The Empire Film Podcast podcast

The Empire Film Podcast

The Empire Film Podcast is the official podcast of Empire, the world's biggest and best movie magazine. We bring you all the latest movie news and nonsense, as well as reviews of the week's new films, an assortment of irreverent, film-related chat and interviews with some of Hollywood's best and brightest. New episodes every Friday. For our famous deep dives into specific movies, subscribe to the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast at https://empire.supportingcast.fm/ Love TV? Subscribe to our sister show, The Pilot TV Podcast, which covers every quality show landing on the small screen — because you can't watch *everything*. https://podfollow.com/pilot-tv-podcast/

The Empire Film Podcast is the official podcast of Empire, the world's biggest and best movie magazine. We bring you all the latest movie news and nonsense, as well as reviews of the week's new films, an assortment of irreverent, film-related chat and interviews with some of Hollywood's best and brightest. New episodes every Friday. For our famous deep dives into specific movies, subscribe to the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast at https://empire.supportingcast.fm/ Love TV? Subscribe to our sister show, The Pilot TV Podcast, which covers every quality show landing on the small screen — because you can't watch *everything*. https://podfollow.com/pilot-tv-podcast/

 

#824

#609 — Sydney Sweeney, David Dastmalchian, Ernie Hudson

Halloween isn't for another few months, but this week's Empire Podcast delivers a hat-trick of horrors nonetheless, as Chris Hewitt has spooky sitdowns on Zoom with the stars of three scary fillums that are all out this week. First, Sydney Sweeney, star and producer of nun-more-black horror, Immaculate, talks about sticking the landing and possession. [21:24 - 37:37 approx] Then, David Dastmalchian, star of stylish found footage shocker, Late Night With The Devil, dials in from his trailer in Toronto, where he's currently working, to talk that movie, The Dark Knight, life goals, Ant-Man And The Wasp and more. [55:16 - 1:15:44 approx.] And finally, a man who ain't afraid of no ghost (which is a double negative, the most terrifying thing of all), it's original Ghostbuster, Ernie Hudson, aka Winston Zeddemore, who has a chat about Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire that was shorter than usual due to Chris having issues with hotel wifi from Dublin. [1:44:32 - 1:54:43 approx.] Then, in the podbooth in London, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to tackle a listener question about the teaser trailer for Alien: Romulus, which then prompts further discussion of the week's deluge of trailers, including Furiosa, Star Wars: The Acolyte and more. The trio also discuss the rumours about the potential casting of the new James Bond, and in a bumper reviews section cast their eyes over Irish Wish, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Road House, Robot Dreams, Immaculate, and Late Night With The Devil. This episode was recorded on Wednesday, in order to allow us to travel to Dublin for the penultimate show of our live tour, and as such we will be discussing the sad passing of the legendary M. Emmett Walsh next week. In the meantime, enjoy. ... Read more

22 Mar 2024

1 HR 55 MINS

1:55:45

22 Mar 2024


#823

#608 — Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke, Phillip Noyce

While we're waiting patiently for Joel and Ethan Coen to reunite as the filmmaking entity known as the Coen Brothers, can we interest you in the Coen Brother and Sister-in-Law? For Ethan Coen and his wife, Tricia Cooke, have teamed up to make the rambunctious road trip comedy, Drive Away Dolls, and on this week's episode they tell John Nugent about how they did it, and poke fun at his Star Wars toys. [25:34 - 40:09 approx.] We're also joined by another great filmmaker this week, as Phillip Noyce Zooms in for a chat with Chris Hewitt about life in the Hollywood system, and how his new movie, Pierce Brosnan thriller Fast Charlie, nearly fell apart at the first hurdle. [1:02:57 - 1:24:01 approx.] Then, in the studio, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss their most recent favourite movies, the films of Ryan Gosling, the week's movie news (including much Oscar chat and Neve Campbell's return to the Scream series), and review Drive Away Dolls, Monster, and The New Boy. Enjoy! ... Read more

