The Empire Film Podcast

Part Two of this week's bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt chat to Zack Snyder and Matthias Schweighofer, producer and director/star of this week's Army Of Thieves, the relatively zombie-free prequel to Army Of The Dead, about making those movies and the possibility of Snyder becoming the new Jane Fonda. He also sits down on Zoom with Jonathan Majors, star of The Harder They Fall, for an in-depth chat about that movie, and about playing He Who Remains In Loki. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer (for a while at least), and Ben Travis as they discuss the week's movie news, including the tragic events on the set of the Western, Rust, and the announcement of Dune Part Two. They also review Last Night In Soho, Rebecca Hall's Passing, Army Of Thieves, and Scott Cooper's horror film, Antlers. And, if that wasn't enough, we also bring you Chris' spoilerific interview with Andy Serkis, director of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. But don't worry if you haven't seen the film, we put the interview right at the end, where it'll be waiting for you when you've caught up with Eddie Brock's latest adventure. CATSUP?

Just like Denis Villeneuve's Dune, this week's Empire Podcast is so epic that we've had to split it into two parts. In this first instalment, you'll get two of the FIVE guest interviews we have lined up this week, as Chris Hewitt talks to Last Night In Soho writer/director, Edgar Wright, and his co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns, about their working practices, food poisoning, and Sandie Shaw. And then Helen O'Hara hits a mighty power chord and chats to the legendary Huey Lewis about the new Back To The Future musical, American Psycho, and his recent struggles with his hearing. Then, in the podbooth, Chris and Helen are joined by James Dyer and Ben Travis for the return of an old favourite and, because Halloween is around the corner, they also take a number of spooky listeners' questions, sparking off discussions of the podteam's own supernatural experiences, or lack thereof. Enjooooooooooooy (that's meant to be a scary ghost).

The spice must flow on this week's Empire Podcast. The spice of chat, that is! We have three belting interviews lined up for you lucky lot this week, as Chris Hewitt talks to The Guilty star Jake Gyllenhaal in which one of them threatens to go topless; Dune's Lady Jessica herself, Rebecca Ferguson, during which she and Chris hatch a new get-rich-quick scheme; and James Marsden, star of The Boss Baby 2. And, as the original big screen Cyclops, naturally the interview ends with Chris showing Marsden a picture of Cyclops with an... unusual mask. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for an epic episode in which they tackle several questions at once, including one that covers the great Eternals Post-Credits Sting Spoilers Controversy. They also discuss the week's movie news (this was recorded on Wednesday, ahead of the tragic events on the set of Rust), and review new releases The French Dispatch, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Harder They Fall. Oh, and a little film called Dune. Surprisingly, the James-and-Helensplaining is kept to a minimum on this one. That's what spoiler specials are for. In the meantime, enjoy.

Now that the first season of What If...?, the animated MCU show that told alternate tales from across the Multiverse, has finished its run on Disney+, it's time for Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Amon Warmann to enter the virtual podbooth and have a good old natter about their favourite moments from the series. But that's not all — we also have the show's head writer, A.C. Bradley, and director Bryan Andrews, on hand to fill in the motivations and meanings behind some of the series' most iconic moments. So listen in to find out if they truly do hate Tony Stark, what the Empire team are looking for from season 2, and just what happens when the Hulk explodes. Oh, and you will believe a man can be named after two of the world's great rivers! Enjoy.

Yes, folks, we know that this week's Empire Podcast is a long 'un, but in fairness it's still three minutes shorter than No Time To Die, and is so packed with podcast goodness that we barely know where to begin. On the interview front, there are cracking conversations as Chris Hewitt sits down with the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis to talk about returning as Laurie Strode in Halloween Kills. You may be surprised to hear that this one gets pretty serious, and pretty emotional. Which is not the case with Chris' interview with Todd Haynes, the wonderful director of new documentary, The Velvet Underground. He talks to Chris about doing the Velvets justice, becoming friends with John Cale, his musical prowess, and his attraction to making films with 'velvet' in the title. But we're especially stoked this week to be joined in the podbooth, for the first time since this infernal pandemic started, by an actual guest. Jim Cummings, the star/co-writer and co-director of The Beta Test (and one of the stars of Halloween Kills) swings by for the first hour, answers some listener questions, discusses his approach to filmmaking, and generally has a giggle. Then, once he's gone, Chris, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news, including the new trailers for Scream, Home Sweet Home Alone, and The Beatles: Get Back, and in a bumper reviews section they dig deep into Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Last Duel, The Beta Test, Halloween Kills, Ron's Gone Wrong, and The Velvet Underground. Now do you see why we took nearly three hours? Enjoy, in instalments if you have to.

The BFI London Film Festival is happening AS YOU READ THIS, folks. And, as proud media partners, we at Empire were delighted to present this week's gala world premiere of Craig Roberts' The Phantom Of The Open, a heartwarming and hilarious tale of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a keen amateur golfer who gatecrashed the British Open in 1976 with spectacular results. And we didn't want to leave it there, so in this special episode Chris Hewitt catches up on Zoom (just a few hours ahead of the premiere, in fact) with Roberts and Simon Farnaby, who adapted the screenplay from a book he co-wrote with Scott Murray, for a rip-roaring chat about golf, movies, life, Wonka, and everything else. Get in the hole! (Which is golf for 'enjoy'.)

