Spooky season is upon us, folks, and this week's Empire Podcast is even more of a horror show than usual, as Chris Hewitt talks to Naomi Scott about her fabulous performance in Parker Finn's scary sequel, Smile 2, [23:26 - 37:26 approx] and the team — Chris, James Dyer, Ben Travis, and Beth Webb — tackle two horror-related questions from listeners, including the horror flicks they think should have been nominated for Best Picture, and an impromptu Mount Rushmore of vampire films that really should have been called Count Rushmore. Elsewhere, much movie news is discussed, including the addition of Krypto the Superdog to James Gunn's Superman, Chris has a lovely chat with Woman Of The Hour director/star Anna Kendrick, [58:47 - 1:16:56 approx] and in the reviews section we tackle that very film, plus The Wild Robot, Smile 2, and The Apprentice, with guest reviewer Alex Godfrey. Oh, and the team, and a very special guest, bids Ben a heartfelt farewell as he heads off on paternity leave. Enjoy.

With the BFI London Film Festival about to shut up shop for another year after a cracking 2024 offering, it's the perfect time to bring you our annual LFF podcast, in which Chris Hewitt chats to some of the British filmmakers who have films (and a TV show) at this year's festival. They are: Nick Murphy, director of A Thousand Blows; Sasha Nathwani, director of Last Swim; and Sadie Frost, director of new documentary, Twiggy. And they are fun, frank, and fascinating chats about the directors' projects, their LFF experiences, and the state of the film industry. Enjoy!

It's another belting week on the Empire Podcast, folks. On the guest front, James White — ol' Jaime Blanco himself — talks to Sarah Paulson, star of new Disney+ thriller Hold Your Breath, about milking both tension and cows [21:33 - 34:08 approx], Chris Hewitt sits down for a fun chat about vampires, changing tyres, and playing people called Bob with Lewis Pullman, star of the Salem's Lot movie which is finally seeing the light of night after a couple of years sitting on the shelf [52:39 - 1:09:31 approx], and we bring you an excerpt of our incredible The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power s2 spoiler special Q&A with showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, creative producer Lindsay Weber, and stars Charles Edwards, Megan Richards, and Daniel Weyman. [1:34:50 - 1:52:24 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, and remotely by a stricken James Dyer, for a fun episode in which Helen finally shares her thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux, the trio discuss which tell-all film books they'd like to read, the week's movie news including the new A Complete Unknown trailer, and review Salem's Lot, Timestalker, and Transformers One. Oh, and our next live show — episode 650 — is announced in, um, spectacular fashion. Enjoy.

As a special treat for you, our beloved listeners, here's a bonus pod for you... an episode of Pilot TV! Yes, our sister TV pod is elbowing its way unbidden into your playlist and forcing itself into your ears like an unwanted U2 album. But before you go skipping ahead, why not stay a while and have a listen? For one, it will greatly reduce the possibility of James coming over to your house, putting headphones on you and playing it to you while you sleep. Plus, you might just enjoy it.On this particular episode, James, along with co-hosts Boyd Hilton and Kay Ribeiro, invite Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal into the Pilot studio to talk about Spanish-language boxing drama a Máquina on Disney+. Elsewhere, Kay gets pilloried for daring to take some time off, James is lambasted for his egregious (if entirely oblivious) queue-jumping, and there’s some seasonal spooky chat about the best TV-based horrors. As well as reviewing La Máquina, the team also take a look at starry Apple drama Disclaimer with Cate Blanchett, and Sweetpea on Sky Atlantic, in which Ella Purnell gets in touch with her inner sociopath. And if you like this episode, why not subscribe to Pilot TV? Dropping every Monday, it's a perfect accompaniment to the Empire pod — after all, who doesn't need a guide to the murky waters of modern streaming TV? You can't watch everything.

Love that Joker? If so, you've come to the right place, folks, as this week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, our very own clown prince of crime, dig deep into Joker: Folie à Deux (and pronounce the title roughly ten different ways) with its star, Joaquin Phoenix [18:50 - 41:01 approx], and director, Todd Phillips. [1:02:14 - 1:23:07 approx] With Helen O'Hara having made herself scarce so she can watch the original Joker (her favourite film of all time) about a dozen times in preparation for the sequel, Chris is joined in the podbooth by his number one guy, Bo -- sorry, James Dyer -- and number two guy (that sounds wrong, but we are where we are), Alex Godfrey, for a fun episode in which they try to discuss terrible films made by great directors, only to get hung up on one terrible film in particular; discuss the week's movie news, including the return of Daniel Day-Lewis to acting, and a host of sad farewells (and yes, before you mention it, we forgot about the great Kris Kristofferson, who will get his flowers on next week's show), and review the aforementioned Joker sequel, and A Different Man. Finally, we bring you a sneak peek at our Inside Out 2 spoiler special, now that the film has arrived on Disney+, as Ben Travis talks to Kelsey Mann, director of the year's biggest movie. [1:42:24 - 1:58:17 approx] Enjoy.

