Explore every episode of the podcast The Empire Film Podcast

This week's Empire Podcast sees Simon Farnaby, Mathew Baynton, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe, three members of the gargantuan cast of Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House, the big-screen debut of the beloved BBC sitcom Ghosts, possess the podbooth and have a delightful and deliciously daft chat with Chris Hewitt which, at one point, involves trying to explain the concept of Taskmaster to Farnaby. Either side of that, Chris is also joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, visiting us from the US of A, Anthony Breznican, who makes his pod debut in excellent fashion. Our intrepid quartet discuss the week's movie news, including the new issue of Empire and Steven Soderbergh stepping in on The Batman Part II, chat about their favourite documentaries, review Wildwood, Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House, Clayface, Klara And The Sun, and Fatherland, and take a listener question from a most unusual source. Enjoy!

Another cracking episode of The Interviews this week, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with Tom Rhys Harries, who plays the title role in Clayface as a hotshot actor who goes on a rip-roaring rampage of revenge armed with a newfound ability to perfectly mimic anyone he meets. But they also talk torn ACLs, an inability to grow beards, and Chris' dreadful golf game. Then Chris sits down in person with Klara And The Sun writer/director, Taika Waititi, for an insight into Taika's writing process as he adapts the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. And finally Dan Jolin has a lovely chat with the young stars of Travis Knight's five-star Laika epic, Wildwood, Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay. Don't worry, they move at normal speed. Enjoy!

Travis Knight's Wildwood is the latest film from Laika, the Portland-based stop-motion animation studio behind the likes of Coraline, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo And The Two Strings. And, with Wildwood about to hit cinemas, the Empire Podcast has teamed up with Wildwood to bring you this special podcast in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer discuss the evolution of Laika through the years, going film-by-film through their back catalogue, and track the journey along the road to their most ambitious film yet. You'll Laika it. You'll Laika it a lot. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast sees Tom Hiddleston return once again as our star guest (for what we are guessing is a record — let us know if that's the case, we don't keep records!) to tell Chris Hewitt all about his new movie, Tenzing, and he brings his co-star with him, Genden Phuntsok, who plays Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who was there every step of the way with Edmund Hillary as they became the first people to climb Mount Everest in 1953. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which they celebrate the Prince Charles Cinema, discuss the worst movie posters, run their eyes over a bunch of new trailers, including Narnia: The Magician's Nephew and The Exorcist: Martyrs, review Tenzing, Whalefall, Forgotten Island, and Street Fighter, and engage in an impromptu quiz eventually called Name That Stath!, which features a guest cameo or two. Enjoy!

This week's episode of The Interviews sees two dynamic duos drop in for lovely cinema-connected chats. First, Chris Hewitt comes face-to-face with Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin, the actors who play out a fractious father-son relationship in Brian Duffield's Whalefall, in which Abrams gets trapped inside the stomach of a sperm whale, and they talk about what scares them as actors, filming inside a giant stomach, and more. Then, Alex Godfrey has a lovely chat, some of it concerning pick & mix, with Kitao Sakurai and Andrew Koji, the director and star respectively of Street Fighter, the film which adapts the classic fighting video game. Hadoukens at the ready!

"Suddenly Empire is standing beside you/talking about Frank Oz for hours on end/Suddenly Empire is here to provide you/Sweet understanding..." of Oz' classic 1986 movie musical Little Shop Of Horrors, which has been given the 40th Anniversary Collectors' Edition treatment (in stores and available online from Monday October 19, fact fans). In this special podcast, in association with Warner Home Video, Chris Hewitt is joined by James Dyer and Little Shop superfan, Helen O'Hara, to talk about the film's long road to cult classic status, its famous original ending, which can now be seen on the Director's Cut edition of the movie, the terrific performances from the likes of Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene and Steve Martin, the Alan Menken/Howard Ashman songs (earworms galore!) and, of course, that mean green mother from outer space, Audrey II. Enjoy.

VisionQuest, the latest MCU show to hit Disney+, launches tomorrow with a two-episode salvo which reintroduces us to Paul Bettany's Vision, or the latest version thereof. Last seen inhabiting a new (old) body in WandaVision, VisionQuest is partially concerned with Vision's attempts to emotionally connect with the memories of the android Avenger who once occupied that same body. Oh, and he also has to contend with a mysterious young man who may be his son, somehow, and also the return of James Spader's deliciously dapper and deadly Ultron, who's skulking around somewhere in Vision's mind palace. And for this preview interview special, Chris Hewitt sat down with both Bettany and Spader to talk about their MCU journeys, hats, an unexpected swear word, and the pronunciation of 'Edinburgh'. Enjoy.

