.00 approximately, and goes on to 1:00:52.00 approx.), Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer. Together, the trio chat about James' Indiana Jones-related mishap in a film quiz, they look at the week's movie news (such as it is; this was recorded before the Aquaman 2 trailer dropped); and review Kenneth Branagh's A Haunting In Venice, El Conde, Brother, Love Life, and Cassandro. Plus, they tackle a listener question about the impact of Covid and the current strikes on cinema chains, and come up with a revolutionary path forward for cinema. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is a little late, folks, for which we apologise. But we have an exceptionally good excuse — we didn't actually record it until Saturday night, when Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis took to the stage of Kings Place's Hall One, in front of a crowd of around 350 loyal listeners, as part of this year's London Podcast Festival. And this is that show, in which our intrepid quartet bravely tackle an almost comical lack of movie news, review Celine Song's Past Lives, Michael Chaves' The Nun II, and Nia Vardalos' My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, answer a bunch of audience questions, and — we cannot state this enough, for legal reasons — do not make plans to kidnap Ryan Reynolds. They were also joined on the night by ace composer Daniel Pemberton, who told Chris and Helen all about how he used a goose on the score for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and there's a lovely pre-recorded chat between Celine Song, director of the sumptuous Past Lives, and Nick de Semlyen. FYI: Richard Armitage also popped in on the night to tell Chris all about his first novel, the thriller Geneva, but since that's not out until October 12 we're holding that interview back until around then. As ever with our live shows, it's pure chaos, but we had a whale of a time doing it, and hope you have likewise listening. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS (approx.)CELINE SONG: 21:56.00 - 42:18.00DANIEL PEMBERTON: 1:03:55.00 - 1:22:40.00

This week's Empire Podcast sees the arrival of Chris Hewitt's pre-beloved The Equalizer 3, and that film's director, the delightfully sweary Antoine Fuqua, joins Chris to talk about that film, about the challenges of getting Denzel Washington to ride a horse (not for this film), and ultra-violence on the big screen. With blood and gore already covered off, our other guest, Passages writer/director Ira Sachs, talks about the challenges of shooting sex scenes, and battling censorship, for his new film, which sees Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, and Adele Exarchopoulos engage in a love triangle. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined for a raucous episode by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer and, making her debut in the fourth chair, Australian author and massive geek Maria Lewis. She tells us all about her encounters with a brown snake, her upcoming book The Graveyard Shift, and chats with the podteam about their favourite numerical system when it comes to sequels and franchises, the week's movie news (such as it is), and even chips in during the reviews section, when the team take a look at The Equalizer 3, Cobweb, Passages, Vacation Friends 2 and You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah. Oh, and the presence of an Australian in the podbooth can mean only one thing: hold onto your ears, the Aussie accents are coming out. Fair dinkum. Enjoy.

Another Empire Podcast, another trio of terrific guests. The wonderful young British actor Harris Dickinson joins us once again, and tells Chris Hewitt all about his new movie, Scrapper, and his cinema-going preferences (24:24 - 39:20). Then Sophie Butcher Zooms in for a chat with Theater Camp (yes, that's the American spelling; no, we're not happy about it) co-director, Nick Lieberman (1:03:44 - 1:20:07). And then that Hewitt fella is back in his sister's kitchen once again for a chat with Juel Taylor, director of the magnificent They Cloned Tyrone (1:38:33 - 1:54:14). Then Chris manages to zip all the way from Northern Ireland to the podbooth for the rest of the ep, where he's joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a chat about animated shows that deserve a live-action version; a discussion of the week's movie news, including the trailer for Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon and a hastily recorded reaction to the news of Dune Part II's release date shift; and review Scrapper, Theatre Camp (British spelling! HA!), The Innocent, and The Blackening. Oh, and they sing a ton of theme tunes, if that's your bag. Enjoy -- 'ave a banana!