It's another jam-packed banger on the Empire Podcast this week, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down for a triple whammy of interviews. First, there's Saoirse Ronan, star/producer of affecting drama The Outrun, and her co-star Paapa Essiedu, who talk about bonding, improvisation, and shooting on location. [19:13 - 33:45 approx] Then, there's Josh Greenbaum, director of Will & Harper, the excellent documentary that follows Will Ferrell and his writer friend of three decades, Harper Steele, on a cross-country road trip in the aftermath of Harper's recent transition to living as a woman. [54:27 - 1:13:03 approx] And finally, there's a big chunk of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice spoiler special goodness with that film's writers and executive producers, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. [1:40:01 - 1:55:27 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss directors whose careers have received a boost from working in the MCU, take a look at the week's movie news (this was recorded before the sad news of the death of Dame Maggie Smith), and review Will & Harper, Wolfs, The Outrun, and Megalopolis, a review so immense it has added ballast in the form of Alex Godfrey. Oh, and the team discover Bump Juice. To find out what it is, listen on. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast comes with an air of carefree celebration, as Chris Hewitt marks his birthday by a) not mentioning his birthday that much, b) interviewing Willa Fitzgerald, star of cracking new thriller Strange Darling, while somehow not actually talking about the movie because it's incredibly hard to talk about without getting into spoiler territory, [23:05 - 40:27 approx] and c) interviewing the powerhouse trio who star in new movie His Three Daughters, Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne. [1:01:45 - 1:14:52 approx] Then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the best movie witches, tackle the week's movie news, including David Schwimmer's revelation that he turned down Will Smith's role in Men In Black, and review His Three Daughters, Strange Darling, and The Substance. Oh, and Helen reveals a shocking old nickname, while Chris doesn't mention his birthday at all. Enjoy.

Years after she meddled with Wanda Maximoff, sang her own wonderful earworm of a theme song, and waltzed off with WandaVision tucked under her arm, Agatha Harkness is back back back in Agatha All Along, a new nine-part Disney+ MCU show which sees Kathryn Hahn return as Westview's second most powerful witch. Only now she's on the comeback trail and might need help from a brand-new coven. And in this special Empire Podcast preview, the enormously entertaining Hahn and Agatha All Along (and WandaVision) creator Jac Schaeffer sit down with Chris Hewitt and spill the beans on what audiences can expect every Thursday for the next few weeks. And don't forget to sign up to our spoiler specials for weekly episodes from Team Empire as well. Enjoy!

Is it just us, or has the Empire Podcast got more hat-tricks than Erling Haaland? We have another terrific trio of guests this week, as Alex Godfrey speaks no evil with Speak No Evil, and podcast regular, James McAvoy. [19:49 - 34:40 approx] Then, Amon Warmann has a lovely chat with Kate Winslet, star of Lee (and thanks to Sam Clements for loaning us his podcast mics while Chris was away!). [56:50 - 1:12:15 approx] And finally, we bring you the interview the entire podteam (Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon) did with Reawakening star, and all-round acting royalty, Juliet Stevenson on last week's live show at the London Podcast Festival. [1:41:33 - 1:57:42 approx] Either side of those, Chris returns after a rare holiday and hosts Helen, James and Alex Godfrey as they discuss films from 1996 that deserve sequels (and why 1996 sucked cinematically), pay tribute to James Earl Jones, and review Lee, Speak No Evil, and Reawakening. Oh, and our old chum Corin Hardy drops in out of nowhere for a shameless plug. Enjoy.

It's another hat-trick of wonderful guests on this week's Empire Podcast. Which is good, as there's only two colleagues of such lethal cunning. Due to a combination of work absences, holidays, and general apathy, only Helen O'Hara and James Dyer are on pod-duty this week and, thanks to Jimbo's unfortunate bout of Covid, they're doing it remotely as well. Never fear, though, they still bring the film-related fun as they take a couple of listener questions, discuss the week's movie news (before the Ocean's 14 story broke, naturally), and review Firebrand, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Starve Acre, and Rebel Ridge. The latter also provides one of our guests, as Chris Hewitt talks to its writer/director, Jeremy Saulnier, about its long route to the small screen (it's a Netflix movie). That's right at the end of the whole pod [ 1:32:47 - 1:51:41 approx] and Firebrand provides the two other guests, as we talk to Henry VIII, aka Jude Law, and the wife who survived him, Katherine Parr, aka Alicia Vikander, who talk to Helen and Chris, respectively. [17:04 - 33:12 approx for Alicia and 51:28 - 1:09:04 approx for Jude] Remember: divorced beheaded died, divorced beheaded survived is not just a great way to remember the fates of Henry VIII's six wives, but also the fate of the podteam members who didn't appear on this week's episode. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is — yes, you guessed it — absolutely jam-packed with amazing guests. Alex Godfrey gets to admire Colman Domingo's trophies, and then talk to the great actor about his new movie Sing Sing, which might just add one or two to his shelf. [14:46 - 32:42 approx] Then Beth Webb has a lovely chat with Elliot Page and director Dominic Savage about their new movie, Close To You. [54:56 - 1:12:53 approx] Finally, we bring you a lovely excerpt from our Alien: Romulus spoiler special interview with director Fede Alvarez, as he spills the beans about all things spoilerific to Chris Hewitt. So be warned: spoilers lurk within! [1:42:57 - the end of the show] Either side of those, Helen O'Hara hosts James Dyer and Amon Warmann in the podbooth as they talk about great movie dogs, discuss the week's movie news, and review Sing Sing, Close To You and The Count Of Monte Cristo. Enjoy.