Blimey, do we have a bumper edition of The Interviews for you, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down in person with Aaron Sorkin to talk about the writer-director's return to the world of Facebook with The Social Reckoning; on Zoom with Paul Greengrass, the writer-director of period (but oh-so-timely) thriller The Uprising, about the Peasant Revolt of 1381 (and not, as it turns out, a Robin Hood movie); and in person again with Matchbox The Movie stars John Cena and Jessica Biel, who drop by the podbooth to talk about first impressions, firm handshakes, and leaps of faith. Three cracking conversations, all in one handy place. Enjoy!

Today — October 10 — is a pretty special day for S.S. Rajamouli, the groundbreaking Indian director behind epics like the Baahubali films, Eega, and 2022's Oscar-winning breakout hit, RRR, whose astonishing, vibrant, endlessly inventive action sequences won the hearts of audiences the world over. Why is today special? Well, it's Rajamouli's 53rd birthday. Happy birthday, sir. And why is this year special? Because he's also celebrating an anniversary as a movie director, what with it being 25 years since he first stepped behind the camera on Student No: 1. And we thought we'd celebrate, not by sending him a cake, but John Nugent, who travelled earlier this year to Ramoji Film City, just outside of Hyderabad, to not only visit Rajamouli on the set of his latest and most ambitious film yet, Varanasi, but also sit down with him for an epic conversation about the director's career. Thanks to S.S. Rajamouli for being so generous with his time, and to Team Rajamouli for making this happen. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Andrew Garfield, star of Paul Greengrass' hard-hitting period epic, The Uprising, stop by the podbooth for a fun chat with Chris Hewitt about that new movie, The Social Network, and the time Garfield was told he was going to play Spider-Man. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth not by an A-lister, but by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as they discuss their favourite Sylvester Stallone performances, tackle a ton of movie news including Skydance's completed takeover of Paramount and Warner Bros, and review The Uprising, Aaron Sorkin's Social Network companion piece The Social Reckoning, Sam Hargrave's Matchbox The Movie, Jennifer Peedom's Tenzing (full review to follow next week), and Ben Affleck's Animals. Enjoy.

It's time, folks. No, not time to watch the magic pumpkin — that's a few weeks away — but instead to glory in the majesty of the BFI London Film Festival, which kicks off today in, erm, London, and will bring all kinds of movies to the capital city. Every year, we devote a special podcast to the LFF, and this year we've really pulled out all the stops, with a fantastic virtual roundtable special in which four directors, all of whom have films at this year's LFF, sit down on Zoom with Chris Hewitt and have a good old natter about their approaches to filmmaking, the importance of film festivals, and the importance of cataract surgery. And those filmmakers are: Andrew Haigh, director of All Of Us Strangers and now haunting Colorado-set drama, A Long Winter; Ashley Walters, the acclaimed actor turned director with his debut movie, prison drama Animol; Carol Morley, director of Out Of Blue, The Falling, and her new semi-autobiographical drama, 7 Miles Out; and Mark Cousins, the former host of Moviedrome turned documentarian, whose latest effort, The Story Of Documentary Film (1990s), does exactly what it says on the tin. It's a compelling roundtable that is by turns profound and hilarious, and we strongly urge you to listen to it before checking out the films and more at this year's LFF via whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff

The title of this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a delightful phrase that comes from none other than our star guest, Ethan Hawke, who tells Jamie Graham all about his new film, The Weight, and how it was one of the biggest challenges of his storied career. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode that asks the big question: are there any good short Best Picture winners? And then very quickly moves onto the biggest question of them all: why didn't Predator win Best Picture? The gang also tackle a ton of movie news, including the rumour that Jon Watts is going to direct Star Wars Episode X, and cast their collective eye over the Cruise/Iñárritu collaboration, Digger, British coming-of-age comedy Extra Geography, the aforementioned The Weight, and steamy-but-not-quite-as-steamy-as-Amon-would-like thriller, Verity. Do we love any of these movies? And will they love us back? To find out, have a listen. Enjoy!