15 Mar 2024

1 HR 42 MINS

1:42:44

15 Mar 2024


#822

#607 — Robin Wright, DeWanda Wise

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer cram into the podbooth just minutes after returning to London from a live show in Norwich, which was part of the pod's March tour (tickets still available for Sheffield, Dublin, and Salford via [empireonline.com/podtour] (http://empireonline.com/podtour) !). And, despite their exhaustion, they throw themselves into a fun episode that involves a deep dive into the filmographies of every actor who's played The Doctor in Doctor Who, an in-depth discussion of the upcoming Oscars that takes up pretty much the entire movie news section, and reviews of Damsel, Ricky Stanicky, and Origin. Guest-wise, it's another belter, as Chris has lovely chats with the wonderful Robin Wright, star of Damsel and Helen's personal fave, The Princess Bride (25:02 - 39:43 approx.), before welcoming back the magnificent DeWanda Wise, star of this week's horror film, Imaginary (1:02:11 - 1:21:17 approx). Does Chris pluck up the nerve to sing Curtis Stigers' I Wonder Why, which he has repurposed with DeWanda Wise's name added because it fits the chorus PERFECTLY, to her face? Well, what do you think? ... Read more

08 Mar 2024

1 HR 40 MINS

1:40:10

08 Mar 2024


#821

Talking About The Star Wars Prequels: An Empire Podcast Special

The new issue of Empire — on sale now at all good, evil and intergalactic newsagents — is something of a celebration of 25 years of the Star Wars prequels, George Lucas' trilogy of movies that began with The Phantom Menace in 1999 and concluded with Revenge Of The Sith, Order 66 and all that, in 2005. Since then, the prequels have generated more debate among Star Wars fans than pretty much anything else you care to name, something that is very much the case in this special podcast episode, as Chris Hewitt, Alex Godfrey and James Dyer talk through the magazine's world-beating coverage of the prequels, discuss their own complicated feelings about the movies (including, yes, Chris' own history with Attack Of The Clones), and bang the drum for the things they love about the trilogy. Does that mean there are plenty of terrible impressions of Boss Nass, Sebulba, the Emperor and more? Not as many as you'd imagine, thankfully. Enjoy. Peeeeeeeeeeeeace! ... Read more

04 Mar 2024

54 MINS

54:21

04 Mar 2024


#820

#606 — Josh Brolin, Adam Sandler & Paul Dano

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is perfectly balanced, as all things should be. In the first half, Chris Hewitt sits down with ol' Thanos himself, aka the one and only Josh Brolin, for a wide-ranging conversation that takes in birthday parties, Brolin's growth as an actor, his aversion to compliments, and his return as the indefatigable Gurney Halleck in Denis Villeneuve's Dune Part Two, which opens this week (21:56 - 41:02 approx). Chris then ticks another one off his bucket list by having a fun Zoom chat with Adam Sandler, star of the new Netflix sci-fi drama Spaceman, and his co-star Paul Dano (56:14 - 1:10:38 approx). Either side of those, Helen O'Hara hosts from the podbooth this week, and she, James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Sophie Butcher tackle a couple of listener questions, one involving Muppets; discuss what passes for the week's movie news (this pod was recorded slightly earlier than usual), and give Dune Part Two, Johan Renck's Spaceman, and Zelda Williams' Lisa Frankenstein the review treatment. And yes, James goes absolutely nuts for Dune. Sorry, Duuuuuuuuuuuune. Enjoy. ... Read more

01 Mar 2024

1 HR 37 MINS

1:37:28

01 Mar 2024


#819

FX's Shōgun: An Empire & Pilot TV Podcast Special, In Association With Disney+

There can be only one thing more exciting than James Clavell’s Shōgun getting a brand new TV adaptation on Disney+, and that’s a special Pilot TV/Empire crossover podcast recorded to mark the occasion! Join Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Nick de Semlyen as they get together to talk all things Japanese, Nick’s epic read of Clavell’s 1300 page book, and the pros and cons of ninja-themed restaurants. What’s more, James sits down with showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks to talk about bringing Edo-period Japan to life and the art of banging subtitles, plus he chats with star Cosmo Jarvis about taking on the role of ‘The Anjin’. Enjoy! ... Read more