Well, look at that: just in time for the Women's World Cup final this weekend, the Empire Podcast scores a hat-trick of lovely guests. (Well, four actually, which is even better!) Chris Hewitt may be off this week, but he continues to haunt the podcast by conducting two of those interviews, a chat about the impact of YouTube with Alex Winter, former Bill and current director of thought-provoking new documentary, The YouTube Effect, and then a fun and insightful talk about Blue Beetle with that film's director, Angel Manuel Soto. And we're also visited for the first time in a while by old pod-chums, Phil Lord & Chris Miller, who tell Ben Travis all about how they produced raunchy talking dog movie, Strays. And there's a bit of Spider-Verse chat as well, because of course there is. With Chris on a beach, earning 20% (of his Empire salary, so you work out how much that is), Helen O'Hara hosts this week's film-related fun, welcoming James Dyer, Amon Warmann, and Nick de Semlyen into the podbooth, where they talk about Nick's new book, The Last Action Heroes; discuss the dream Q&A they'd love to host; muse on the greatest movie hair; run their collective eye over the week's movie news; and review Strays, Blue Beetle, Hitchcock, Biosphere and Billion Dollar Heist. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast sees Gal Gadot and Alia Bhatt, stars of the new Netflix blockbuster Heart Of Stone, sit down for a lovely chat with Amon Warmann, in which they talk about the dangers of A.I., and Gadot's recent cameo in a major blockbuster. No, not that one. No, not that one either. Amon then hangs around for the episode's other interview, with Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien. And then, in the virtual pod booth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen O'Hara and John Nugent for a fun discussion about sitcom stars breaking out onto the big screen, the week's movie news (including a tribute to the great William Friedkin, who passed away this week), and review Heart Of Stone, Haunted Mansion, Gran Turismo, You Hurt My Feelings, Red, White And Royal Blue, and more. Oh, and John takes delivery of a new sofa. Pivot! Pivooooooot! PIVOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTT! Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast puts the 'Meg' in mega, as Ben Wheatley returns to the podcast to talk about his new film, Meg 2: The Trench. This interview, conducted by Chris Hewitt immediately after our Empire VIP Club screening of the film earlier in the week, is a ton of fin-related fun, with Wheatley talking about how he came to direct a film that is unlike anything else on his filmography, emerging from Spielberg's shadow, and working with The Stath. It all starts around the 55-minute mark. Chris is then joined in the virtual podbooth by James Dyer and Ben Travis to discuss the best band in Star Wars, franchises that run the gamut from five-star to one-star entries, the week's movie news including the possibility of Wonder Woman 3 and Scream VII, and review Meg 2, Joy Ride, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Oh, and Ben (Travis, not Wheatley) finally loses his cool. Enjoy.

Talk to me, Goose! This week sees the release of eagerly-anticipated Australian horror movie, Talk To Me, and Sophie Butcher gets to talk to Talk To Me co-director (along with his brother, Michael), Danny Philippou. Then Sophie is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and the returning Chris Hewitt, who slides back into the host chair after a brief absence and promptly drags everyone down to his level. The trio talk about their recent moviegoing experiences, including Chris' very own Barbenheimer attempt; answer a listener question about the things you shouldn't ask in interviews; talk about the week's movie news, including the ongoing impact of the industry strikes in Hollywood; and review Talk To Me, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (a full review will be in next week's episode), and The Beanie Bubble. Enjoy.

Did you know that Christopher Nolan has a new movie out this week? You would be forgiven for missing it, because we've seen absolutely no coverage of it anywhere. Ahem. Anyway, the film is Oppenheimer, the story of the tortured genius who shepherded the atomic bomb into existence, and on this week's episode Alex Godfrey talks to Nolan about that movie, avoiding the biopic label, David Bowie, and more. Our other guest is Irish documentarian Laura McGann, who talks to Chris Hewitt about her new movie, The Deepest Breath, which dives deep (literally) into the intoxicating but dangerous world of free diving. And with Chris off again this week, Helen O'Hara hosts and is joined by Alex, Ben Travis and Sophie Butcher to discuss the films that made them cry unexpectedly, the week's movie news and, in an epic reviews section, cast their eyes over Oppenheimer, Barbie, The Deepest Breath, and They Cloned Tyrone. That's some serious Benergy right there. Enjoy.

HANDS! CORNER! BEHIND! Those three words can mean only one thing: one of our favourite shows, FX's The Bear, is back for its second season, and that's an occasion so momentous that the Empire Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast teams have once again joined forces to wax lyrical about it (in association with Disney+). Join Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Kay 'The Bear' Ribeiro as they talk about what they loved about the first season of Christopher Storer's Emmy-nominated comedy-drama, look ahead to season 2 (all episodes are now streaming on Disney+, fact fans), and talk about food, music, and Taylor Swift tickets. Enjoy!