How do you get Rebecca Hall on the Empire Podcast? Practice! Yes folks, in the week that the London Film Festival throws opens its doors to the world, Chris Hewitt has a natter with Rebecca Hall, the writer-director of the compelling drama, Passing, which is playing at the Festival. They talk about the personal connection Rebecca felt to the story, which is about an African-American woman passing herself off as white in 1920s America, and what she inherited as a director from her father, the legendary Sir Peter Hall, and much more besides. Elsewhere, Chris is joined in the actual podbooth this week by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they discuss the best movies set in deserts (brace yourself for Dunesplaining), talk about the week's movie news, review No Sudden Move, Infinite, and John And The Hole, come up with a brand new name for one of the deadliest snakes in the world, and prove that Helen does NOT trample on jokes. So there! Enjoy!

Wake up... No Time To Die! Yes, this week finally sees the release of the final film in Daniel Craig's five-movie stint as James Bond, and to celebrate the occasion Chris Hewitt sits down for chats with both a relaxed and convivial Craig and his villainous counterpart, Rami Malek, who plays new Bond baddie, Safin. Do we expect you to listen? Well, ideally. Either side of those, Chris hits the virtual podbooth due to a touch of lurgy, where he's joined by James Dyer and Beth Webb for a fun episode in which they talk about great scenes set in recording studios, discuss the week's movie news, review (with the help of John Nugent) No Time To Die in a spoiler-free stylee, along with The Starling, and The Guilty, and talk of exotic locations like Pontypandy, Lusty Beg and Giggly Corner. (One of those is actually a real place.) Joy. En joy.

It's another big old bumper Empire Podcast this week. For reasons that are beyond our control (maybe have a word with S.P.E.C.T.R.E.), we're back on Squadcast, with Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer getting up very early (for them) to talk about the strangest places they've ever conducted interviews, discuss the week's 'fantastic' movie news, and review Sopranos spin-off The Many Saints Of Newark, David Lowery's long-awaited The Green Knight, and Everybody's Talking About Jamie. And, on the interview front, Chris has a good old natter with our favourite Variant, Sophia Di Martino, about her new movie, Sweetheart; Amon Warmann sits down for a chat with Alessandro Nivola about starring in The Many Saints Of Newark; and, in what's fast becoming a regular feature, we bring you brief excerpts from our spoiler special interviews with Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings director, Destin Daniel Cretton, and writer Dave Callaham. And if you still haven't seen it and wish to remain spoiler-free, they're right at the end of the show. But whatever you're listening to on this week's show, enjoy.

Where was this week's Empire Podcast recorded? *very Phil Collins voice* Stu-stu-studio! That's right, folks. After a year and a half of SquadCasting and podcasting remotely, this week's pod sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer gather in the same studio for some film-related fun. Join them as they natter on about the great reunion moments in movie history, discuss the week's movie news (Chris Nolan leaving WB? Hawkeye looks fun?), and review Gunpowder Milkshake, Kate, and Malignant. A film, it's fair to say, that has divided the pod. But it's not all studio-bound shenanigans. Chris logs onto Zoom not once, but twice, this week to talk to Karen Gillan, star of Gunpowder Milkshake, and Mark Cousins, former Moviedrome maestro and now the director of documentary The Story Of Looking. And, somewhere along the way, he explains to Helen what orange chicken is. This podcast contains multitudes, folks. Dive in. And sorry for the delirium; we were very happy to see each other. (Not in a sex way.) Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Phyllida Lloyd, director of the excellent drama Herself, sit down with her star and writer, Clare Dunne, for an interview with Chris Hewitt about how they pulled off one of the year's best films. And when we say she sits down, we mean it. They were sitting beside each other in Phyllida's kitchen. A sign that nature is healing, folks. Actual physical proximity! Elsewhere, Chris is joined this week by Nick de Semlyen and Beth Webb for a fun episode in which they discuss pond-swimming, the best eyebrows in movies, take a peek at the week's big movie news (including some discussion of a certain trailer... yes, we're talking Moonfall), and pay tribute to some of the incredible talent which sadly left us this week, including Jean-Paul Belmondo and Michael K. Williams. They also review Herself, Copshop, and Respect (James Wan's Malignant wasn't screened for critics, and will be reviewed on next week's show). Finally, we also hear from Candyman director Nia DaCosta in a spoilerific excerpt from our Candyman spoiler special. Enjoy.

Ever since Groundhog Day burst onto the scene in 1993 with all the force of Bill Murray decking Stephen Tobolowsky, we’ve fallen in love with timeloop films; those movies that trap their protagonists in an endless cycle and challenge them to improve themselves or get lost forever. And in this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, Helen O’Hara and James Dyer discuss the greatest timeloop movies of all time, ask why it took so long for a serious contender to escape from Groundhog Day’s shadow, and come up with their own perfect timeloop movie playlist for those stuck in their never ending loop. From Edge Of Tomorrow (or whatever it’s called this week) to the Happy Death Day movies, this is one pod that will knock you for a loop. Enjoy.