27 Feb 2024

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:01

27 Feb 2024


#818

#605 — Jessica Chastain & Peter Sarsgaard, Wim Wenders, Fernando Meirelles

It's another jam-packed episode of the Empire Podcast this week, folks. Our guest cup certainly overfloweth, as Olly Richards sits down on Zoom with Memory stars Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard (21:17 - 37:40 approx.), Ian Freer talks Kurosawa, Columbo, German goalkeepers and Japanese toilets with the legendary director Wim Wenders (58:36 - 1:14:11 approx), and Dan Jolin gushes liberally all over City Of God in a 21st anniversary re-release chat with that film's director, Fernando Meirelles (1:30:51 - 1:48:04 approx). Either side of those, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss their best ever days as film fans, their favourite queer films, the week's movie news including the announcement of Sam Mendes' wildly ambitious Beatles biopics, and review Memory, Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, Wicked Little Letters, and American Star. Oh, and James and Helen try to remember the names of the Goonies, with predictably disastrous results. Enjoy. ... Read more

23 Feb 2024

1 HR 54 MINS

1:54:49

23 Feb 2024


#817

#604 — Kingsley Ben-Adir, Tahar Rahim

This week's Empire Podcast brings you a double bill of wonderful actors, nattering away about their latest projects. How lovely. First up, Kingsley Ben-Adir talks to Amon Warmann about Bob Marley: One Love, the film that shines the spotlight on two pivotal years in the life of the legendary reggae singer, Bob Marley, and the madness of being part of Greta Gerwig's Barbie. (22-46.00 - 41:52.00) And Chris Hewitt has a lovely talk with Tahar Rahim, star of Madame Web, about finally saying yes to Hollywood, what he would do if he knew when he was going to die, and working with Ridley Scott on Napoleon. (1:08:18.00 - 1:23:07.00) Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss billion dollar movies that should have been nominated for Best Picture, the week's movie news including the revelation of the Fantastic Four casting and the Super Bowl trailers, and review Bob Marley: One Love, The Taste Of Things, Madame Web, and Jennifer Lopez' This Is Me... Now. Also, we bang on about our March tour, which starts in just two weeks. Tickets on sale now at [empireonline.com/podtour] (http://empireonline.com/podtour) . Enjoy! ... Read more

16 Feb 2024

1 HR 44 MINS

1:44:10

16 Feb 2024


#816

#603 — Jeffrey Wright, Sean Durkin & Zac Efron

Another week, another packed episode of the Empire Podcast, and once again we're joined by some cracking guests. First, Jeffrey Wright, the freshly Oscar-nominated star of American Fiction, joins Chris Hewitt to talk about that movie, his working practices, the film's unusual original title, and more. (30:37 - 48:53)Then Alex Godfrey sits down on Zoom with The Iron Claw director, Sean Durkin, and his star Zac Efron, for a chat about wrestling, big arms, and big hearts. (1:08:47 - 1:22:35, approx) And either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent to discuss a whole host of stuff. They talk about the upcoming Empire Podcast tour (Birmingham! Norwich! Sheffield! Dublin! Manchester!), which has just gone on sale now, right some Oscar wrongs for the third and final time, this time tackling Best Director, discuss the week's movie news, including the sad death of Carl Weathers, and review The Iron Claw, Steve McQueen's Occupied City, and Orion And The Dark. Hope to see some of you at our live shows in March. In the meantime, enjoy! ... Read more