Light the fuse! This week sees the long-long-long-long-awaited release of Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie's epic latest addition to the action franchise, and Chris Hewitt chats to two of the IMF's finest, Simon 'Benji Dunn' Pegg and Rebecca 'Ilsa Faust' Ferguson, in a fun interview that touches upon how they coped with the film's incredibly long shoot. Then, with Chris off somewhere editing the first part of our Mission spoiler special chat with Christopher McQuarrie, Helen O'Hara hosts, welcoming James Dyer and Ben Travis into the podbooth to talk about multi-hyphenates, the actors' strike, a whole bunch of trailers, and Taylor Swift tickets. And they review Dead Reckoning Part One, Insidious: The Red Door, Birdbox: Barcelona, The Out-Laws, and more. It's a slam bam thank you ma'am episode. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees things get elemental as Chris Hewitt has an engrossing chat with the stars of the new Pixar movie, Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie. Then things get a little sillier as he sits down with Hayley Atwell, who is a welcome addition to the Mission: Impossible franchise in Dead Reckoning Part One, which opens here on Monday. It's a spoiler-free interview, in which they talk about how Atwell got to grips with her character Grace, about her memories of shooting the first Captain America movie, and about her social media plans, but you might want to wait until you've seen Dead Reckoning Part One just in case. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Jeremy Dylan, making a return to the fourth chair after an absence of a couple of years. Our intrepid quartet answer a question relating to Ethan Hunt, and discuss the movie news including Greta Gerwig directing a couple of Narnia movies, the Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny box office and, of course, the trailer for Dune Part II. And they also review Elemental, the Wham! documentary, Name Me Lawand, and Run Rabbit Run. Enjoy.

This week sees the return (for, sadly, the final time) of everyone's favourite adventurer, Henry Jones Jr., in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, and along with Harrison Ford and John Williams, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall have been with Indy every step of the way from Raiders Of The Lost Ark (the movie on which they met, setting them on the path to getting married). And in this week's Empire Podcast, they sit down with Chris Hewitt for an extended chat that touches upon every single Indy movie. Yes, even that one. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, while Eddie Hamilton, editor of Top Gun: Maverick and the upcoming Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, slides back into the fourth chair for a fun episode in which they discuss Eddie's experiences at the Oscars, James and Chris' experience at the equally prestigious PPA Awards, the order in which they will see Barbie and Oppenheimer, their favourite non-franchise Harrison Ford film, movie news including the casting of the new Superman and Lois Lane, and review Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny. Oh, and Chris grills Helen over her experiences at Glastonbury. It's a cracker of an episode, folks. It belongs in a museum. Enjoy.

Wes Anderson's new film, Asteroid City, has so many incredible actors in it that we were able to send John Nugent to the Cannes Film Festival recently, steal three of them away for interview purposes, and put them back before anyone even noticed. So, in this week's episode of the (soon to be award-losing once again) Empire Podcast, you can hear that fun interview with old hands Adrien Brody, Bryan Cranston and Jeffrey Wright. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by James Dyer and Amon Warmann to finally drive a stake through the heart of the 'which director won a particular decade' question, introduce Amon to horror movie soundtracks, discuss the week's movie news, including an extended look at the repercussions of the weak openings for The Flash and Elemental, and review Asteroid City, No Hard Feelings, and Nimona. Oh, and chaos reigns. Enjoy.

The Wicker Man (the film, not the terrifying, flammable wooden figure) turns 50 this year, and to celebrate it's being re-released in UK cinemas for one day only, on June 21st. And to celebrate that, in this interview special Chris Hewitt sits down with the legendary Britt Ekland, who plays Willow in Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer's classic folk horror, and talks about her troubled relationship with the film and her treatment during/after it, how that relationship has healed over the years, becoming friends with Christopher Lee at the Empire Awards, and much, much more. It's a fun and frank interview that is a must for all fans of The Wicker Man, so whether you have come here of your own free will, whether you have the power of a king, whether you're a virgin, or whether you're a fool, enjoy.

Where do we get those wonderful guests? This week's Empire Podcast brings you the audio from our recent Empire VIP Club Q&A with the one, the only Michael Keaton, on the occasion of his return to the role of Batman in Andy Muschietti's The Flash. Hear Keaton talk to Alex Godfrey about why he signed on to play Batman for Tim Burton, coming up with that voice, and the fun he's having reteaming with Burton on Beetlejuice 2, and then sign up to the Empire VIP Club, why don't you, so you can experience events like this in person. Our other guest this week is the wonderful Alice Lowe, who talks to Mike Muncer about her Take That musical comedy, Greatest Days, and about what we can expect from her next film as a director, Timestalker. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a dissection of the week's movie news, reviews of The Flash, Extraction 2, Pretty Red Dress and Greatest Days, and come up with a brand new musical. Also, with inspiration failing to strike on the question front, they return to an old favourite and ask which director owned the Noughties. [Note: if your favourite director isn't mentioned, chances are they were, and we cut it out. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.] Enjoy! Follow us on the Twitters! @ChrisHewitt @JamesCDyer @HelenLOHara