This week's episode of The Interviews is all about editors-turned-directors. First, we have an extended interview between Chris Hewitt and David Kittredge, the director behind the excellent documentary, Boorman And The Devil, which chronicles the wild making of John Boorman's legendary-for-all-the-wrong-reasons sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and even rehabilitates the film's reputation somewhat. That film is in cinemas right now. After that, Jamie Graham has a fun chat with Padraic McKinley about his debut film, the gritty Ethan Hawke period thriller The Weight, which is out in cinemas this Friday. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is all about birthdays, folks. Partially because Chris Hewitt just had one, but also because this week's listener question asks our Three Colleagues Of Such Lethal Cunning — Chris, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — to discuss the best movies released on their birthdays. The answers will shock and, in one case, depress the hell out of you. Elsewhere, our intrepid trio — joined by this week's workie, Grace — discuss a number of trailers, including The Further Misadventures Of Cliff Booth, and compare audiobook casts for starriness; and review David Ayer's Brad Pitt-and-dog survival thriller, Heart Of The Beast, the new version of Sense And Sensibility, rom-com The Love Hypothesis, Exorcist II documentary Boorman And The Devil, and Na Hong-jin's gonzo South Korean action movie, Hope. And speaking of Heart Of The Beast, that film's director, David Ayer, sits down on Zoom for a lovely natter with Chris. He's a good director, Brant. 14/10. Enjoy.

Which witch is which? And more importantly, which witch is best? That's the big question on the lips of the Empire Podcast team this week, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer discuss their favourite movie witches, and ask if the Blair Witch is even a witch at all (we wouldn't say it to her face, mind). Speaking of witches, Zach Cregger created a truly memorable one last year with Aunt Gladys in Weapons, and now the director is already back with his latest movie, a reimagining of the survival horror video game Resident Evil, and Chris has a fun Zoom with Cregger and his star, Austin Abrams. Oh, and Chris, Helen and James also look at the week's movie news, featuring a whole bunch of trailers and an unexpected Vin Diesel Instagram post, and review Resident Evil (or, in Chris' case, the first 30 minutes), Bad Apples, In The Grey, Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom, and Pulp: What Do You Do For An Encore. Packed to the gills with poddy goodness, this one. Enjoy.

This week's episode of The Interviews is different class, folks. First up, Chris Hewitt has a lovely Zoom with Jarvis Cocker — yes, THE Jarvis Cocker — as the Pulp frontman and all-round legend talks about the band's new movie, the Garth Jennings-directed Pulp: What Do You Do For An Encore, which is in cinemas for ONE DAY ONLY, Friday September 18 (today, in other words), before heading to MUBI from September 25. So have a listen to this, and then catch it if you can. After Jarvis exits the building, Helen O'Hara has a one-to-one with the Danish director Susanne Bier about her new movie, Practical Magic 2, which is conjuring up a storm at the box office right now. Enjoy.

With the latest issue of Empire magazine in shops for just another week or so, it's time for Chris Hewitt and Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to slide into the podbooth and dig deep in the latest episode of The Shameless Plug. Join our dynamic duo as they talk about Chris' adventures writing this month's cover feature on the Tom Cruise/Alejandro G. Iñárritu collaboration, Digger; plus his in-depth chat about The Frighteners with that movie's director, Peter Jackson. They also talk about the other goodies to be found within the issue, including features on VisionQuest, Paul Greengrass' The Uprising, Whalefall; a packed First Word section; and the story of a Hunt For The Wilderpeople reunion that, sadly, proved to be one of Sam Neill's final interviews. If you haven't picked up the new issue yet, it's still available now in all good, evil, and virtual newsagents and other magazine stockists until September 23. And if you have got a copy of the issue, why not read along with Chris and Nick? Enjoy.

Happy birthday, Star Trek! Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking sci-fi show turned 60 this week, and the Empire Podcast is celebrating in style this week. Helen O'Hara broke a world record, which she tells Chris Hewitt and James Dyer about, before our intrepid trio (our very own Kirk-Spock-Bones?) tackle a listener question about recasting The Next Generation crew. Their solutions may seem illogical. Elsewhere, Chris, Helen and James look at the week's movie news, review Practical Magic 2, Runner and The Runner (or maybe it's the other way around), Pressure, and Oasis: Don't Look Back In Anger, while Helen comes face-to-face with two legends, in the form of Practical Magic 2 stars, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. We hope you enjoy this episode and — hey! — live long and prosper, why don't you?