One pod to rule them all? This Thursday (August 29) sees the return of Prime Video's epic J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, and to mark the occasion we've put together a little preview special, just for you. In it, you'll find an in-depth interview with showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, in which they tease and tantalise John Nugent about what people can expect from this second season (hint: lots of Sauron), and then a shorter but no less wonderful chat between Helen O'Hara and Morfydd Clark, who plays Galadriel, and Sam Hazeldine, who plays Adar in this season. (That interview has slight sound issues, by the way) The first three episodes of The Rings Of Power s2 drop on Thursday, and then return to a weekly schedule, so give this a listen before you stock up on second breakfasts and strap yourselves in for a binge. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is jampacked with joy, folks. Guest-wise, we have a big old chunk of the Empire VIP Club live Q&A Chris Hewitt did with Jeff Goldblum, star of new Netflix show KAOS, a short while ago. And it's as gloriously Jeff Goldblumy as you could hope for. [24:13 - 42:52 approx] Chris is also joined this week by Rupert Sanders, the director of the brand new version of The Crow, as they talk about grief, love and wrestling with iconography. [1:05:04 - 1:24:24 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis and — in her final pod before she leaves Empire — Sophie Butcher to discuss the news of The Acolyte's cancellation, create a brand new sport, and review Kneecap, Blink Twice, and Cuckoo. And, as it's Sophie's last show, the listeners' questions segment is dedicated almost entirely to her, as she answers your questions about her brief but brilliant time at the world's biggest movie magazine (and award-losing podcast arm). Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down on Zoom with Mr. Fitz, aka Paul Feig, the dapper and debonair director of Bridesmaids, Spy, The Heat and new action-comedy Jackpot!, to talk about working with Awkwafina and John Cena, the difficulties of getting an original movie off the ground, and whether Feig could murder somebody for money. (FYI, Feig's microphone wasn't working as it should for the first six or seven minutes of this interview) [23:34 - 42:47 approx] Then, we bring you an extended excerpt from our exclusive Empire VIP Club Q&A with Coraline director Henry Selick and The Other Mother herself, star Teri Hatcher, as that film celebrates its 15th anniversary with a timely re-release. [1:04:32 - 1:19:27 approx] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen, and Alex Godfrey for a jam-packed episode in which they discuss their favourite creatures from the Alien movies, discuss the week's movie news including D23 announcements galore, and review Alien: Romulus, Trap, and Jackpot! Oh, and Alex comes up with a new catchphrase. You'll know it when you hear it. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is jam-packed full of goodness, including three tremendous interviews well worth your time. First off, Alex Godfrey sits down with M. Night Shyamalan and Josh Hartnett to discuss their first film together, Trap, and talk about why it's taken them so long to work together. [19:49 - 37:12 approx] Then, Dafne Keen pops into the podbooth to tell Chris Hewitt how her appearance in her new film, [REDACTED], came about. [54:02 - 1:14:53 approx] And finally, we bring you a meaty chunk of our Deadpool & Wolverine spoiler special interview with Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy. [1:35:54 - 1:56:42 approx] To hear Team Empire banging on about the film, do subscribe to our spoiler special feed, if you don't already. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, briefly, John Nugent to discuss great wedding movies, talk about the week's movie news (what there is of it pre-D23, where we expect some pretty big announcements), and review Borderlands, It Ends With Us, Tuesday, and The Instigators. Lovely stuff. Enjoy!

It's Doomsday on the Empire Podcast, folks. In the wake of the bombshell news that Robert Downey Jr. is going to return to the MCU, not as Tony Stark but as the new big bad, Doctor Doom, many of you asked that we record a special podcast dedicated to the news. Sadly, we were unable to do that, but we make up for it on this week's episode, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann lock themselves in the podbooth and spend much of the movie news section scratching their heads and speculating wildly about the news and what it means. It's a long section, so if you're an MCU-sceptic, here's a helpful timecode so you can skip ahead. [42:38 - 1:02:20 approx] Elsewhere, our intrepid trio take a listener question about actors who should return to a franchise as a villain (can't imagine why that came up), review Didi, Kensuke's Kingdom and Harold And The Purple Crayon, and our guests this week are the wonderful Joan Chen, star of Twin Peaks and Didi, who talks to Mike Muncer. [22:14 - 39:00 approx] And you also get a lovely slice of a conversation about The Conversation between Chris and that film's editor and sound wizard, Walter Murch. [1:12:25 - 1:29:42 approx] Enjoy — Doom commands it to be so!

Let's effin' go! (We're pretty sure we're not allowed to swear in the blurbs, dagnammit!) This week sees the long-awaited release of Deadpool & Wolverine, in which Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team up for a swear'n'slash session for the ages, and in this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt sits down for a lovely non-spoilerific chat with the film's director, Shawn Levy. -22:04 - 39:18 approx] Our other guest is Joachim Ronning, the director of Young Woman And The Sea, which is now out on Disney+, and Alex Godfrey has a lovely conversation with him about that, star Daisy Ridley, swimming, and more. (And yes, Chris is aware that he mis-pronounced Ronning's forename; Alex got it right!) [57:33 - 1:16:50 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun pod in which they take some questions from BlueSky (including one about Blue Sky Studios), discuss the week's movie news (bear in mind, this was recorded before Comic-Con!), and review Deadpool & Wolverine, I Saw The TV Glow, and The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Enjoy.

It's another guestapalooza on this week's Empire Podcast, as Chris Hewitt has lovely chats with Twisters stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Phizzy Pigtails aficionado Anthony Ramos [19:46 - 35:02 approx], and their director Lee Isaac Chung [1:39:17 - 1:56:06 approx]; and Beth Webb has a lovely audience with the marvellous June Squibb, star of Thelma (there are sound issues for the first couple of minutes, but they're quickly resolved). [1:01:03 - 1:13:59 approx] Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and returning fourth chairer, Jeremy Dylan, to discuss the ultimate Mount Rushmore question, cast their eye over the week's movie news (including discussion of the rumoured return of the Russo Brothers to the MCU), and review Twisters, Thelma and Blur: To The End, while James bangs on relentlessly about a new Aliens documentary in which he features. This time it's more. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast has another brace of cracking guests, as Maika Monroe returns to the show to talk about her terrifying new horror film, Longlegs [25:43 - 39:01 approx], and inadvertently inspires Chris Hewitt to launch the Empire Podcast Hall Of Fame for repeat guests. Meanwhile, making his debut on the pod is the great Griffin Dunne, star of An American Werewolf In London and After Hours, who sits down with Chris in the podbooth to talk about his memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir. [59:29 - 1:19:24 approx] It's a conversation that runs the gauntlet from the funny to the tragic, and we hope he comes back many times — a Hall Of Fame spot awaits. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Alex Godfrey to tackle a listener question that allows them to talk in depth about the Gladiator II trailer, discuss the rest of the week's movie news, including a heartfelt tribute to the Avatar producer Jon Landau (this episode was recorded before we learned of the sad death of Shelley Duvall), and review Despicable Me 4, Longlegs, In A Violent Nature, Eno, Fly Me To The Moon, and Hundreds Of Beavers. Which, despite what you may think, is not the name of the porno that James Dyer was definitely not making in lieu of this week's show. Enjoy.