09 Feb 2024

1 HR 47 MINS

1:47:41

09 Feb 2024


#815

#602 — Henry Cavill & Sam Rockwell, Kumail Nanjiani

The greater the spy movie, the bigger the guests. That's the motto of this week's Empire Podcast, as Chris Hewitt sits down with Henry Cavill and Sam Rockwell, stars of Matthew Vaughn's new spy caper Argylle, for a fun chat about dancing, fighting, and novelists. (23:46 - 40:04) Chris is also joined by the wonderful Kumail Nanjiani, who returns to the pod to talk about his strange year of strikes, and becoming a duck for the new Illumination movie, Migration (1:02:52 - 1:17:16). Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer as they right more Oscar wrongs (this time in the Best Actress category), discuss the week's movie news, including Duncan Jones directing Rogue Trooper, and review Argylle, Migration, Cord Jefferson's fantastic American Fiction, and Jonathan Glazer's The Zone Of Interest. And Chris doesn't mention Jürgen Klopp once, you'll be astonished to hear. We're having him checked now. Enjoy. ... Read more

02 Feb 2024

1 HR 44 MINS

1:44:59

02 Feb 2024


#814

Cartoon Saloon: An Empire Podcast Special

We love the Irish animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, at Empire. And we're not alone — the Kilkenny-based marvels behind the likes of Song Of The Sea, Wolfwalkers, and The Secret Of Kells recently had a BFI season devoted to their exploits, and to mark the beginning of their 25th anniversary. And in this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, Helen O'Hara sits down on Zoom with Cartoon Saloon's head honchos, Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey, and Paul Young, to talk about their unique philosophy and approach. Then Helen hosts Ben Travis and John Nugent for a fun chat about The Very Best Of Cartoon Saloon. Enjoy! ... Read more

31 Jan 2024

51 MINS

51:00

31 Jan 2024


#813

#601 — Blitz Bazawule, Paul Giamatti & Alexander Payne, Andrew Scott & Paul Mescal

After last week's triumphant live show to mark episode 600, the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann — return to the safety of the podbooth this week to kick off the road to 700... but we're not exactly skimping on the guests. First, Blitz Bazawule, director of The Colour Purple, tells Helen all about how he tackled the big-screen version of the musical based on the Alice Walker book. Then, Chris has an audience with The Holdovers director Alexander Payne, and his Oscar-nominated star, Paul Giamatti, and they wind up talking about horror films. And finally, Alex Godfrey sits down with All Of Us Strangers stars, Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, for a reflective chat about Andrew Haigh's wonderful new film. Either side of all of those, the podteam right some Oscars wrongs in the Listeners' Question section (although they wish it to be known that they are planning no heists), discuss more Oscars stuff in the wake of this week's nominations announcement, the revelation of the book that will form Reacher season 3, and more in a bumper News section, and then review All Of Us Strangers, The Colour Purple, and Jackdaw. Enjoy. (Timestamps to come... maybe! Sorry it's late!) ... Read more

26 Jan 2024

2 HR 08 MINS

2:08:23

26 Jan 2024


#812

#600 (Live At Kings Place, London) — Tom Hiddleston, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Ray Winstone

Another landmark live show for the Empire Podcast saw a capacity crowd cram themselves into Hall One at our spiritual home of Kings Place, London, to celebrate Episode 600. And we brought along some exceptional star guests as well, as Tom Hiddleston — Loki himself — popped in for an extended chat about the God Of Mischief, and other animals, with Chris Hewitt; Mia McKenna-Bruce, the star of How To Have Sex and newly-minted BAFTA Rising Star Award nominee, chatted to Beth Webb about Robert De Niro, McDonald's, and Fake James Cameron; and Ray Winstone sat down with Alex Godfrey to natter about his forthcoming one-two punch of The Gentlemen and Damsel, and some of his legendary films, from Sexy Beast to Nil By Mouth. That extended trio of interviews can be found at approx: 57:16.00 and ends roughly at 2:14:00Either side of that, you will find more live show chaos from the podteam, as Chris is joined on stage by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis to discuss the week's movie news, review The Holdovers, Mean Girls (not that one), The Kitchen, and The End We Start From, and they tackle as many audience questions as they can before the venue turns out the lights. Mind you, we would have kept going by the light of our Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire glow-in-the-dark cover. Anyway, it's an absolute belter of a show, and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it. And thanks for all your support over the years. We couldn't do this without you. Enjoy. ... Read more