It's another jam-packed edition of The Interviews this week, folks. First, Chris Hewitt sits down with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight as he tackles another project about complicated brothers, the documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back In Anger, which chronicles the return and reconciliation of Liam & Noel Gallagher. We hear Damon Albarn loves it. Then Alex Godfrey has a lovely chat on Zoom with Camille Cottin, the star of Call My Agent!: The Movie, the feature-length continuation of the hit French Netflix series. And finally we bring you an excerpt from our live show at Kings Place last week, as Corin Hardy drops by to shamelessly plug an intriguing Shawshank Redemption experience. Enjoy!

The latest episode of The Interviews is a barnstormer, folks, in which the legendary Willem Dafoe talks to Alex Godfrey about his new movie, Late Fame, running a farm, and not celebrating birthdays; Chris Hewitt has a wild chat with Stop! That! Train! stars, Jujubee and Ginger Minj; and we bring you an excerpt from Harry Stainer's spoilerific chat with Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma director, Jane Schoenbrun (the rest, along with Team Empire's deep dive, is over at Empire+). Don't listen to that one until you've seen the film, for obvious reasons. Three very different interviews for you to enjoy. So please do enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt have a lovely natter with The Death Of Robin Hood star, Jodie Comer, and her director, Michael Sarnoski. Everything we do (we do it for them). Then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey, to discuss their favourite Tim Curry moments, look at the week's movie news, and review a whole bunch of films including The Death Of Robin Hood, Mayday, and Gail Daughtry & The Celebrity Sex Pass. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Dave Green's Coyote Vs Acme finally reach cinema screens after a long and perilous journey which saw the film face actual deletion at one point, before common sense prevailed. Green is our guest this week, and he tells Helen O'Hara about the arduous experience he went through, and the film itself, which is a joyous affair. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt returns to the host's chair and is joined by Helen, James Dyer and Amon Warmann to talk about their favourite movies and how often they see them; discuss 'vs' movies; look at the week's movie news, including the sad passing of Dolly Parton (however, this episode was recorded before the news that Tim Curry and Peter Cullen had also left us; we will pay tribute to them next week), and a perplexing move from Ryan Gosling; and review Coyote Vs Acme, Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars, Pedro Almodovar's Bitter Christmas, Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex, and Will Gluck's One Night Only, which sparks a Helen rant for the ages. Oh, and an old friend of the pod makes an unexpected return, much to Helen's delight. Enjoy.

Ack ack ack! Can Tim Burton's gleefully anarchic Mars Attacks! really be 30 years old? It seems so, for those lovely folks at Warner Home Video have released a 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition across a number of formats, and we've teamed up with them to celebrate this most delightfully Burton of movies by cramming Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer into the podbooth and getting them to talk about Burton's all-star alien invasion caper. Well, it's not unusual. Enjoy.