Maxxxine marks the conclusion of Ti West's horror trilogy that began with X, and continued with the prequel Pearl. Co-stars come and co-stars go, in a bloody fashion more often than not, but Mia Goth is at the centre of all three, as porn star-turned-Final Girl Maxine and elderly psycho killer Pearl in X, a younger Pearl in the prequel, and now an older Maxine, who finds herself the target of a shadowy killer on the streets of mid-80s Los Angeles. And in this week's Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat with Goth about Maxxxine, being drenched in prosthetics, and much, much more. [41:11 - 53:59 approx] Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they don't talk about politics, even though it was recorded on General Election Day, and even though this week's listener question is about movie politicians. They also discuss the week's movie news (no politics, just old-fashioned speculation), and review Maxxxine, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, A Family Affair, and Unicorns. All while not talking about politics. Impressive, really. Enjoy!

We're back in the multi-guest business with this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, folks. First, Ben Travis has a very hushed Zoom chat with A Quiet Place: Day One director, Michael Sarnoski. [22:46 - 40:44 approx] Then, Sophie Butcher talks to Kinds Of Kindness director and star duo, Yorgos Lanthimos and Jesse Plemons. [1:00:42 - 1:15:24 approx] And, finally, we bring you an excerpt from our Bad Boys: Ride Or Die spoiler special interview with that film's directors, Adil & Bilall, in which they speak to Chris Hewitt. [1:37:28 - 1:53:14 approx] The full thing is available to subscribers, and you can subscribe at supportingcast.empire.fm. True story. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Sophie and James Dyer to tackle a listener question that combines two of Chris' obsessions, the MCU and his new love, Taskmaster, which he has only just started watching. In the movie news section, the team pay tribute to Donald Sutherland, while they also review Kinds Of Kindness, A Quiet Place: Day One, and Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter One. Oh, and James makes a quite Shrektacular pun at some point. Enjoy.

Vroom vroom! This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is something of a rarity, as we only have one guest. But what a guest it is, as Jeff Nichols, director of Take Shelter, Midnight Special and Mud, tells Helen O'Hara all about working with motorcycles and movie stars on his new movie, The Bikeriders. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen, James Dyer and Amon Warmann for another fun episode in which they discuss which movies deserve to have their visual effects overhauled in special editions, look at the week's movie news, discuss who should direct the MCU's Blade movie, and review The Bikeriders, Federer: Twelve Final Days, Under Paris, and The Exorcism. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast invites you to settle into a pair of cracking interviews — first, Ben Travis has a sit-down [22:48 - 42:49 approx] with Richard Linklater, director of the excellent Hit Man (now on Netflix), then Chris Hewitt has a bonny time with the wonderfully loquacious Stephen Fry, star of this week's drama, Treasure. [1:06:39 - 1:26:31 approx] By the way, Fry quotes a movie at one point, and we could give you a thousand guesses and we reckon you'd still not get it. Then, Chris — now free of the gammy leg — enters the podbooth and runs rings round Helen O'Hara and James Dyer (literally, not metaphorically) as they discuss the best sunglasses in the movies, a ton of movie news including the Paddington In Peru trailer and the potentially perilous state of being for the MCU's Blade, and review Inside Out 2, Freud's Last Session, Ama Gloria, and the year's barmiest film, Sasquatch Sunset. After all, a Sasquatch's gotta know its limitations. Enjoy.

It's another bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast this week, folks, with four wonderful guests. First, legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has both Young Woman And The Sea and Bad Boys: Ride Or Die in cinemas right now, shares some of the secrets of his success with Alex Godfrey. [21:13 - 38:36 approx] Then, John Nugent has an audience with the Shyamalans — Ishana Night Shyamalan, writer and director of new horror, The Watched (aka The Watchers in the States), and her producer/second unit director, her father M. Night Shyamalan. [1:00:25 - 1:18:40 approx] And finally Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with the great Viggo Mortensen, who writes, directs, composes and stars in this week's Western, The Dead Don't Hurt. If you know anyone who worked at the Australian video store Viggo mentions in this interview, let us know. [1:35:41 - 1:55:06 approx] Either side of all that, Chris dials into the podbooth where Helen O'Hara and James Dyer are waiting, so they can discuss the best glasses in movies, chat about the week's movie news, including rumoured casting for Sam Mendes' Beatles biopics, and review Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, Ron Howard's documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man, The Dead Don't Hurt, and Hit Man, now that it's on Netflix. Enjoy!

The Acolyte is the latest Star Wars live-action show to hit Disney+ (its first two episodes, out of eight, drop on June 5th), and promises to be one of the most exciting additions yet to that galaxy far, far away. Part murder mystery, part exploration of the High Republic and a time when the Jedi were in their pomp, and the Sith were just beginning to rise again, Leslye Headland's show has a lot going on. And in this special preview episode, Ben Travis talks to Headland and her lead, Amandla Stenberg, plus cast members Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett and, via the aid of an interpreter, South Korean star Lee Jung-jae. Then Ben joins Chris Hewitt in the virtual podbooth for a breakdown of what to expect from the show. Two words: Jedi Wookiee. Enjoy — and don't forget to subscribe, if you haven't already, to the Empire Podcast Spoiler Specials feed to hear weekly spoiler pods about the show.