22 Jan 2024

2 HR 42 MINS

2:42:11

22 Jan 2024


#811

#599 — George Clooney & Callum Turner, Kevin Hart & Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Dan Levy

We have a veritable guestapalooza this week as George Clooney and Callum Turner join us to talk The Boys In The Boat, Kevin Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw give us the lowdown on F. Gary Gray's heist movie Lift, and Dan Levy chats about his directorial debut Good Grief. Other than that, it's another fireside chat with just Helen and James this week as they mull over numerically titled films, shake their heads at the Golden Globes, and wade through an incredibly busy week for movie news. And that's before they get into the deranged masterpiece that is Poor Things, the simply deranged new Stath movie The Beekeeper, and the aforementioned Lift, Good Grief and The Boys In The Boat. Finally, apologies for the slight sound problem at the beginning of this week's show (one of the mics had the wrong setting) it only lasts for the first four minutes, though. ... Read more

12 Jan 2024

2 HR 05 MINS

2:05:40

12 Jan 2024


#810

Echo Preview Special ft. Sydney Freeland

Echo, the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe show to debut on Disney+, continues the story of Maya Lopez, the deaf, Native American vigilante whom we met back in Hawkeye. And in this very special preview interview with Sydney Freeland, the Navajo filmmaker who is one of the show's directors, Chris Hewitt discovers just what we can expect from this five-episode limited series, in which Maya comes face to face with her past, and with two familiar faces in the shape of Charlie Cox's Daredevil and the man whom Maya considers to be her uncle, Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin. All five episodes drop at once on Disney+ from Wednesday Jan 10 (in the UK), and you can get up to speed now by checking out this interview. Enjoy. ... Read more

09 Jan 2024

20 MINS

20:49

09 Jan 2024


#809

#598 — Joel Edgerton, JA Bayona

Happy New Year! With just two shows until 600, The Empire podcast crashes back into your feeds this week. Well, two thirds of it does because Chris is on holiday, leaving Helen and James to hold down the fort. And by that we mean have a cosy fireside discussion about all the fantasy books they devoured over Christmas, along with assorted stories of New Year's Eve shenanigans. But none of that matters because we have the one and only JA Bayona on this week's show, the director stopping by to talk about his brilliant (and very likely to be Oscar-winning) film, Society Of The Snow. Plus Joel Edgerton joins us to explain what happens when the cast is crew in The Boys In The Boat. Plus Helen and James pull their reviewing caps on and watch Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, Blumhouse's haunted swimming pool feature Night Swim, and kinder transport drama One Life. ... Read more

05 Jan 2024

1 HR 37 MINS

1:37:11

05 Jan 2024


#808

#597 — Michael Fassbender, Adam Driver

The final Empire Podcast of 2023 is here, folks, and it's a belter, with two incredible guests. First up, Michael Fassbender returns to the pod after an absence of a few years, and in an extended interview with Chris Hewitt, he talks about returning to the big screen with the double-whammy of David Fincher's The Killer and Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins. Plus, he talks about going to Anfield, home of Liverpool Football Club, for that game against Barcelona in 2019, shares his love of The Streets Of San Francisco, and confesses that he may not actually be telling the truth in interviews. It's a very fun chat that starts at 20:11, and ends at 42:09. Then, Alex Godfrey has a nice natter with Adam Driver, star of Michael Mann's Ferrari, about driving, about whether he's happy, and about possibly taking on the De Niro role in Heat 2. That starts at 56:33, and ends at 1:13:08. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer and, despite the apparent absence of stuff to talk about in the Merryneum between Christmas and New Year's Day, they manage it, sharing their New Year's filmic resolutions, ranking The Hollywood Chrises (but in a most unexpected way), discussing the week's movie news including the shock omission of Wonka from the shortlist for Best Original Song at the Oscars, and review Next Goal Wins, Ferrari, and Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy And The Heron. Thanks so much to everyone who listened this year, whether it was to one pod or all we produced. We couldn't do it without you. Here's to a great 2024. Happy New Year, everyone, and enjoy. ... Read more