The Interviews returns this week with a jam-packed show, as Chris Hewitt sits down at Comic-Con in San Diego with, after a delayed start, Mason Thames (and yes, we have learned how to pronounce his surname) and Lee Kirk (ditto), star and director respectively of Nimrods: A Green Day Comedy about music, movies, and heart. Then Chris pops onto Zoom to have a natter with Adam Shankman, director of ZAZ-style spoof, Stop! That! Train!, and wind up talking about the time Shankman officiated Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr's wedding, and directors' God complexes. And finally Becky Darke makes his Empire Podcast interview debut by talking on Zoom to Sam Spruell, who's terrifying audiences worldwide right now as the villain of the latest Insidious movie, Out Of The Further. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Jane Schoenbrun, director of Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, chat to Harry Stainer on Zoom about their new movie, creating a new horror icon, and their own filmmaking journey. Either side of that, Helen O'Hara is joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and Jamie Graham to take a bunch of listener questions, discuss the week's movie news including their takes on the X-Men casting from D23, and review the aforementioned Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, The Stath's latest movie, Mutiny, & Sons, and Stop! That! Train! Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees director Matt Johnson return, just a few weeks after he was talking up Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie. This time, he's talking to Amon Warmann about his new movie, Tony, which is a snapshot of a period in the life of a young Anthony Bourdain (played by Dominic Sessa). Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about movie news (Barbie 2 developments, or lack thereof; and rumours of the X-Men cast announcement), review Tony, The End Of Oak Street, Sunny Dancer and Lady; lament the apparent passing of one of their favourite food haunts; and see whether any director has a 13th movie on their CV that can go toe-to-toe with Chris Nolan's The Odyssey. This is a podcast that's not afraid to ask the big questions. Questions like, 'is Octopussy better than The Odyssey?' The answer lies within. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Taika Waititi, director of Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Zoom in for a cracking chat with Chris Hewitt about that movie's tenth anniversary re-release, his feelings about the loss of the great Sam Neill, the status of his What We Do In The Shadows sequel, New Zealand PSAs, and more. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and John Nugent to answer a listener question about the implications of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's record-breaking box office; discuss the week's movie news, including the Violent Night 2 trailer, Mummy 4 casting and the potential of Samara Weaving in the MCU; and review The Last House, Love Me Tender, and Nimrods: A Green Day Comedy. Oh, and Chris re-ignites his bitter feud (that totally exists, honest) with genius cinematographer, Greig Fraser. Your move, Fraser!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt — freshly returned from Comic-Con and San Diego — sit down for a lovely chat with Spider-Man: Brand New Day director, Destin Daniel Cretton. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis to discuss their favourite Spider-movies, look back at Comic-Con and a whole bunch of trailers, and review Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Ish. They also get into Emily Wilson's scathing criticism of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey and discuss authors and writers who dislike movies based on their works. We've yet to hear from Homer, but we do have an ask in with his publicist. Enjoy.

And so Empire has said goodbye to Comic-Con 2026, after an absolutely jam-packed few days that saw our Chris Hewitt race around the San Diego Convention Centre, taking in panels and press lines galore, speaking to some of the biggest and brightest around, and eating horrifically. Like, it's a wonder he's still alive horrifically. But he made it to the end and, in this reaction show recorded on a terrace at the Hilton Bayfront mere minutes after the Avengers: Doomsday/Marvel Studios presentation and press line, Chris sits down with Empire colleague Dan Jolin to talk about Dan's unusual reason for being at Comic-Con, Chris' reaction to the Marvel panel and other panels he saw this year, and much, much more, including an interview with Masters Of The Universe and Wildwood writer, Chris Butler. Are you ready to meet your pod-doom? Enjoy.

On this week's Empire Podcast, Helen O'Hara slides into the host's chair in the Comic-Con-related absence of Chris Hewitt, and together, she, James Dyer and Amon Warmann come up with some of the greatest dog movies, suggest classic myths that could be turned into movies, swap outlandish theories about Avengers: Doomsday, talk about the movie news that broke before Comic-Con, and review The Dink, 72 Hours, and Deep Water. Guest-wise, for the first time in a while we have two in one episode, with Chris talking (via AirPods, thanks to technical difficulties) to The Dink star and all-round legend, Mary Steenburgen [26:54 - 44:27 approx], and then to old podcast stalwart, Tom Hiddleston, who whisks Chris away to actual Pompeii to talk about Hiddleston's new Disney+ docu-drama, Pompeii: Out Of Time, and display dazzling proficiency in Latin. [1:02:35 - 1:20:01 approx] Enjoy.

Here's a fun treat for anyone interested in comedy, movies, improv and more: when Chris Hewitt was in LA the other week, not only did he talk to John Woo for a one-hour special that can be found in this very podcast feed, but he also sat down with Scott Aukerman, host of his favourite podcast, Comedy Bang! Bang! With Aukerman, Paul F. Tompkins and Andy Daly coming to the UK and Ireland this week for the latest leg of their Groundbeefing Tour, that was all the excuse Chris needed to talk to Scott for an hour-plus deep dive into the podcast's origins, Scott's favourite guests, life on the road and, because this is a film podcast last time we checked, Aukerman's experiences in front of and behind the camera on the likes of Austin Powers In Goldmember and Between Two Ferns: The Movie. Frank, funny and fascinating, this will be well worth your time even if you aren't into CBB. And if you are, you've just hit paydirt. Enjoy.

With Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey finally in cinemas, and the current issue of Empire (with The Odyssey on the cover!) still on sale for just over a week or so, now is the perfect time for Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen, who wrote Empire's Odyssey coverage, to get together and do a deep dive into this epic of epic epicness. Whether you've read the issue cover-to-cover, or are planning to pick it up at some point, you'll find much to enjoy here.