The Empire Podcast delivers yet another cracker this week, folks. Guest-wise, Chris Hewitt has a lovely Zoom chat with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the husband-wife screenwriting team who have become the producers and custodians of the Planet Of The Apes franchise. Here, Chris chats to the pair about how they revived the Apes franchise, how they became a partnership with The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, and their time working on Avatar sequels with James Cameron. [26:10 - 44:53 approx] Then, Daisy Ridley — Star Wars' Rey herself, and the star of this week's Young Woman And The Sea — pops into our studio to have a natter with Alex Godfrey about swimming, sand, and injuries. Oh, and she makes a desperate play for free Honest Burgers, one we can fully get behind. [1:06:17 - 1:22:44 approx] Then, either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to tackle a question from the Empire Podcast subreddit, discuss (most of) the week's movie news, including the latest casting for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and review Young Woman And The Sea, giant alien spider horror Sting, and The Beast. Well, Chris, Helen and James haven't seen The Beast, so they recruit Beth Webb and Alex Godfrey to review that for them. Enjoy.

On this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, the doctor is in. Doctor George Miller, that is, as the MD turned visionary director returns to the big screen with his latest slice of post-apocalyptic madness, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. So, naturally, our Chris Hewitt went along and had a big old chat with Dr. George, as we're reliably informed they call him in Australia, and we bring you the full version of that engrossing interview. [46:15 - 1:14:25 approx) Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, John Nugent, and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they review Furiosa, Jennifer Lopez' Atlas, Richard Linklater's Hit Man, and The Garfield Movie; discuss the week's movie news, including X-Men, Star Trek and Godzilla developments (but not, crucially, the third Benoit Blanc film, which will be discussed next week); and, in a spoilerific listener question section, talk about their favourite movie farewells (this episode is dedicated to Jürgen Norbert Klopp). Hope you guys have seen noted 'Allo 'Allo prequel, Casablanca! Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast asks the question: 'what if an interview started off the rails and went from there?' And answers it with a tremendously fun and, at times, utterly chaotic, interview between our Chris Hewitt and John Krasinski, writer/director/star of new fantasy movie IF. To listen to the most expensive interview of all time, go to 23:18 (approx). More fun and chaos can be found in our other interview this week [1:06:32 - 1:21:52 approx), as Chris sits down on Zoom with Ben Schwartz to talk about his improv show, Ben Schwartz And Friends, which is at the Royal Albert Hall this Sunday (May 19). Tickets on sale now at royalalberthall.com and rejactedjokes.com (And this is an excerpt from the 45-minute Ben Schwartz special, which is currently available in your podcast feed) Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth for more fun and chaos by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as they discuss Dune: Prophecy, sports that deserve good movies (and yes, we are aware of Billy The Kid & The Green Baize Vampire, we just didn't mention it), the week's movie news, including Downton Abbey 3, Galactus casting, and the sad passing of the legendary Roger Corman, and review IF, Horde, Mother Of The Bride, and Tiger Stripes. Enjoy.

Ben Schwartz isn't just a terrifically funny actor (he's Jean-Ralphio in Parks & Rec, for the love of Pete!), insanely gifted VoiceOver artist (he's the voice of Sonic, for the love of Knuckles!), writer (he helped write dialogue for C-3PO in J.J. Abrams' Star Wars movies, for the love of Babu Frik!) and all-round geek. He's also one of the greatest improvisational comedians on the planet, and he's bringing his incredible improv show, Ben Schwartz And Friends, to the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday May 19, for the love of Queen Victoria! And so our Chris Hewitt felt it was a simply capital time to fire up the old Zoom and head straight into an extended, epic, and very funny conversation with Schwartz about improv, about what people can expect from Ben Schwartz And Friends when they buy tickets via rejectedjokes.com or royalalberthall.com, about his IMDb trivia and mini bio, about voicing Sonic, and his time spent working on Star Wars. Oh, and much more, obviously. Enjoy.

Another guestapalooza on this week's Empire Podcast, folks! First up, Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat with Josh O'Connor — not about his talk-of-the-town tennis movie, Challengers, but his new film, Alice Rorhwacher's La Chimera, for which O'Connor learned Italian and, effectively, manifested into his life by way of a letter. [20:12 - 35:25 approx] Then, Dan Jolin, our very own Planet Of The Apes expert, sits down with Owen Teague, Freya Allan, and Kevin Durand, the lead trio of the new movie, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, for a chaotic chat about rapping apes, deadly spiders, and bare feet. [58:00 - 1:14.05 approx] And finally, Chris has a heartfelt talk with Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the director of the legendary Beatles documentary Let It Be, which is getting a wide release on Disney+ this week after years of being placed on the shelf. [1:39:45 - 1:53:05 approx] Either side of those is a fun episode in which Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as they discuss the best films to be adapted from TV shows, review all three of the aforementioned movies plus Jerry Seinfeld's Unfrosted, and tackle most of the week's movie news, including the announcement of a Lord Of The Rings movie directed by and starring Andy Serkis. They'll talk Ralph Ineson as Galactus next week, fear not. Enjoy!

The St. Andrews International Film Festival — or Sands, for short — is now in its third year, bringing some amazing films and filmmakers to the beautiful Scottish town of St. Andrews. It's already something of a tradition for the Empire Podcast's Chris Hewitt to pop up there and have a natter with some of those filmmakers, including Joe Russo, who is one of the festival's chief benefactors. This year, Joe brought his brother Anthony with him for a special screening of Welcome To Collinwood and a Q&A with that film's producer, and the brothers' mentor, Steven Soderbergh, and in this podcast, Chris sits down with the Russos to talk about their experiences on that film, the advance of A.I., nearly killing Spider-Man, and much, much more. But that's not all – this is a Sands special, folks, and within you'll also find Chris chatting with top casting director Debra Zane, Sands Festival Director Ania Trzebkiatowska, and Alan Silvestri, the legendary composer of Back To The Future, Predator, Forrest Gump, and Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. And yes, they do talk about Portals. With something for everyone, this is a cracking podcast special for a cracking new festival. Enjoy.