Celebrate Our Cinemas is a brand-new, limited-edition podcast series, brought to you by Empire in association with Meerkat Movies from Compare The Market. Each week, Chris Hewitt sits down with a notable guest from the world of film and digs deep into their cinema-going history. In this, the sixth and final episode of the series, Chris chats with Elijah Wood, star of a little trilogy of films called The Lord Of The Rings and upcoming drama No Man Of God, which launches digitally on September 13, about the cinemas that helped shape his viewing habits. There is much talk of horror movies, of Raisinets, of seeing movies in Austin, Texas, and Wellington, New Zealand, and of the challenges of bringing a baby to the pictures. And, as predicted on last week's episode, the Alamo Drafthouse gets a lot of love. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down with Simu Liu, the title star of the latest MCU film, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, for a wide-ranging chat (1:18:17.675 - 1:36:05.820) that takes in Liu's time in London as a teen, his prediction for Avengers 20, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Brad Allan, the film's second unit director, who passed away recently. Also this week, we bring you an excerpt (34:12.487 - 48.32.970) from James Dyer's epic spoiler-filled interview with Lisa Joy, the writer-director of Reminiscence. This, you'll be glad to know, is completely spoiler-free. The rest is available only to spoiler special subscribers shameless plug shameless plug. And in the virtual podbooth, Chris and James are joined by Helen O'Hara and, making her full debut on the podcast, Katie Smith-Wong to discuss the greatest movie scenes involving snakes (involuntary shudder), talk about the week's movie news including yet another delay for Top Gun: Maverick, and review Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Annette, and the latest Cinderella. Oh, and with four people in the booth, The Three Fact Structure makes another welcome return. And we ask the biggest question of them all: what are the bottom five MCU films? The answers may shock you. Enjoy.

Celebrate Our Cinemas is a brand-new, limited-edition podcast series, brought to you by Empire in association with Meerkat Movies from Compare The Market. Each week, it sees Chris Hewitt sit down with a notable guest from the world of film and dig deep into their cinema-going history. What was the first film they remember seeing? What film made them laugh so hard that tears streamed down their face? What's their favourite cinema? And, most important of all, what's their cinematic snack of choice? In this penultimate episode, Chris chats with Russell and Ron Mael, the brothers better known as the art-pop band Sparks. They've had one heck of a year, cinematically speaking, being both the subjects of Edgar Wright's excellent documentary, The Sparks Brothers, and the co-writers of Leos Carax' new movie, Annette, which opens this week (September 3rd, to be precise) and simply has to be seen and heard to be believed. They're also huge film fans and dyed-in-the-wool cinephiles, having immersed themselves in all things silver screen since they were young, and in this chat they recall their early experiences, talk about the film that made them laugh the most (you will never guess it), and we get to the bottom of the big question: does Ron like nachos? Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is a sad, sombre, reflective affair. Not because the Empire Podteam -- Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer -- are particularly maudlin about the prospect of discussing the week's movie news, including the revelation that The Matrix 4 is now called The Matrix Resurrections, or reviewing (with the help of newcomer Katie Smith-Wong) Candyman, The Nest, Vacation Friends, Sweet Girl, and Our Ladies. And the interviews aren't laced with melancholy either, as Mike Muncer talks to Yahya Abdul-Mateen II about his role in the rebootquel of Candyman, while Beth Webb has a good old natter with Jude Law about The Nest. No, the reason we're all a little sad is that this podcast marks the final fling, the last hurrah, the long goodbye of Empire's outgoing Editor-In-Chief, Terri White. She's leaving Empire after six glorious years in charge, and to mark the occasion we dedicate the whole of an especially engorged Listeners' Questions sections to Terri, who reveals all about her favourite covers, her biggest triumphs, her future plans, and which Sylvester Stallone characters she'd like to invite to a dinner party. There won't be a dry eye in the house. So, naturally, we'd like to dedicate this week's show to Terri. As Jonathan 'The Duke' Mardukas once said, see you in the next life.

Because (some of) you demanded it, and because we probably won't have a lot of time to do so on this week's regular pod (what with saying goodbye to Terri White and all that), here it is: a podcast special in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and birthday boy Ben Travis gather in the virtual podbooth and have a breakdown while breaking down the exciting teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. From discussion of many madcap theories to speculation about Spider-Man's OnlyFans page, it's the pod that has it all, and even attempts to answer the biggest question of them all: why is Tobey Maguire standing behind Ben? Enjoy.

Celebrate Our Cinemas is a brand-new, limited-edition podcast series, brought to you by Empire in association with Meerkat Movies from Compare The Market. Each week, Chris Hewitt will sit down with a notable guest from the world of film and dig deep into their cinema-going history. What was the first film they remember seeing? What film made them laugh so hard that tears streamed down their face? What's their favourite cinema? And, most important of all, what's their cinematic snack of choice? In this week's episode, the amazing Simon Pegg -- star and co-writer of Spaced, Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End; and star of the modern Star Trek films, and the Mission: Impossible franchise, where he plays Benji Dunn -- is our guest, taking time out from his busy schedule filming Mission: Impossible 7 and new TV series The Undeclared War to tell Chris all about the films that shaped a young Pegg (no prizes for guessing that there's a Star Wars in there somewhere), his experiences in different cinemas across the world, how Ari Aster got inside his head, and that time he nearly killed Johnny Knoxville. It's a lot of fun, and we hope that you enjoy.