25 years after it became (for quite a spell) the biggest film of all time at the UK box office, The Full Monty is back with an eight-part limited series, streaming now on Disney+. Writer Simon Beaufoy has reassembled the original cast for a show that goes The Full Monty on the current state of the nation, with Gaz (Robert Carlyle) and chums navigating their way through a series of misadventures that shine a spotlight on everything from the education system to the NHS. In this, the latest collaboration between the Empire Film Podcast and the Pilot TV Podcast, Chris Hewitt sits down with Robert Carlyle and fellow cast members Mark Addy (Dave), Lesley Sharp (Jean), and Steve Huison (Lomper) for candid chats about their return to Sheffield, the show's return, and their relief at being able to keep their clothes on this time. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Kay Ribeiro and James Dyer to talk about their memories of the original film, the phenomenon it became, and their thoughts about the new series. Oh, and Chris has a meltdown about the existence, or lack thereof, of a certain television commercial... Enjoy.

Another jam-packed edition of the freshly award-losing Empire Podcast this week, folks, with three separate interviews, and four incredible guests. First, Chevalier star Kelvin Harrison Jr. talks French accents and violins with Neel Bhatt (making his pod interview debut!). Then, Eva Longoria — director of Flamin' Hot and possessor of one of the best laughs in the business — sits down on Zoom with James White to talk about her feature film directorial debut. And then Chris Hewitt is visited in studio by Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, and gets one of them hopelessly addicted to M&S Phizzy Pigtails. Be warned: there are sounds of chewing during this interview, which we know puts some people off. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. Then, on either side of those interviews, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss which film director owns the 90s, the week's movie news (such as it is), and review Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, Chevalier, Flamin' Hot, and Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. Enjoy!

That's right, woodchuck-checkers, it's Groundhog Day Day! The sensational musical adaptation of the beloved Harold Ramis-Bill Murray comedy is now back on the London stage at The Old Vic, and in this interview special Chris Hewitt sits down with Danny Rubin, writer of the original movie and the book for the musical, Tim Minchin, the mastermind behind the music and lyrics, and director Matthew Warchus, to talk about taking another bite of the cherry, the songs of the musical, its ill-fated Broadway stint, and much, much more. Enjoy.

Greetings, Spidey fans! This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt point at Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse stars, Shameik Moore (aka Miles Morales), Hailee Steinfeld (aka Gwen Stacy), and Daniel Kaluuya (aka Spider-Punk). They also have a fun chat once the fingers are holstered. Speaking of fingers, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, who has her full complement, and James Dyer, who... well, you'll see. Together, the three of them chat about the week's movie news, review Across The Spider-Verse, Rob Savage's The Boogeyman, and Tina Satter's Reality, while they tackle a listener question that asks which director won the 1980s. Whoever it is, we hope they keep it on their mantelpiece. But that's not all! Ian Freer also has a chat with the most excellent Melissa Barrera, star of the recent Scream series and now this week's adaptation of Carmen. OK, let's do this one more time... enjoy!

Since he burst onto the scene in the late Eighties, Spike Lee has been one of the most inventive and vital voices in American cinema. The great director came to London in February to receive a BFI Fellowship, the highest honour the British Film Institute can bestow, and as part of that received the highest honour the Empire Podcast can bestow: an interview special, in which he sits down with Chris Hewitt for a fascinating chat, in which they talk primarily about Malcolm X, his epic biopic of the great African-American civil rights leader and activist, and a few other things besides. A remastered print of Malcolm X is playing at the BFI Southbank as part of the BFI's excellent Film On Film season, which runs from June 8-11. For tickets and info, go to whatson.bfi.org.uk

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is better, down where it's wetter. Although we wouldn't recommend listening to this under the sea, in case you get your phone all soggy. Anyway, this is our way of saying that we're joined this week by Javier Bardem and Daveed Diggs, two of the stars of the latest Disney live-action animation adaptation (try saying that when you're the worse for wear), The Little Mermaid. They talk to Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis, respectively, and both are tons of fun. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen, James Dyer and, in the fourth chair, Kobi Omenaka, co-host of the Flixwatcher podcast, who tells us all about his brush with fame on Gladiators. Then, the four of them pay tribute to Tina Turner, talk about their favourite musicians-turned-actors, discuss the week's movie news (including the sad death of Ray Stevenson), and review The Little Mermaid, Sisu, Master Gardener, and Hypnotic. Listeners, ready! Colleagues of such lethal cunning, ready! Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast lives its life a quarter of a mile at a time, with some hot peri-peri sauce on the side, as Sung Kang — aka Han from Fast X — Zooms in for an extended chat with Chris Hewitt, in which mind-blowing revelations are, um, revealed about Sung's predilection for Nando's, Tesco, and Liverpool FC. Did he and Chris just become best friends? YEP! Elsewhere, in the studio, Chris is joined by James Dyer and Alex Godfrey and, remotely from her Covid-cave, Helen O'Hara for a fun episode in which they tackle another Mount Rushmore question; discuss the 298 trailers that were released this week, including Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One and Gareth Edwards' comeback movie, The Creator; and review Fast X, Beau Is Afraid, and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. Oh, and Chris gives a four-hour lecture on the Pink Panther movies and goes quite insane after discovering a massive conspiracy. And hey, you can't spell 'conspiracy' without... no, we'll let you discover that one for yourselves. Enjoy.