It's another cracking episode of the Empire Podcast, folks, as Rose Glass, director of Love Lies Bleeding, becomes the first guest to pop into our brand new studio, as she tells Sophie Butcher all about the brilliant and bizarre thriller that is her follow-up to Saint Maud. And Chris Hewitt has a fun and frank chat with the wonderful Winston Duke, star of The Fall Guy, in which they talk about stunts, sponsorship, and a poignant moment that almost made it into Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Kobi Omenaka to tackle a handful of listener questions about Star Wars (May the Fourth be with you, folks), review The Fall Guy, Love Lies Bleeding, and The Idea Of You, and discuss the week's movie news, with an emphasis on trailers. Warning: several wild Lion King-adjacent claims are made that may see your blood pressure rise. Just repeat after us: hakuna matata. There you go. Sorted. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a smash, folks. First off, Alex Godfrey talks to ace actor Mike Faist, star of Luca Guadagnino's new tennis movie, Challengers [23:12 - 37:33 approx.], and then Chris Hewitt has a Zoom session (apologies if the sound is slightly distorted — tech issues) with Kerry Condon, Oscar-nominated star of The Banshees Of Inisherin, voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. in the MCU, and star of this week's Liam Neeson thriller, In The Lands Of Saints And Sinners. [57:25 - 1:15:29 approx.] Either side of those, Chris hosts in the podbooth and is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for a spell, Sophie Butcher, to discuss the week's movie news, including the latest Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, review Challengers, In The Land Of Saints And Sinners, Boy Kills World, and Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver, and tackle a listener question that has stuck around from last week, and mutated somehow into a Mount Rushmore of directors' tenth movies. Play along at home, why don't you? Enjoy.

Phew! After last week's single-guest situation, we're back to our bumper-sized best on this week's Empire Podcast. One of our favourite interviewees, Dan Stevens, returns to the pod after a brief hiatus, to tell Chris Hewitt all about his new film, Abigail, and his all-timer of a character intro in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. Warning: Chris and Dan also discuss the origin of Dan's true character name in Abigail, which some might consider a mild spoiler. So be careful! Chris also has a lovely chat this week with Ed Skrein and Fra Fee, the villainous duo from Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver. The trio talk about many things — accents, acting, Northern Ireland — but not, repeat, not football. And finally, the two Alex Gs — Godfrey and Garland — get together for a deep dive into Civil War, in an extended excerpt from our forthcoming spoiler special interview. Either side of that little lot, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Alex Godfrey, Sophie Butcher, and the late James Dyer (he's not dead, he just didn't show up on time) for a fun and occasionally deranged episode in which they discuss filmmakers who have made ten films, the week's movie news including Quentin Tarantino reportedly putting The Movie Critic to one side, and review Abigail, Sometimes I Think About Dying, and The Book Of Clarence. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is perhaps less jam-packed and bumper-sized than normal, as we only have one guest. But what a guest, as Marisa Abela — terrific as Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson's Back To Black, the biopic of the iconic singer — talks to Chris Hewitt about the role, from the moment she got it to the gift she received at wrap. That can be found from 45:15 - 1:03:23 (approx). Then, in the brand new podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey to discuss Helen's attempt to murder James on the recent tour, tackle a listener question about what they like to watch on planes, discuss (most of) the week's movie news (as this was recorded before a ton of news came out of CinemaCon in Vegas; that will be tackled next week), and review Alex Garland's Civil War, the McGregorapalooza that is Bleeding Love, and Back To Black. Oh, and Chris makes an early play for this year's British Podcast Awards. We're gonna sweep the board in Categories That Don't Exist. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast has more guests than the Overlook Hotel, all chatting to Chris Hewitt about their new movies. First, producer Jordan Peele tells Chris why he was so taken by Dev Patel's directorial debut, Monkey Man, that he came on board to help it get a theatrical release. Plus, they also talk why Peele is no longer acting. [15:40 - 30:56 approx] Then, Rufus Sewell — who plays Prince Andrew in Scoop, a film based on the infamous 2019 Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis — and director Philip Martin talk about the task of playing one of the most famous men on the planet. [44:28 - 59:38 approx] And finally, while The First Omen — the prequel to The Omen, which shall henceforth be known as The Second Omen — is a terrifying tour de force, Chris' interview with its stars, Nell Tiger Free and Bill Nighy, is anything but as they talk about being dressed by the Vatican, being hit by lightning, and decapitations. [1:19:23 - 1:37:04 approx] Either side of all of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and, making a rare appearance on the podcast, Empire contributor Neil Alcock, who talks about his new Alfred Hitchcock book, Hitchology, which is out now. The trio also discuss which British sitcom stars should have made it on the big screen, tackle the week's movie news (in which Neil is Galactusplained to by Chris), and review The First Omen, Monkey Man, and Scoop. It's all for you, Empire Podcast listeners! Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is brought to you by the letter E, as Cynthia Erivo and Luke Evans join Chris Hewitt to talk about their new projects. First up, Erivo talks about her astonishing performance in Drift, which she also produced, and in particular one harrowing scene, and its impact upon her. It's an incredibly intense and honest interview and it can be found from 24:11 - 38:18 (approx). Then Evans returns to the pod after a long absence to talk about his role in Our Son, in which he plays a gay man going through a painful divorce, and playing The Crystal Maze with Daniel Levy. That's from 59:17 - 1:16:28 (again, approx.). Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they tackle a vaguely-Easter-themed Mount Rushmore question, discuss the storm over Late Night With The Devil's brief use of A.I.-generated art, talk over the week's movie news, and review Kung Fu Panda 4, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Our Son, Mothers' Instinct, and Drift. Enjoy.

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.

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!

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!). 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?

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!

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.

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!

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.

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. Enjoy!