As a wise doctor once said, "we're in the endgame now." Particularly when it comes to The Walking Dead. The eleventh and final season of the iconic, groundbreaking show is set to premiere from Monday 23rd August, with new episodes dropping every week as a Star exclusive on Disney+, and that is an occasion so momentous that, once again, the Empire Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast teams have joined forces with Star on Disney+ to talk about it. So, in this very special crossover episode, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Beth Webb pop into the virtual podbooth for an in-depth discussion about their hopes, fears, and dreams for the final season. Who will survive, and what will be left of them? And what about the characters on the show? But that's not all. In an exclusive interview, James sits down across Zoom with Angela Kang, the show's producer and co-writer of Acheron Part I and Acheron Part II, the first two episodes of this 24-episode run, and they have a conversation about sticking the landing. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt return from a short stint in Norn Iron, accent stronger than ever, for a fun episode in which he, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann play another round of the beloved The Three Fact Structure, talk about their favourite surgery scenes from the movies (spoilers abound, so tread carefully), discuss the week's movie news and, in a bumper reviews section that is the main reason why this week's episode is so darn long, cast their eyes over Censor, People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan, Pig, Reminiscence, Boss Level, Beckett, and G.I. Joe Origins: Snake Eyes. Blimey! And that's not all, folks. Chris sits down with Asim Chaudhry, aka Chabuddy G from People Just Do Nothing, for a very funny interview including a dissection of the Pina Colada song (you know the one), while Helen has an in-depth chat with Niamh Algar, star of Prano Bailey-Bond's brilliant and mindbending horror, Censor. Enjoy.

Celebrate Our Cinemas is a brand new limited edition podcast series, brought to you by Empire in association with Meerkat Movies from Compare The Market. Each week, Chris Hewitt will sit down with a notable guest from the world of film and dig deep into their cinema-going history. What was the first film they remember seeing? What film made them laugh so hard that tears were streaming down their face? What's their favourite cinema? And, perhaps most important of all, what's their snack of choice? In this week's episode, Chris has a fun chat with Asim Chaudhry, who once again plays the iconic Chabuddy G in People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan, the big-screen spin-off from the beloved BBC sitcom. Asim tells Chris all about his formative cinematic experiences growing up in Hounslow, the time Paranormal Activity nearly got him in trouble with U.S. Customs, and he talks about the movie he thinks might just be the greatest of all time. Its identity may surprise you. Oh, and do be advised: there's some fairly adult language in this one, and a smidgen of literal toilet humour. Enjoy.

With Chris being off on.... *looks up the term* a 'ho-li-day', it's up to the lethally cunning Helen O'Hara and the consistently megalomaniacal James Dyer to hold down the fort alone, largely by dancing on the grave of the Three Fact Structure and plugging the Pilot TV podcast every third minute. Beyond that, though, Hell's Bells and Jimbo manage to re-cast the Discworld with members of the MCU and remake a number of 80s fantasies for the modern era (hypothetically, you understand - they haven't set up a studio). Plus they dive into this week's releases and give Free Guy, The Courier, and CODA the full Empire Podcast treatment. Not to mention the fact that Jodie Comer joins us on the podcast this week to chat all things Free Guy, while Uatu The Watcher (aka the legendary Mr Jeffrey Wright) steps away from the multiverse of possibilities to talk to us about What If? WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? Download the pod and start listening!

Celebrate Our Cinemas is a brand new limited edition podcast series, brought to you by Empire in association with Meerkat Movies from Compare The Market. Each week, for six weeks, Chris Hewitt will sit down with a notable guest form the world of film and dig deep into their cinema-going history. What was the first film they remember seeing? What film made them laugh so hard that tears were streaming down their face? What's their favourite cinema in the whole wide world? And, perhaps most important of all, what's their cinema-going snack of choice? In our second episode, Chris chats to David Arnold, the acclaimed composer of some of the finest film and television scores of the past couple of decades. From Casino Royale to Sherlock, he's long been one of the best in the business, and David took time out from working on A Circle Of Sound, a ten-movement work he composed to mark the reopening of The Royal Albert Hall, to walk down memory lane. So listen on for tales of the movies that moved David to become a composer, how he masterminded James Bond's musical reintroduction, and his beef with pick'n'mix. Regular listeners will know that David is a very funny man, and this is no exception. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer — return to the virtual studio after last week's live show. But that doesn't mean that they're phoning it in, or Squadcasting it in. Far from it. Instead, this is a jam-packed, fun-filled show in which the three colleagues of such lethal cunning discuss the best and worst movie disguises, delve deep into the week's news (which includes speculation about the new Doctor Who, as if this is an episode of Pilot or something), and review Stillwater, Zola, The Boys From County Hell, Vivo, and The Last Letter From Your Lover. And on the interview front this week, you get two short and sweet, and slightly spoilery, chats with Matt Damon, star of Stillwater, and Felicity Jones, star of The Last Letter From Your Lover, and admirer of room service chips. Enjoy.

Celebrate Our Cinemas is a brand new limited edition podcast series, brought to you by Empire in association with Meerkat Movies from Compare The Market. Each week, for the next six weeks, Chris Hewitt will sit down with a notable guest from the world of film and dig deep into their cinema going history. What was the first film they remember seeing? What film made them laugh so hard that tears were streaming down their face? What’s their favourite cinema? And, perhaps most important of all, what’s their cinema going snack of choice? In our first episode, Chris chats to Olga Kurylenko, the star of Black Widow, Quantum Of Solace, and The Death Of Stalin, about her moviegoing memories. From her tales of growing up in the Soviet Union to discovering the joys of cinema after moving to Paris, it’s an interview that’s full of surprises. You’ll never guess which movie she’s seen most. Believe us. Enjoy.