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has finally landed in cinemas around the world, and to mark the occasion, we've turned the latest episode of The Interviews into an Odyssey special, as Chris Hewitt talks to two of the key pairings from Nolan's epic adaptation of the Homer poem. First up, you'll hear from Himesh Patel and John Leguizamo, who play Eurylochus and Eumaeus, two characters who are close to Odysseus, the warrior whose journey home after The Trojan War is beset by the kind of bad luck that would have you begging for a bus replacement service. And then you'll hear from Odysseus himself, aka Matt Damon, and Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus' son, Telemachus, as they talk about their toughest days on set, the worst smells, and forging a father-son bond between two characters who are apart for much of the film. These aren't spoiler interviews, but references are made to certain scenes, so perhaps wait until you've seen The Odyssey before listening, just in case. But both pairings were on cracking form, and we hope you'll enjoy.

This week's episode of The Empire Podcast sees one of the most revered Chrises in the movie business finally sit down with the director of The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, Oppenheimer and now The Odyssey. Yes, our Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat with Christopher Nolan, as the latter's Odyssey odyssey finally comes to an end. [47:24 - 1:09:28] Either side of that, Chris (Hewitt) is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey to pay a heartfelt tribute to the great Sam Neill, who passed away this week at the age of 78; make their selections for the Mount Rushmore of Neill films (by popular public demand); discuss the week's movie news, including the trailer for Tom Cruise's Digger; and review Heartstopper Forever, Couples Weekend and, yes, The Odyssey. With the latter review, in particular, proving so epic it might take you ten years to recover. Enjoy.

Here's a hard boiled treat that will feel like a bullet in the head initially. It may even make you want to take your face off. But hold tight, for there will always be a better tomorrow. Yes, it's a very special interview with the legendary action director, John Woo, who invited our Chris Hewitt, a lifelong fan of Woo's movies, into his LA offices last week for an hour-long talk, principally about Woo's groundbreaking, exhilarating work in Hong Kong on the likes of Hard Boiled, The Killer, Bullet In The Head, and A Better Tomorrow and its sequel. The two of them talk about Woo's humble beginnings, his discovery of action as an outlet and Chow Yun-Fat as his alter ego/leading man, his approach to staging action, his travails on Hard Boiled's greatest action sequence, and much, much more. We hope you enjoy.

Another jam-packed episode of The Interviews this week sees Chris Hewitt sit down in person with Auli'i Cravalho, the actress who originated the role of Moana in the animated films, and is now handing over the live-action torch to Catherine Laga'aia; [2:00 - 15:46 approx] and on Zoom with Robert Mark Kamen, writer of the original The Karate Kid and now also the book for The Karate Kid: The Musical, which is currently on tour in the UK; [17:05 - 38:26 approx] and finally Matt Spicer, who makes his return to directing movies with the Netflix comedy Little Brother, some nine years after he burst onto the scene with Ingrid Goes West. [39:20 - 56:14 approx] Enjoy.

Praise be to Muad'Dib! Thank the heavens for Duuuuuuuuuuuuune Part Three! Because, frankly, without the launch this week of the trailer for Denis Villeneuve's latest, and last, venture into Frank Herbert's sandy world, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer (for they are in charge this week, in Chris Hewitt's absence) would have had very little to talk about in terms of movie news on this week's episode. Thankfully it came along in the nick of time, and they bang on about it accordingly. Elsewhere, they had lots to talk about as they discuss contentious Empire reviews and movie worlds they'd like to visit in the listener questions section, and review Evil Dead Burn (with the help of Harry Stainer), the live-action remake of Moana, and Rosebush Pruning. Speaking of Evil Dead Burn, our guest this week is that film's formidable heroine, Souheila Yacoub, who talks to Chris about the film's gruelling one-shot sequence, avoiding the Evil Dead movies, and more. [43:00 - 56:16 approx] Enjoy! .