It's been 30 years since Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and Chris Hewitt, in a special preview of a bigger interview to come, sat down with Nick Park to talk all things Aardman. And Aml Ameen joins Amon Warmann to discuss hunting down paramilitaries in '70s London with Sky original Dead Shot. Plus, with Chris in LA, James Dyer, Helen O'Hara and John Nugent converge upon the studio to chat about the movie location landmarks that take them to their respective happy places, whether The Meg 2 will be the greatest film ever made and quite who Jenna Ortega plays in the new Beetlejuice sequel.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy — or, at least, James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy — are about to make their last stand with this week's long-awaited Vol. 3, and in this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt Zooms with Nebula herself, Karen Gillan, for a fun chat taking in everything from conspiracy theories to James Gunn's initial firing from the project, and everything in-between. Chris also has a chat with another regular pod-guest, Joe Russo, who tells Chris about the second year of the St. Andrews International Film Festival, why he never keeps track of his score at golf, and more. That 'more' includes an in-depth chat about the state of the filmmaking union and the rise of A.I. and its impact upon movies, and while this was recorded a couple of weeks ago, it feels very timely now given this week's decision, by the WGA, to call a strike, with the rise of A.I. just one of the issues at stake. Discussion of that decision forms a big old chunk of this week's movie news section, as Chris and Helen O'Hara and James Dyer get their teeth into the issue, but they also find time to talk about the Best Movie Kings (guess why), and review Return To Seoul, The Laureate and, of course, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3. I am Groot.

Yub nub, motherfubbers! To celebrate Return Of The Jedi's 40th anniversary (no, of course that doesn't make us feel old), and re-release in cinemas around the world, we bring you a gift that would have impressed even the mighty Jabba the Hutt: the live podcast we recorded a few weeks ago when Star Wars Celebration came to London. So join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen, and Ben Travis for a fun-filled hour of bad impressions, even worse opinions, audience questions, and Ewok recipes. Oh, and it's a family show, so no swearies! Enjoy.

If this week's episode of the Empire Podcast seems even more incoherent than usual, that's because it was recorded very early in the morning. Mind you, that doesn't explain why Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer are incoherent at the best of times, but we digress. In this episode, our intrepid trio tackle a listener question about Dodgeball 2 and end up answering a completely different Q; discuss the week's movie news, including almost everything that emerged from CinemaCon; and review Peter Pan And Wendy, Polite Society, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry. Chris also has lovely chats (but, crucially, not booty call texts) with the stars of that movie, Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton, and David Lowery, director of Peter Pan And Wendy, who reveals his love of Event Horizon. Do you see? Yes, we see. Enjoy.

Hail to the King, baby! No, we haven't gone all Coronation crazy, folks. Instead, this week's Empire Podcast sees the return of Chris Hewitt's beloved possessed GOAT boy, and all-time favourite filmmaker, Sam Raimi, who rocks up on Zoom to talk about the return of the Evil Dead in Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise. Plus, they talk about -- you'll never guess -- a little film called Evil Dead II, that Chris might have mentioned once or twice on the podcast. But also, hail to the Queen, baby! Chris also has a fun chat, about Deadites, dreams and snakes, with the star of Evil Dead Rise, Australian actress Alyssa Sutherland. Perhaps best listen to that once you've seen the movie. Then, afflicted by the lurgy and dodgy air con, this week's pod was recorded in the virtual podbooth, with Chris joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun chat about the best movie character names for babies, a trawl through what passes for the week's movie news, and reviews of Evil Dead Rise, Ghosted, Missing, and The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan. Not to be confused, of course, with Dogtanian And The Three Muskehounds. All together now: one for all and all for one! Enjoy!