29 Dec 2023

1 HR 35 MINS

1:35:50

29 Dec 2023


#807

Review Of The Year 2023: An Empire Podcast Special

Merry Christmas, you filthy animals! Here's a little Christmas bonus for you all: the Empire Podcast's Review Of The Year. 2023 (for that is the year in question) was a year that gave us so much, cinematically speaking, from Barbenheimer to Empire's official number one film, Past Lives, and everything in-between, including the first signs of weakness in the previously invulnerable Marvel Cinematic Universe. And, in this near three-hour special, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis discuss all of that, and much, much more. Much, much, much more, in fact. However, Chris is very aware that, even though he set it up, he got distracted and forgot to talk about the brilliant scene in No Hard Feelings where Andrew Barth Feldman sings Maneater, and would like to rectify that now by telling you all to seek it out. Anyway, this pod is a ton of fun, despite that egregious oversight. Enjoy. ... Read more

25 Dec 2023

2 HR 50 MINS

2:50:44

25 Dec 2023


#806

#596 — Rosamund Pike, Bradley Cooper & Carey Mulligan

The last Empire Podcast before Christmas brings you a pair of lovely interviews as our gift to you: first, Mike Muncer sits down on Zoom with Rosamund Pike to talk about class warfare and the challenges of starring in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn, which is now streaming on Prime Video. Then, Chris Hewitt has a lovely audience with Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, stars of Maestro, Cooper's second film as director. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as they tackle a whole bunch of Christmas movie questions, discuss the week's movie news, review Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, Society Of The Snow, John Woo's Silent Night, and Finestkind. Oh, and Chris discusses his sexual awakening, which is as terrifying as it sounds. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our amazing and loyal listeners! ... Read more

22 Dec 2023

1 HR 46 MINS

1:46:27

22 Dec 2023


#805

#595 — Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan, Zachary Levi

"Say hi to your family for me!" Mark Wahlberg, star of the action comedy The Family Plan, returns to the Empire Podcast for the first time in aaaaaaages this week, and brings his on-screen wife, Michelle Monaghan, with him for a fun chat with Chris Hewitt that takes in everything from kids swearing in front of their parents to Adele's impact on Wahlberg's sleep cycle. Chris is also in the interviewer's chair for a fun audience with Zachary Levi, the star of Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget. And, in the antepenultimate episode of the year (no Christmas break for us!), Chris hosts from his home office this week, and is joined by Amon Warmann and James Dyer to tackle a couple of Christmas movie-related questions, take a look at the week's movie news, including the sad death of Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andre Braugher, and review Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child Of Fire, Godzilla Minus One, The Family Plan, and The Three Musketeers: Milady. Enjoy. RUNNING ORDER (all timings approx)Intro/Listeners' QuestionsMark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan -- 19:19.00 - 34.00.00Movie NewsZachary Levi -- 53:11.00 - 1:09:26.00Reviews/Outro ... Read more

15 Dec 2023

1 HR 34 MINS

1:34:00

15 Dec 2023


#804

Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt on Oppenheimer: An Empire Podcast Interview Special

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is one of the biggest and best films of the year, and in this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt sits down for an audience with its stars, Cillian Murphy, who stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, and Emily Blunt, who plays his redoubtable wife, Kitty. In a fun and free-wheeling chat, the Oppenheimers talk about working with Nolan, reading the screenplay for the first time, adjusting to their characters, and much, much more. Including the answer to the question that's long been on our minds: does Chris Nolan say 'laters, dudes'? Oh, and while this isn't a spoiler special, we do discuss major plot turns, and the film's ending, so make sure you've seen the film before giving it a spin. Enjoy. ... Read more