The latest episode of The Interviews is another belter, folks. And is, accidentally, double act-themed. First, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom for a fun chat with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the directors of one of the year's biggest and best films, Project Hail Mary, as the Ryan Gosling-Rocky The Alien movie lands on Prime Video. It's not a spoiler chat, but they talk about some of the film's key sequences (so be mindful if you somehow haven't seen it), its immense success, and what they're doing next. [1:23 - 20:13 approx] Then, Harry Stainer sits down with another notable filmmaking duo, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, the director (Johnson), writers and stars (both) of bonkers new comedy Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie, to talk about their lo-fi five-star triumph and their favourite Spielberg movie. [21:18 - 41:57 approx] And finally, Chris Zooms it up a storm with Himesh Patel, who stars in Enola Holmes 3 as Dr. Watson, one-half of one of the greatest partnerships of them all. [42:52 - 57:07 approx] It's an episode so good that you might say, to quote another great double-act, 'uvavu'. Enjoy!

The latest episode of the Empire Podcast sees the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Alex Godfrey, and James Dyer — go simply ga-ga for Olivia Wilde's new film, The Invite. In fact, Wilde is this week's guest, along with her co-star, Edward Norton, who have a lovely natter with Mr. Godfrey. Either side of that, the team talk about movies in which people bounce back after being made redundant, discuss the week's movie news, including the new trailer for Robert Eggers' Werwulf, and review not just The Invite, but Nirvanna: The Band The Show The Movie, Minions & Monsters, and Enola Holmes 3. Oh, and there's quite a bit of humming and whistling, but it'll make sense. Probably. Enjoy.

A shorter episode of The Interviews this week, folks, but it packs a lot into its 35 minutes, as Chris Hewitt talks music, Irish accents, life post-Game Of Thrones, and more with 500 Miles star, Maisie Williams, and then delves deep into Disclosure Day spoilers with that film's writer, the great David Koepp, in an excerpt from our spoiler special pod (out now). Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast might see Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara write their own ticket, folks, as they come up with an idea for Toy Story 6 that should, if there's any justice, be in production by the end of the weekend. Pixar, call us! That comes in the movie news section, where there is also much discussion of trailers and the prospect of a new Jim Carrey Grinch sequel. Either side of those, the gang — Chris, Helen, Amon Warmann, James Dyer, and this week's workie, Juliet Duff, who pops in for a cameo from time to time — talk about the most hellishly hot places in movies, review Supergirl, Jackass: Best And Last, A Private Life, and 500 Miles, and Chris has a lovely natter with Jackass supremos, Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine, about saying goodbye to the franchise, poop, and catheters. Enjoy!

Today saw the launch of Empire+, folks, for subscribers. We know you have questions. What is Empire+? What is happening? Why are we seeing the faces of three giggling idiots on the logos? WHAT IS REALITY? We answer those questions and more in this special announcement, in which Chris Hewitt and James Dyer talk you through the concept of Empire+ (what a groundbreaking name), and how you can sign up and subscribe, if you don't already. Also, Chris recommends the greatest crisps in all of crispendom. You're welcome.

With just a few days left to pick up the latest issue of Empire magazine, featuring Spider-Man: Brand New Day on the cover, here's the latest episode of The Shameless Plug, arriving in the nick of time to either entice you to buy the issue if you haven't done so, or bask in the stories behind the stories as Chris Hewitt and Empire editor, Nick de Semlyen, cram into the podbooth to talk you through how the magazine sausage was made. From Minions to Monty Python, it's all here, folks! Enjoy!

It's another jam-packed edition of The Interviews, folks! This episode sees Chris Hewitt sit down on Zoom with Haley Bennett and Jack Whitehall, stars of Virginia Woolf's Night & Day, for a discussion that turns into a thinly-veiled attempt to secure a Nando's Black Card. [1:10 - 14:10 approx] Chris also has a lovely chat with the great Cary Elwes about his one-two punch of Dead Man's Wire, now on Sky Cinema, and the TV show M.I.A., now on Paramount+. [15:54 - 27:57 approx] And finally, you get a chunky excerpt from our brand new spoilerific chat with Curry Barker, the director of the year's hottest movie, the horror movie turned cultural juggernaut, Obsession, as he reflects on his changed circumstances, getting a voicemail from Taron Egerton, and more. [29:34 - 41:35 approx]

If this week's Empire Podcast doesn't give you a Buzz, it might at least give you a... wonderful sense of warmth and well-being, as all-round acting legends Tom Hanks and Tim Allen chat to Chris Hewitt about returning as Woody and Buzz Lightyear for Toy Story 5, and their surprising plans to keep working together. [47:02 — 1:01:44 approx] Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the strange phenomenon of minor celebrities being asked to lend their voices to animated movies; movies that could have a sequel if you added an 'S' to their title, a la Aliens; look at the week's movie news, including a discussion of the final Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer; discover Helen's hatred for a major Hollywood star; and review Toy Story 5 and Virginia Woolf's Night & Day. To podfinity and beyond!