Aaron Eckhart has spent much of his career fighting not to be typecast as the all-American hero, what with his blond hair, blue eyes and chin that could level mountains. And he's very much succeeded in that quest with his new movie, Wander, in which he plays a paranoid private eye-turned-podcaster who stumbles upon what could potentially be a vast conspiracy. He's scuzzy, nervy, unpredictable, and a million miles away from films like The Dark Knight and The Core. And, as Chris Hewitt discovered when he chatted to Eckhart on Zoom recently, that's just how the actor likes it. So listen on as Eckhart talks about his process, how he likes to work with directors, what it's like being directed by Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, and Steven Soderbergh (to name but three), and how he bonded with his Wander co-star, and fellow Two-Face, Tommy Lee Jones. Two things of note: Eckhart was in his car, and on his phone, so bear that in mind. And Wander is out now, to rent or buy, wherever you get your PVOD films. Enjoy.

This week's (belated, so sorry about that) Empire Podcast is our first live show in aaaaaaaaages, as we headed to Kings Place earlier in the week to record, at long last, our 450th episode, in front of a socially-distanced, diligently-masked but deeply supportive crowd. How long had it been since we were meant to record it? Well, this episode also doubles as our 475th episode, which should give you some idea. (25 weeks, in case it wasn't clear.) But it was absolutely worth the wait, as Edgar Wright, director of new music documentary The Sparks Brothers, popped his live show cherry and brought his chums Sparks along for the ride; while David Thewlis, the actor-turned-author, showed up to talk about his new novel, Shooting Martha. And on either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for the last time, our soon to be former Editor-In-Chief, Terri White, for a typically raucous live show, featuring movie news chat, reviews of The Suicide Squad, Limbo, The Sparks Brothers, and Jungle Cruise, an extended audience Q&A, a Three Fact Structure for the ages, and an actual ghost. Thanks for everything, Terri. It's been a blast.

It's another triple whammy of tremendous guestitude on this week's Empire Podcast, as we're visited by three of our favourite actresses. First up, Chris Hewitt and Vanessa Kirby have a meeting of sleep-addled minds on an early morning Zoom call as they discuss Vanessa's new movie, The World To Come, and her plans to outdo Tom Cruise with an epic motorcycle stunt. Then, Dan Jolin chats with Vicky Krieps, star of M. Night Shyamalan's Old, about how working on a beach isn't all that. And finally, Chris comes face to face with Olga Kurylenko, special surprise star of a recent comic book-based blockbuster, about how she managed to get a big role in one of the biggest films of the year without even her mum knowing. This one is spoiler-filled, and is right at the end of the show, so if you haven't seen [FILM IN QUESTION], you won't have to hurriedly skip on. For the rest of you, enjoy. Then, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and the aforementioned Dan Jolin (albeit briefly) for discussions of the hottest, sweatiest movies, dissections of the week's movie news (which mainly means James and Helen banging on about Dune, again), and reviews of Werewolves Within, Old, The World To Come, and Riders Of Justice, the latest movie to prove that you don't have to be Mads Mikkelsen to work here. But it helps. Enjoy.

There's an old saying in EmpirePodcastland: while the Chris is away, the Three Colleagues Of Such Lethal Cunning will bang on about fantasy books, basketball, fantasy books, Star Trek, and even more fantasy books. Which is precisely what happens this week. With Chris Hewitt elsewhere, Helen O'Hara steps into the hosting chair and, along with Amon Warmann and James Dyer, bangs on about fantasy books, basketball, fantasy books, Star Trek, and even more fantasy books. They do also talk about movies, answering a listener question about going on holiday with horror characters, discussing the week's movie news, and reviewing Fear Street Part 3: 1666, Summer Of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), and The Forever Purge. While John Nugent drops by to dribble his opinions on Space Jam: A New Legacy into the goal-basket. And, just in case you thought you'd managed to escape that infernal Hewitt, he pops up to interview both our guests this week: ace composer, and possessor of the driest sense of humour in the land, David Arnold, who tells Chris all about his new composition for the Royal Albert Hall's 150th birthday celebrations; and Sam Richardson, the wonderfully funny and all-round just gosh darn nice star of Werewolves Within. Enjoy.

With the eleventh and final season of The Walking Dead just around the corner, we’re getting all kinds of excited to see how the groundbreaking, landmark AMC show brings the whole bloody affair to a close. But first, we figured it would be time to look back at the previous ten seasons, which are now available to stream on STAR on Disney+. And so the Empire Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast teams have decided to join forces with STAR on Disney+ to bring you this very special episode in which Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Beth Webb go through the show season-by-season, talking about their favourite characters, moments and, yes, deaths. Lots of deaths. So many deaths. Well, it is The Walking Dead, after all. As a result, this is liberally stuffed with spoilers, so tread carefully if you don't want to know how [REDACTED] goes out. And [REDACTED]. Oh, and [REDACTED] for good measure. So, whether you’re a Rick Grimes megafan, or you’re heavily invested in Carol’s progression from meek survivor to Queen Of The Zombie Apocalypse; whether you think Negan deserves a second chance, or you can’t get enough of Michonne; and whether or not you’ll riot if Daryl dies, this is the podcast for you. So sit back, relax, and enjoy The Walking Dead, an Empire + Pilot TV podcast special with STAR on Disney+.