It's an all-British affair on the Empire Podcast this week, as we finally get a chance to bring you the interview Chris Hewitt did with Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre director/star combo, Guy Ritchie and The 'Jason Statham' Stath over a year ago, before the film's release was delayed. Now it's out on Prime Video, here's the perfect chance to hear the duo talk about working together over the years, and Ritchie's unique approach to choreographing action sequences. Then, in an interview that hasn't been locked away in a vault for over a year, Chris sits down with Nicholas Hoult, returning to the pod after a four year break (damn you, Covid!) to talk about playing the title role in Renfield, fizzy water, his approach to choosing roles, and whether or not he has a Draclier in him. Ooer missus and no mistake. Then, in an epic pod either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer to talk about (some of) the greatest arrest scenes in movies (yes, we know we haven't been exhaustive. Yes, we know The Usual Suspects is missing, for one), review Renfield, The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die, One Fine Morning and The Portable Door and, in an expanded news section, talk at length about Star Wars Celebration and all the news that emerged from that, the just-announced Harry Potter TV show, the new Indiana Jones trailer, some MCU casting news and much, much more. So line up a cool refreshing glass of the Devil's Pee and have at it. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast has more stars than Frank Lampard has had managerial jobs at Chelsea, folks. First up, Amon Warmann is The Pope's Exorcist's star's interviewer, as he talks to the great Russell Crowe about accents, Gladiator 2 and more. Then Amon gives Air stars Matt Damon and Marlon Wayans the big old Nike tick of approval in another fun chat. And finally Chris Hewitt rounds things off with a fun if chaotic chat with Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, the stars of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Then Chris and Amon are joined in the podbooth by James Dyer for an episode in which they talk about great movie scenes featuring eggs, discuss a ton of movie news, and review all of the above movies, along with Guy Ritchie's Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. Enjoy.

It's Star Wars Celebration week, folks! The annual Jabba-and-Jawas jamboree is coming to London this year, and that is all the excuse that Connor Ratliff, Griffin Newman and Patrick Cotnoir needed to bring their runaway hit, The George Lucas Talk Show, to the Soho Theatre for a couple of shows on Friday April 7th and Saturday April 8th. If you're unfamiliar, it's an improvised spoof chat show in which Ratliff plays Retired Filmmaker George Lucas (yes, that George Lucas) and Newman plays his sidekick Watto (yes, that Watto), interviewing real guests about Star Wars and other animals. Our Chris Hewitt is a huge fan, and he jumped at the chance to talk to the trio about the show's origins, how it transformed during the pandemic, and what they have in store for London audiences. Enjoy.

OK, we're not going to lie. This week's episode of the (freshly award-nominated) Empire Podcast is even more bumper-sized than usual, folks. But that's what happens when the legendary action star, Scott Adkins, strolls into the podbooth and joins Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for the first third of the show, talking about his time as Killa Harkan in John Wick: Chapter 4. Scott also sticks around for the listener question section, which is nice. Oh, and there's a big John Wick Chapter 4 spoiler from 08:06.000 to 09:25.438. Elsewhere, Chris has three incredibly fun chats with what seems like the entire cast of Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves — Chris Pine and Hugh Grant talk about what they look for in a director, Michelle Rodriguez and Regé-Jean Page wax lyrical about Northern Ireland and seals, and Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis help Chris rediscover his love of the podcast form. It'll all make sense once you hear them. And then, either side of that, it's a fun episode as Chris, Helen and James trawl through the movie news, take a tangent or ten, and review Dungeons & Dragons, Tetris, Murder Mystery 2 and more. Oh, and Chris whips out his Adam Sandler Top 10. The results may shock you. Enjoy!

Another Empire Podcast episode, another bumper selection of guests this week, as Chris Hewitt sits down (in person) with Ian McShane, star of John Wick Chapter 4, and they chat about hotels, Lovejoy, McShane's start in acting, and (of course) Columbo. (Note: this interview was conducted before the news broke of the death of McShane's John Wick co-star, Lance Reddick) Chris also has a fantastic chat with John Boyega, star of Breaking, which is released on PVOD on Monday (March 27th), in which they talk about the film's social conscience, how Boyega navigated his career post-Attack The Block and Star Wars, and how he celebrates his birthdays. And then there's a clash of the Alexes, as our Mr Godfrey chats with Infinity Pool star Alexander Skarsgard about his crazy and intense new movie. Be warned: there's talk galore of dog collars and giant penises. The usual. Then, in the podbooth, Helen O'Hara hosts and is joined by James Dyer and Sophie Butcher for a fun episode in which they discuss unusual movie murder weapons, John Williams, the week's movie news, and review the likes of John Wick Chapter 4, The Five Devils, A Good Person, and Infinity Pool. Enjoy!