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer pack the sunscreen, flip-flops, and oversized hats into a tiny bag as they discuss some of the movie holidays they'd like to take. And yes, they somehow manage to do this without mentioning Roman Holiday, The Holiday, M. Hulot's Holiday, or Mr Bean's Holiday. Any film with the word 'holiday' in it, basically, the colossal eejits. They've been placed on gardening leave as a result. But before that, they also discuss the week's movie news, including 24 Jump Street (with a special cameo), and review Steven Spielberg's latest movie, Disclosure Day, plus Jorma Taccone's Over Your Dead Body, and Peter Mullan drama, The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford. Speaking of Spielberg, Disclosure Day writer David Koepp returns to the podbooth to tell Chris all about how this latest slice of sci-fi came to life. [46:26 - 1:06:00] Enjoy.

It's another packed episode of The Interviews, folks. First off, listener discretion is advised as Chris Hewitt talks to Brett Goldstein, star and co-writer of Office Romance, and his director, Ol Parker, about C-bombs, of which this interview contains plenty, and explicit childbirth scenes. Then, to our great delight, Actual Rock Star Ben Gibbard, frontman of Death Cab For Cutie, pops into the podbooth to have a chat with Beth Webb about his love of movies, working with the late, great Lynn Shelton, and his band's new album, I Built You A Tower. Finally, we bring you a big old chunk of Chris' spoiler special interview with Masters Of The Universe director, Travis Knight, aka He-Director.

This week sees the release of Travis Knight's live-action adaptation of 80s cartoon (and toy line), Masters Of The Universe, so our very own He-Man, Chris Hewitt, sits down on Zoom for a fun chat about films and football with the actual He-Man, Nicholas Galitzine, and Teela, Camila Mendes. [46:56 — 59:46 approx] Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and He-Dan, Dan Jolin, for a fun episode in which they discuss their favourite movie swords, take a look at the week's movie news including the trailer for Adam Wingard's Onslaught (aka The Guest 2?), and the sensational box office for Backrooms and Obsession. Finally, they review Masters Of The Universe, Brett Goldstein and J-Lo rom-com, Office Romance, Savage House, Madfabulous, and Scary Movie. Enjoy!

The latest episode of The Interviews is all about extravagance, high fashion and big spending. But enough about Chris Hewitt. Instead, we're focused on Savage House and Madfabulous, two costume dramas about upper-class types whose lives spiral out of control. In the first, Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy play a married couple who attempt to mount a lavish dinner party, with disastrous consquences, and they tell Chris all about their approach to acting, their connection to the characters and, in one wild, hilarious segment, how one of them handled a very unusual sex scene. Then Chris has a lovely Zoom chat with Callum Scott Howells, the Welsh actor who stars as Lord Henry Paget, a flamboyant real-life figure who is the subject of Celyn Jones' period piece, Madfabulous. The two of them talk about saying the title of the film, about the film's approach to Paget's sexuality, and Howells' upcoming turn opposite Michael Sheen in Amadeus on the West End stage. Oh, and Chris receives an offer that might just change his life... Enjoy!

It's a packed line-up of directors this week on The Interviews, folks. Directorpalooza? First up, we bring you an extended excerpt from our spoiler special interview with The Mandalorian And Grogu, Jon Favreau, who tells Chris Hewitt about his intentions behind the first big-screen Star Wars film in seven years. Then Chris leaps onto Zoom to have a lovely natter with the great Joe Dante about his beloved (eventually) 1987 sci-fi comedy, InnerSpace, which is out now on 4K UHD, and English director Mike Figgis about his hard-hitting, Oscar-winning drama, Leaving Las Vegas, which has also received the 4K UHD treatment. The Figgis chat is an extended excerpt from an hour-long deep dive into the movie which, like the Favreau interview and Team Empire diving deep into The Mandalorian And Grogu, can be found over on our spoiler special feed. empirespoilerspecials.com, if you haven't already taken the plunge. Enjoy!