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!

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.

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!

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!)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

"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

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.

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

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

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

Can you tell the SAG-AFTRA strike is over after several long months, folks? We sure can, because the Empire Podcast this week was besieged by big-name Hollywood actor-types, all keen to appear on the podcast after months of walking up and down outside studios with picket signs. First up, the wonderful Rachel Zegler returns to the pod to talk to Sophie Butcher about starring in the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes, and brings her British co-star, Tom Blyth, with her. Then, John Nugent sits down on Zoom for an engrossing chat about Killers Of The Flower Moon and the history surrounding it and the Osage people with that film's breakout star, Lily Gladstone. And then, because it's British Actors Named Tom Week, apparently, the one and only Tom Hiddleston — Loki himself — returns to the pod for a chat with Chris Hewitt about the triumphant final episode of season 2 of Loki. Now, bear in mind, this is a lengthy excerpt from our spoiler special interview (which is available now in full, fact fans), so do not listen to it until you've seen Loki s2. So we've placed it right at the end of the pod (1:45:16.00 - 2:01:42.00, to be precise-ish) for the spoiler-averse. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for a spell, John Nugent to discuss the worst presents they've ever bought each other, John Candy movies, the week's movie news (there's a lot of MCU and MCU-adjacent stuff this week, you'll be shocked to hear) and to review May December, Saltburn, and that Hunger Games movie with the long title. Welcome back, actors — we missed you! Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is up later than usual, for which we apologise most sincerely, but we're hopeful that it will be worth the wait. It's a very special live episode, recorded on Thursday night at Leeds Trinity University as part of their Journalism & Media Week, and saw Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer travel to Horsforth in Leeds to have a ton of film-related fun in front of an audience of Empire Podcast listeners and media students. But that's not all — the brilliant Gareth Evans, director of The Raid and The Raid 2, travelled with the team as both our very special guest and an honorary Colleague Of Such Lethal Cunning, sitting in with us for the entire show. Which means you'll hear Gareth in the Movie News section, where the team discuss the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike and a whole bunch of trailers; the Reviews segment, where they cast their eye over The Marvels, Anatomy Of A Fall, Fingernails, and Dream Scenario; and the Q&A section at the end, which sees more than a few questions thrown Mr. Evans' way. He also fills us in on the status of his eagerly-anticipated Tom Hardy action thriller, Havoc. Also, in a pre-recorded interview that starts at 1:16:29.00 and ends at 1:32:35.00 (approx), Chris has a fun chat with Nia DaCosta, the director of the latest MCU film, The Marvels. We had an absolute blast recording this — thanks to everyone who came, and to Darren Harper and the staff/volunteers at Leeds Trinity University for making us feel so welcome. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did.

A Matter Of Life And Death. The Red Shoes. Black Narcissus. The Tales Of Hoffmann. The Small Back Room. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp. I Know Where I'm Going. We could just fill this blurb box by simply listing the films of Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, the filmmaking duo who might just be British cinema's greatest double act, but we won't. Instead, we'll tell you that their work is currently being celebrated in an amazing nationwide BFI retrospective called Cinema Unbound (check it out and book tickets for screenings and events etc. at bfi.org.uk), and that put us in the mood to put together a special in their honour. And what's truly special about it is the interview that John Nugent conducted with Thelma Schoonmaker, the legendary editor of Martin Scorsese's films, and who was married to Powell until his death 1990 (in fact, Scorsese introduced her to Powell); and Kevin Macdonald, the Scottish film director who is Emeric Pressburger's grandson. On the other side of that wonderful, warm interview, Chris Hewitt invites P&P superfans Ian Freer, Nick de Semlyen and the aforementioned John Nugent into the podbooth to wax lyrical about their favourite Powell & Pressburger moments, movies and more. It's a belter. Enjoy.

Blimey, it's another cracking line-up on this week's Empire Podcast, as first Sophie Butcher chats with Bottoms director Emma Seligman about female fight clubs and improv; Chris Hewitt talks to The Royal Hotel director, Kitty Green, about her excellent drama set in the Australian Outback (and yes, there's a question about snakes); and finally there's an excerpt from Chris' interview with the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart, who talks about writing his memoir, Making It So. (The full version of this interview will be up soon, folks!) Then, using Star Trek-esque technology, Chris beams into the podbooth this week and is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and the aforementioned Sophie Butcher as they pay a fond tribute to the great Matthew Perry, get given a chance to wave a magic wand in the direction of Marvel Studios, discuss the week's movie news, and review The Royal Hotel, How To Have Sex, Nyad, Pain Hustlers, and Bottoms. It's a packed show, and has more Friends quotes than you could shake a copy of Ms Chanandler Bong's TV Guide at. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS (approx. timings)Intro/Matthew Perry/MCU: 0:00.00 - 28:44.00Emma Seligman: 28:44.01 - 44:31.00Movie News: 44:31.01 - 58:06.00Kitty Green: 58:06.00 - 1:15:56.00Reviews: 1:15:56.01 - 1:35:21.00Patrick Stewart Excerpt: 1:35:22.00 - 1:47:49.00

It's not so much a hat-trick of amazing guests on this week's Empire Podcast, more a hat-treat as our bumper-sized Halloween edition brings you, tucked away at the episode's end (should you wish to skip there immediately), Ben Travis' warm and wonderful chat with Greta Gerwig, director of the year's biggest movie, Barbie, just in time to mark its release on home entertainment. Plus, Alex Godfrey catches up with Matt Johnson, director of the brilliant Blackberry, and Chris Hewitt talks Hammer and breaking into Pinewood Studios (hopefully not with a hammer) with the newly-revived studio's first title star, Eddie Izzard, star of Doctor Jekyll. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent for a spooktacular episode in which they reveal their greatest horror movie set visit experiences, talk about their ultimate monster mashes, discuss the week's movie news, and review David Fincher's The Killer, Five Nights At Freddy's, Liam Neeson's Retribution, and Cat Person. Enjoy!TIMESTAMPS! (all approx.)Eddie Izzard: 28:39.00 - 45:12.00Matt Johnson: 1:05:28.00 - 1:25:07.00Greta Gerwig: 1:46:55.00 - 2:04:56.00