Another bumper episode of the Empire Podcast this week, folks, as Chris Hewitt chats with Raine Allen-Miller and Vivian Oparah, director and star respectively of the effervescent new rom-com, Rye Lane. This may actually be the first pod interview where one of us is on a boat. Which one? Find out by listening! Then Chris sits down for a chat about movies and movie history with Marlowe star, Liam Neeson, and there's a taster of our Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania spoiler special interviews with that film's director, Peyton Reed, and writer Jeff Loveness. The spoiler special itself will be up on Monday. Then, in the virtual podbooth today, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode that celebrates all things St. Patrick, discusses the greatest living Irish actors (and probably leaves out someone incredible), talks about the Oscars, James Gunn directing Superman Legacy, Quentin Tarantino's final film, and more, and reviews Rye Lane, Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, 65, Boston Strangler and Ti West's Pearl. We've specified his name here because we think we forgot to mention him in the review. D'oh! Whether you're on a boat or dry land, this is a belter. Enjoy!

A mere 55 episodes after her triumphant appearance at our live show to mark episode 500, the wonderful Rachel Zegler returns to the Empire Podcast to talk Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, poster spoilers, cheap mic stands, George Lucas, and much, much more in a fun chat with Chris Hewitt. Guest-wise this week there's also an excerpt from James Dyer's forthcoming Andor s1 spoiler special interview with Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna, the creator and star of that most excellent Star Wars show respectively. Either side of those, Chris and James are joined in the podbooths (yes, plural) this week by Helen O'Hara to discuss the best seventh instalment in franchises, review Scream VI, Winnie the Pooh: Blood And Honey, Dead For A Dollar, and more, and, in a bumper movie news section, give their Oscar predictions, including speculation on which Best Picture nominees would be improved with a dildo fight. Answer: all of them. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees another onslaught of incredible guests, as Ian Freer chats with Babylon's director-composer duo of Damien Chazelle and Justin Hurwitz about their working relationship and long friendship, and Chris Hewitt talks scary VHS covers with We Have A Ghost director Christopher Landon, and stepping into the directorial breach with Creed III star (and shot caller), Michael B. Jordan. Then, in the podbooth, Helen O'Hara hosts this week, and she's joined by James Dyer and Amon Warmann to discuss movies with small casts, the week's movie news (such as it is), and review Creed III, Close, The Strays, and The Independent. Enjoy.

As a great lady once sang, what's love got to do with it? Everything, is usually the answer, and that certainly drives this week's episode of the Empire Podcast and, indeed, the new rom-com What's Love Got To Do With It, whose stars, Lily James and Shazad Latif, pop onto a laptop and have a Zoom chat with Chris Hewitt in which he makes a desperate pitch to become their agent, and leaves the Working Title screening room in a frightful state. And love — namely of a little green guy with big ears — drives The Mandalorian, which is gearing up to return to Disney+ on March 1, and Chris also sits down with Jon 'Favs' Favreau for an interview about the show, how to find a director for Star Wars, and working with Peter Falk. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Ben Travis, Alex Godfrey and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss (some of) the best movie bridges, (some of) the week's movie news, and (some of) the week's big releases, including Cocaine Bear, Asif Kapadia's Creature, We Have A Ghost, and Joyland. Oh, and Alex gets pigeonholed. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is bursting at the seams with Quantumania, as Chris Hewitt sits down with Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania stars, Jonathan Majors (aka Kang The Conqueror) and Paul Rudd (aka Lang The Possibly Conquered). One of the interviews is thoughtful and considered and introspective, the other is pure chaos. Have fun finding out which is which! Then Ben Travis Zooms with Jenny Slate, star and co-writer of the delightful Marcel The Shell With Shoes On, and finds out about how the character came about, and Slate's karaoke game. Very important. And in the podbooth, Chris and Ben are joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode that delves deep into the cinematic treasures of 1998, discusses the week's movie news including all those lovely Super Bowl trailers, and reviews Quantumania, Marcel, and Florian Zeller's The Son. Oh, and time moves in mysterious ways this week. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the team swap Kings Place, where we recorded last week's triumphant 550th episode, for the podbooth once more... and quickly yearn for air conditioning. Inbetween melting down (in the case of our equipment, quite literally), Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Sophie Butcher discuss franchises that went on too long, have a crack at the week's movie news, and review Women Talking, Magic Mike's Last Dance, Blue Jean, and Your Place Or Mine. Frankly, if your place has working air con, we're in. On the guest front, Amon Warmann chats to M. Night Shyamalan, director of Knock At The Cabin, about twists and basketball, and Ian Freer sits down with Felix Kammerer, the Austrian actor who is the star of the 14-times BAFTA-nominated German sensation, All Quiet On The Western Front. The road to episode 600 starts here, folks. Enjoy!