13 Dec 2023

29 MINS

29:00

13 Dec 2023


#803

#594 — Timothée Chalamet & Keegan-Michael Key, Jeff Rowe

On this week's Empire Podcast, Timmy Two Meats returns, only this time he's... Timmy Two Sweets? Yes, Timothée Chalamet, the star of Paul King's wonderful Wonka, is back on the pod, and this time he's brought his co-star, the wickedly talented Keegan-Michael Key, with him. Together, they talk to Chris Hewitt about musicals, sketches, and their friendship. Then, with the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on shiny disc, Ben Travis has a nice natter with that film's director, Jeff Rowe. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as they talk about Tom Cruise cake, resurrecting dead stars for audiobooks and sleep tapes, a host of new trailers, and review Wonka, Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget, Leave The World Behind, and Family Switch. And Chris makes a heroic attempt to name every Jack Reacher book in order. You have been warned. Enjoy. TIMINGS (APPROX)Intro/Listener Question: 0:00.00 - 19:57.00Timothée Chalamet and Keegan-Michael KeyMovie News: 33:44.00 - 51:41:00Jeff RoweReviews: 1:11:04.00 - end ... Read more

08 Dec 2023

1 HR 40 MINS

1:40:43

08 Dec 2023


#802

#593 — Richard Curtis, William Oldroyd & Thomasin McKenzie, Riz Ahmed & Jessie Buckley

It's another guest-packed jamboree on this week's Empire Podcast, folks. First, Chris Hewitt asks Richard Curtis about revisiting his BBC Christmas classic, Bernard & The Genie, as the new Sky Cinema film, Genie. Chris also chats with William Oldroyd, director of the new thriller Eileen, and his star, Thomasin McKenzie. And then Amon Warmann Zooms in for a lovely natter with Fingernails stars, Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley. We really do spoil you lot. And either side of all those is another fun episode as Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about the forthcoming live show to mark our 600th episode (on sale now -- be quick! They're going fast!), discuss which villains could stand to receive the prequel treatment, discuss the week's movie news, including good news for the Stephen King clan, and review Eileen, Genie, Candy Cane Lane, and Fallen Leaves. Oh, and Chris overshares. Shocker. Enjoy, as we begin the countdown to Christmas! TIMESTAMPS! (timings approx)Intro/Listener Question: 0:00.00 - 22:52.00Richard CurtisMovie News: 37:06.00 - 51:24.00William Oldroyd and Thomasin McKenzieReviews: 1:09:07.00 - 1:27:36.00Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley/Outro ... Read more

01 Dec 2023

1 HR 44 MINS

1:44:02

01 Dec 2023


#801

#592 — Jon Batiste & Matthew Heineman, Joaquin Phoenix & Vanessa Kirby, Jennifer Lee

It's another jam-packed episode of the Empire Podcast this week, folks. First, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with ace composer and musician, Jon Batiste, and Matthew Heineman, about their new documentary, American Symphony; then he battles an uncooperative microphone stand and emerges with an enormously fun interview with Napoleon stars, Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby; and lastly two walking Disney encyclopaedias meet, as our Ben Travis sits down with Jennifer Lee, the writer of this week's Wish and Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. On either side of all of those is a fun episode in which Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the actor whose back catalogue they would choose to watch for the rest of their lives; natter about the week's movie news; and review Napoleon, Bradley Cooper's Maestro, George C. Wolfe's Rustin, and Wish. And yes, Chris does know he misquoted Dodgeball. First the Attack of the Clones review, now this: Film Twitter will find his resignation on their desk first thing tomorrow. As for this episode: enjoy. RUNNING ORDER (all timings approx.)INTRO/LISTENERS QUESTION: 0:00.00 - 20:13.00JON BATISTEMOVIE NEWS: 38:33.00 - 1:01:14.00JOAQUIN PHOENIX & VANESSA KIRBYREVIEWS: 1:19:03.00 - 1:43:45.00JENNIFER LEE & OUTRO ... Read more

24 Nov 2023

1 HR 58 MINS

1:58:58

24 Nov 2023