OK, full disclosure. If you saw the name 'William Shatner' in the episode title and thought, 'yes! I bet the Empire Podcast asked him loads of questions about Star Trek and Columbo and Airplane! II: The Sequel and Boston Legal and generally being awesome!', then we should tell you that while that was the plan, sometimes plans can go awry. So yes, William Shatner is this week's guest on the Empire Podcast. And yes, Chris Hewitt had a lovely time talking to a living legend. And yes, they even talk about films every now and again, including Shatner's latest, Senior Moment. But by and large, it's a rollercoaster ride of an interview that mainly focuses on the various injuries that Shatner has suffered in his life, and his appetite for derring-do and excitement, even at the age of 90. We had a blast. We hope you will too, and forgive the lack of Trekkery. Elsewhere in this episode, with Helen O'Hara popping in briefly from her swanky one-room Cannes Film Festival sweatbox, James Dyer and Ben Travis join Chris for film-related fun. They talk about the week's movie news, they discuss which movie sets they regret not being able to visit thanks to Covid, and they review Black Widow and the first two parts of Netflix's horror trilogy, Fear Street. And they also talk about the football for a bit which, given James' antipathy towards the beautiful game, goes about as well as you might expect. Enjoy. It's coming home. Podcast's coming home.

On this week's Empire Podcast, it's finally time to get freaky as Christopher Landon's excellent body-swap slasher movie, Freaky, hits UK cinemas. And what better way to celebrate than by listening to Chris Hewitt's chat with that movie's stars, Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, in which they come up with other horror movie mash-ups? Annie Halloween, anyone? Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they talk about their favourite performances in legacy sequels, discuss the week's movie news, from Transformers casting to the start of shooting on the Black Panther sequel, and review Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round, Freaky, and The Tomorrow War. And you won't be surprised to learn that they lose the run of themselves over Timothy Olyphant. Again. Enjoy.

This week, Fast 9 (the name may change, depending on where you live) is finally unleashed in cinemas after a delay of over a year. So that loud noise you may have heard during the last couple of weeks was almost certainly Fast & Furious megafan Ben Travis yelling, "MAGNET PLANE!". So when the chance came up to talk to Fast 9 star, Nathalie Emmanuel, we had no choice but to send Ben, and the two have a fun chat about fast cars, furious family, and Emmanuel's role in the upcoming Army Of The Dead prequel, Army Of Thieves. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Ben joins Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for an episode in which The Three Fact Structure is Fast & Furious-centric (although not at first), the listener question makes us all nostalgic for the year 1989, the team talks about the week's movie news, from new Transformers films to Snow White casting news, and they review Fast 9, Supernova, Sweat, and Kevin Hart's Fatherhood. And we ask the biggest question of them all: just who is Sonof Dalton? Enjoy.

In the second half of this week's genuinely bumper-sized, jam-packed Empire Podcast, the great Jimmy Smits jumps onto SquadCast with Ben Travis and Chris Hewitt, talking to them about his role in Jon M. Chu's adaptation of In The Heights, his New York heritage, and his skill with a lightsaber. Which you may even be able to hear. And, with Godzilla Vs Kong hitting DVD, Blu-ray and 4K this week, we bring you the opening ten minutes of our spoiler special chat with the film's director, Adam Wingard. Either side of those, Chris and Ben are joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the week's movie news, including an epic chat about Greenland: Migration that you might want to skip if you haven't seen Greenland, and review In The Heights, Ben Wheatley's In The Earth, Pixar's Luca, Paul W.S. Anderson's Monster Hunter, and Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. Phew! Enjoy.

Because this week's episode of the Empire Podcast has more guests than Glastonbury, we've taken the rare step of dividing it into two parts. In the first part, Milla Jovovich tells Helen O'Hara all about reteaming with her Resident Evil director, and husband, Paul W.S. Anderson, on the sci-fi actioner, Monster Hunter. And then Chris Hewitt catches up with Reece Shearsmith, and they have a good old natter about working in the middle of a pandemic, Bob Monkhouse, and Reece's terrifying turn in Ben Wheatley's new movie, In The Earth. Then Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for a one heck of a half-episode that takes in The Three Fact Structure (ghosts! fountains! weddings!), and this week's listener question, while the pod-team struggles heroically not to get bogged down in a discussion of the week's big talking point: Batman's prowess in a certain branch of the sexual arts. Do they succeed in that heroic struggle? What do you think? Enjoy.

There are no fewer than *five* guests on this week's show as David Schwimmer and Nick Mohammed stop by to talk about the second series of Intelligence, while Florian Zeller and Sir Anthony Hopkins put down their Oscars to tell us all about The Father (an interview during which Chris and Sir Anthony stage an impromptu Edge-off). And John Krasinski talks all things A Quiet Place Part II in a sneak look at our spoiler special interview. All that plus the usual move news and nonsense as Helen (who's in the driving seat while Chris spends the week lying on a beach earning 20%), James and Ben attempt to bring some chaos to the order of this week's films.

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd are two men on a mission. And that mission is to enter the murky world of podcasting with their new show, The Friendship Onion, in which the two former Hobbits, and friends of two decades' standing, chat about whatever the heck they want to. And if that just happens to be Lord Of The Rings-centric, then so be it. The Friendship Onion is a ton of fun, as is this interview, in which Chris Hewitt and James Dyer talk to Dom and Billy about all manner of things, from the best apple to how to handle a rattlesnake in your living room, and the biggest question of all: have you ever texted someone a GIF of yourself? And the result was so much fun, and so hard to edit, frankly, that we decided to bring you the full 39-minute experience. Enjoy.