Episode 550 is here! To celebrate the latest Empire Podcast landmark, we once again staged a live show at Kings Place, London, and now here is that show, reassembled in the correct order and with the really naughty bits cut out (to see those, the live stream of the show is still available to watch via kings place.co.uk for the next two weeks!). And it was a belter, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer took to the stage in front of a packed crowd of loyal listeners, and chatted about the week's movie news, reviewed EO, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, The Whale, Knock At The Cabin, and Saint Omer, and answered a ton of listener questions. But that's not all: a landmark episode deserves a landmark line-up of guests, and we didn't disappoint, with Aftersun director Charlotte Wells and her young star, Frankie Corio, joining James and Helen for a chat about the BAFTA-nominated belter; director Asif Kapadia showed up to talk to Chris about Kapadia's new film, Creature (and NOT Liverpool Football Club, or the Queen); and we looked ahead to the big-screen debut of Luther in Luther: The Fallen Sun by inviting director Jamie Payne and the film's villain, living legend and national treasure Andy Serkis, along to chat with Chris and James. A good time was had by all on the night, and we hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast features more Oscar nominees than... well, not the Oscars themselves, that would be ridiculous. But certainly more Oscan nominees than you could shake a golden stick at. First, Chris Hewitt has a chat with Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, directors of Best Animated Feature frontrunner, Pinocchio (not that one). Then, Alex Godfrey gets deep with Best Actress nominee, Michelle Williams, as she tells him about how she played Steven Spielberg's mum for Steven Spielberg in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans. And then Dan Jolin Zooms in for a chat with The Whale director Darren Aronofsky, and his star, possible Best Actor favourite Brendan Fraser. Plus! Either side of those chats, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss Paul Mescal's chances of being the new Bond (and Chris comes up with a plan that should see everyone happy), have a crack at chatting about the week's movie news (including a deep dive into the Oscar nominations), and review The Fabelmans, Plane, Shotgun Wedding, and Unwelcome. Enjoy.

Welcome, folks, to a most extraordinary podcast (in association with Disney+). A podcast in which Team Empire and Team Pilot TV get together to discuss the extraordinary Extraordinary, the brand-new sitcom that is now streaming on Disney+. Created and written by Emma Moran, Extraordinary is set in a world where everyone develops a superpower after they turn 18. Everyone, that is, except for Jen (Mairead Tyers), who is approaching 25 and is still fumbling for direction and meaning and purpose. Beautifully observed and very, very funny, it's already been renewed for a second season, and in this very special crossover event, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Kay Ribeiro (pronounced Ru-bear-oh) get together to wax lyrical about the show, discuss which superpowers they'd like to have, and much more. But that's not all! (Told you this was an extraordinary podcast...) There are also two interviews with the show's star players -- first, an uproarious, hilarious and frankly chaotic interview in which Chris sits down with the show's stars, Mairead Tyers, Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, and Luke Rollason; and then a more considered chat with Emma Moran. Do please extra-enjoy.

THIS! IS! OVERSHARING! Full disclosure, folks — this week's Empire Podcast features the return of one of our favourite interviewees, Gerry 'Gerard' Butler, as he and his PLANE co-star Mike Colter sit down on Zoom with our Chris Hewitt. And while it's as fun and giggle-tactic as any of Butler's appearances on the pod, we should warn you that a lot of it revolves around a story that Chris shares (some might say, overshares) with the duo right at the beginning. And that story is a load of old poop. You have been warned. Elsewhere, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for another fun and frank exchange of film-related views, in which they (but mainly Helen and James, let's be honest) bang on about the books and games they'd love to see turned into films, discuss (most of) the week's movie news (this was recorded before the BAFTA nominations were announced), and review The Estate, Alice, Darling, and Bank Of Dave, while Helen goes Full Kermode on Damien Chazelle's Babylon. Enjoy — and sorry about all the poop.

We're back! Finally! And properly! The first Empire Podcast of 2023 is here, folks, and it features an interview that Helen did with Noah Baumbach, director of White Noi... no, only kidding. This week's interviews are a one-time deal, folks, but they are absolute belters, as Chris Hewitt sits down with Empire Of Light writer-director Sam Mendes, and M3GAN producers Jason Blum and James Wan; while Ian Freer has a natter with Todd Field, who returns as director after a long hiatus with the brilliant Tár. Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to tackle a bunch of questions, discuss the most recent movie news (including the new Quantumania trailer), and run their eye over all three of our guests' films, along with Mark Jenkin's Enys Men, a film seemingly specifically designed to annoy James. We've started 2023 as we mean to go on, folks, with an onslaught of utter nonsense. We hope you'll join us for the ride. Enjoy.