It's another bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast this week, with three incredible guests all popping in for a virtual podchat. With Loki about to debut on Disney+, we were delighted to welcome that show's director, and long-time listener to the pod, Kate Herron, who tells Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara as much about the show as she can without Marvel security guards having a word. Then Chris has a natter with the wonderful Jodie Turner-Smith about her role as Anne Boleyn in the three-part Channel 5 drama that aired this week (still available on catch up, folks!). And last but not least Chris chats with Cillian Murphy, star of A Quiet Place Part II, about not sending emails to John Krasinski. Then Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen, Ben Travis and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which The Three Fact Structure takes an unexpected turn; they discuss cinema's best love at first sight moments; have a chat about the week's movie news (mainly the size of Chris Hemsworth's arms, in fairness), and review A Quiet Place Part II, After Love, and Dream Horse. Not, as Chris insists on calling it, Fish Pie. Enjoy! And if you do, leave a nice review and rating for us on iTunes. Go on, go on, go on... @ChrisHewitt @HelenLOHara @AmonWarmann @BenSTravis

The wonderful Mark Strong returns to the pod this week, telling Chris Hewitt all about why he jumped at the chance to co-star alongside Emmas Stone and Thompson in Cruella, his greenscreen experiences, and how he became the voice of the government's Covid-19 protocol advertisements during the pandemic. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they revisit last week's question, and put a small screen spin on it; discuss the week's movie news, including the Eternals trailer, the acquisition of MGM by Amazon, and Henry Cavill starring in a Highlander reboot; and review Cruella, First Cow, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, and Surge. Oh, and they ask the biggest question of them all: what, exactly, is SPUMC? Enjoy. @ChrisHewitt @HelenLOHara @JamesCDyer

Excelsior! Just as we did with WandaVision, we've gathered the Empire Podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann and Ben Travis — to talk about their favourite moments from the most recent Disney+ MCU show, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. It's all here: talk of that bloody ending to episode four, the heartwrenching conversation at the, erm, heart of episode 5, and that bit in episode 2 with the marching band. But that's not all. As well as four giggling idiots, the show's head writer and executive producer, Malcolm Spellman, also weighs in, talking to Chris about some of the key decisions that helped shape the further adventures of Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. One quick thing: while this isn't a spoiler special (hence its presence here in our regular feed), we thoroughly recommend that you watch all six episodes of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier before listening, or else it won't make a lick of sense. And will spoil the show for you. And with that... enjoy. @ChrisHewitt @HelenLOHara @BenSTravis @AmonWarmann

Two ruddy legends pay a visit to the good ship HMS Empire Podcast this week, both having a good old natter with Chris Hewitt (@ChrisHewitt) about their new movies. First, Chris Rock talks about switching from comedy to horror with Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, how it was his brainchild, his desire to direct again, and what classic film he'd love to try his hand at next. Then Sigourney Weaver logs onto her iPad and tells Chris all about My New York Year, in which she plays a formidable publisher who forms a touching relationship with a new young staff member, played by Margaret Qualley, her experiences on the forthcoming Avatar sequels, and what it was that compelled her to visit Greenwich back in the day. Meantime, Chris is joined in the virtual booth by Helen O'Hara (@HelenLOHara), James Dyer (@jamescdyer), and Ben Travis (@benstravis) for an episode that takes in a fun bout of The Three Fact Structure, sees them discuss the greatest characters to join a franchise after the first instalment, talk about the week's movie news, from Attack The Block 2 to the latest Knives Out 2 casting announcements, and review Zack Snyder's Army Of The Dead, Spiral: From The Book Of Saw, Billie Piper's Rare Beasts, and My New York Year. They also apologise profusely to Michael Palin. Enjoy. And if you do enjoy, do try to leave us a lovely review and five star rating. Thanks!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is one of those jam-packed, bumper-sized affairs. Largely because we have three incredible directors guesting on the show. First up is Mike Rianda, whose animated marvel The Mitchells Vs The Machines, is one of our favourite movies of the year thus far. He talks to Chris Hewitt and Ben Travis about his experiences making the movie, providing a few voices along the way, and even reveals that he listens to the pod. We're so sorry, Mike. Then, Chris has a chat with the French filmmaker Alexandre Aja about his new sci-fi thriller, Oxygen, a high-concept flick in which Melanie Laurent wakes up in a futuristic pod with no memory of how she got there. And last but not least, Chris has a slightly spoilerific chat with Sound Of Metal's brilliant director, Darius Marder, ahead of that film's release into UK cinemas next week. This is also a preview of their spoiler special interview, which will soon be available to subscribers. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss the week's movie news, from an unrecognisable Leonardo DiCaprio to the latest casting news for Knives Out 2; review Oxygen, Those Who Wish Me Dead, and Fried Barry; and in a listener question inspired by The Mitchells Vs The Machines, discuss which directors would become giant faces on their own personal Mount Rushmore. Enjoy.

Doug Liman's Locked Down, the romantic comedy/heist thriller he shot in London during lockdown last year, hits digital download on May 10, so that gave us the excuse we've been looking for to finally post the interview Chris Hewitt did with Liman a few months ago. In it, they talk about how Doug flew himself to England, the challenges of shooting in lockdown, and Steven Knight's incredible, never-ending script. Our second guest this week is the wonderful Emily Mortimer, returning for the second time in a few months, to tell Chris all about how she handled making the move to directing with the excellent new BBC One series, The Pursuit Of Love, based on the novel by Nancy Mitford. This also features a cameo from Emily's new puppy, Etta. You can't see her, but trust us: maximum cuteness was reached. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Beth Webb, and James Dyer for a surprising round of The Three Fact Structure, a discussion of the week's movie news, and they review Mortal Kombat, Cowboys, and Things Heard And Seen. And in the listener question section, they talk about how excited they are to finally be returning to cinemas. May 17 looms ever larger, folks. Can't wait. Enjoy.

Wild Mountain Thyme, the Ireland-set rom-com that stars Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan, finally arrives on these shores this week, several months after the trailer first set the interwebs ablaze with much speculation and spoofing of the pair's Irish accents. And on this week's show, Chris Hewitt talks to Blunt and Dornan about the movie, about their accents, about working with Christopher Walken, and more in a fun interview that -- full disclosure -- has some sound issues. Still, we hope you'll have a blast. 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 greatest movie nerbs (or nerds, if you will) and, philosophically, the very nature of nerbery (or nerdery) itself. They also take a look at the Oscar results, talk about a potential Captain America 4, and then review the newly-minted Best Picture winner, Nomadland, next year's Best Animated Feature winner The Mitchells Vs The Machines, Wild Mountain Thyme, and Michael B. Jordan actioner, Without Remorse. Meanwhile, Chris is wildly inconsistent in his views on pooping into buckets. Baffled? You won't be. Probably. Enjoy.

Alan Silvestri is one of the finest composers working in Hollywood today. We could fill up this little box of blurb just by listing the movies he's worked on. Films like The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Films like Predator and Ready Player One and Captain America: The First Avenger. And almost every single Robert Zemeckis film, from Romancing The Stone to The Witches. Naturally, that includes Back To The Future, and Silvestri is deeply involved in Back To The Future: The Musical, which is due to come to the London stage in August. So, just ahead of an event called Back To The Future: From Screen To Stage, which is going to be on the BFI YouTube page at 7pm on April 29th, we jumped at the chance to get him onto the pod and talk about writing new songs and score for that musical, and his illustrious career. So sit back, relax, and dive into 90 minutes of pure joy as Silvestri tells Chris Hewitt and Amon Warmann all about working with Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, Marvel, and more. And yes, we talked about Portals. For quite a bit, actually. Enjoy.

Aubrey Plaza, arguably the owner of the best deadpan delivery in the business, gets to put her skills to the test on this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, talking to Chris Hewitt about her new film Black Bear, about being interviewed by Adam Sandler, life after Parks And Recreation, and much, much more. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and -- occupying the revolving fourth chair for the first time -- Vanity Fair's Joanna Robinson for a fun episode in which The Three Fact Structure throws up some surprises. They also discuss the greatest spoilers they ever saw whilst visiting the set of a movie, talk about the week's movie news including the trailer for Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, and review Black Bear, Run, and Antebellum. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is a) the right file, after last week's mix-up (if you still haven't heard last week's show, it's up now for your listening pleasure) and b) jam-packed with poddy goodness. John Nugent returns to the podfold after an extended absence, and has a brief chat with Wolfwalkers directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart about life on the awards circuit and more. Our second guest this week is 80s movie legend, Steve Guttenberg, who can be found in new movie Original Gangster. He chats to Chris Hewitt about dogs, Police Academy, and being a Beatle. And the Fab Four also dominate the rest of this week's pod, as Chris is joined by John, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a particularly shambolic episode of The Three Fact Structure, discuss the greatest dream sequences in movies, review Promising Young Woman, Thunder Force (complete with spoilers, so be careful), and Love And Monsters. They also talk about the week's movie news, and come up with a brand new title for the fifth (or fourth, depending on where you stand) Indiana Jones movie. Enjoy.

On an episode of the Empire Podcast so uncharacteristically short it could qualify for inclusion in Sam Clements' 90 Minutes Or Less Film Fest, Chris Hewitt sits down with Riz Ahmed and Darius Marder, the star and director of the phenomenal Sound Of Metal, to talk about how they pulled off one of the year's best dramas (and, because it's about a drummer, drumas). And then Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about more Easter egg shenanigans, discuss which movie monsters could do with a hug (which then segues into a chat about the best movie hugs), take a look at the week's movie news including a boatload of trailers, and review Sound Of Metal, Chaos Walking, and time loop comedy Palm Springs, which may just be the pod's film of the year so far. Oh, and because James had a hard out (steady), The Three Fact Structure has gone AWOL this week. Will it return again? Who knows? Either way, blame James. It's what we do. Enjoy.

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier may be flying high on Disney+ right now, but there's still a lot of love and affection for its immediate MCU predecessor, WandaVision, at Empire Towers. And so we asked the show's head writer, Jac Schaeffer, to sit down with Chris Hewitt and talk about the creative process behind some of the show's best and brightest bits. And that's not all — Chris is also joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Amon Warmann to look back on the show now that it's completed its run, and discuss their favourite moments, from //that// ending to Drunk Vision. But what is a podcast, if not geek love persevering? Flourish!

It's been a while since we've had a bumper, jam-packed, three-guest edition of the Empire Podcast. But, what with the long weekend coming up, we figured now would be the time to give you something to really delve into. Also, we booked loads of guests by accident. Oops! Will happen again. Those guests are: Kemp Powers, the co-director of Soul and Oscar-nominated writer of One Night In Miami; Francis Lee, director of Ammonite; and some guy called Orlando Bloom, star of Retaliation. They talk to Chris Hewitt, Terri White, and then Chris again about their latest projects, and much, much more. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis for huge revelations about their Easter egg consumption methods, discussion of the greatest character resurrections in the movies, much chat about the week's news, including Knives Out 2 and 3, the Obi-Wan Kenobi cast announcement, and The Suicide Squad trailer, and reviews of Minari, Godzilla Vs Kong, The Mauritanian, and Bad Trip. Phew. So, open an Easter egg however you want to, sit back, relax, and enjoy.