Another week, another episode of the Empire Podcast, another bumper crop of incredible guests. First, we bring you the enormously fun Richard Armitage interview that was recorded live at our recent London Podcast Festival show, where he talked to Chris Hewitt about becoming an author with his debut novel, Geneva (on sale now, fact fans). That runs from 23:21.00 - 45:51.00 (approx.) Then, Chris talks to the legendary documentarian, Errol Morris (1:03:32.00 - 1:20:20.00), about his John Le Carre documentary, The Pigeon Tunnel, and the art of interviewing, and finally Neel Bhatt has a natter with Garth Davis (1:43:58.00 - 1:57:36.00), director of the sci-fi drama, Foe. Then, in the podbooth, Chris comes dangerously close to infecting Helen O'Hara and James Dyer with the dreaded lurgy, but they brave it out and end up talking, and listing in order, the films of Martin Scorsese, discussing the week's movie news, and reviewing Scorsese's Killers Of The Flower Moon, plus The Burial, Foe, The Pigeon Tunnel, and Trolls Band Together. Oh, and they pay tribute to two of the MCU's fallen heroes in a conversation (4:10.00 - 7:58.00 approx) that might spoil Avengers Endgame, so be careful if you haven't seen it. Marty, we're talking to you. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast would have been a lot longer had we kept in all the bits where Chris Hewitt was coughing. Needless to say, we cut (most) of them out (probably), leaving instead another fine and fun episode in which Chris is joined in the studio by James Dyer and Helen O'Hara, thus putting them at risk of infection. Thankfully, none of them turn into mindless zombies (how could we tell?) as they discuss the week's news, including the sad passing of Terence Davies, Kevin Costner's big-screen comeback, and rumoured upheaval at both Marvel Studios and A24, review The Miracle Club, Shortcomings, BlackBerry and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, and fail spectacularly to name all the Carry On movies. Oh, and James bangs on about Taylor Swift, which makes a change. Our guest this week is the wonderful actor Randall Park, who talks to Chris (50:56.00 - 1:07:01.00) about making the step up to directing with his excellent indie debut, Shortcomings, plus how he methodically built his acting career over the years. This is Good Audio Content, folks. Good. Audio. Content. Enjoy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here's another little bonus episode to get your 2023 off to a good start, listeners. S.S. Rajamouli is the brilliant director of last year's astonishing, action-packed, Indian epic RRR (now streaming on Netflix), and in this very special, spoiler-filled interview (also available to spoiler special subscribers, along with Team Empire doing a deep dive into the movie; one of last year's finest), he tells Chris Hewitt all about how he managed it. To subscribe to the spoiler specials, go to empire.supportingcast.fm, and we're back next week with the regular pod. Enjoy.

Happy New Year, folks! So, there's no regular episode of the Empire Podcast this week (we'll be back next week, Jan 13th), but in order to fill the huge pod-shaped hole in your lives, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and James 'Jaime Blanco' White crammed themselves into the studio just yesterday to record a fun breakdown of the forthcoming fillums that have got them all het up and hot under the collar. From Killers Of The Flower Moon to Barbie, from the MCU to Mission: Impossible, all human life is here. And there's a Cocaine Bear for good measure. Oh, and while we're looking forward, we're also looking back, as we bring you Helen's interview with Noah Baumbach, the director of White Noise, which is now streaming on Netflix. It's a really interesting interview, and it's just under 14 minutes in length. Why are we telling you that? You'll see. Anyway, enjoy!

And so 2022 has come to an end, folks. It was a tough year for pretty much everybody, but it was also a very good year, cinematically speaking, and in this Empire Podcast special, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann convene in the podbooth to have an extended natter about the year that was. Along the way, formats for the show are abandoned on the fly, the pod discuss the films that they loved, the future of cinema, a strange year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and much, much more. Enjoy, and have a happy new year, everyone!

The new issue of Empire magazine is on sale right now, folks, in all good, evil, and virtual newsagents, and it's a belter. This month's issue is dedicated to a celebration of the greatest actors of all time, as voted for by you, the readers of Empire. It's got everything, from exclusive interviews with Nicolas Cage (our cover star) and Tilda Swinton, to the likes of Tim Burton waxing lyrical about that time he worked with Jack Nicholson on a little film called Batman, and Gina Prince-Bythewood talking about Viola Davis. And that's not all: James Mangold has written an exclusive essay for us, celebrating the incredible work and legacy of Buster Keaton. It's a great issue, and so we've decided to take podspiration from it. So, in this podcast special, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Helen O'Hara get together and have a wide-ranging discussion about some of their favourite actors, the art of acting itself, the mythology of the Method, omissions from the list that made their blood boil, and much, much more. Oh, and Helen was patching in to the studio from Northern Ireland, and her audio is a little distorted at times. Hopefully it won't spoil your enjoyment too much. Speaking of which... enjoy!

On the last Empire Podcast of the year, we have something of a The Prestige reunion, which is nice. First, Christian Bale, star of The Pale Blue Eye, talks to Chris Hewitt about being mistaken for Gareth Bale, and his experiences working with directors on multiple occasions, including Adam McKay, Scott Cooper, and Terrence Malick. Then Hugh Jackman, Golden Globe-nominated star of The Son (which opens here in February), talks to Amon Warmann about his experiences on that movie, working with Anthony Hopkins for a day, and why he's about to play Wolverine again in Deadpool 3. Then, Kate Hudson and Jessica Henwick, neither of whom were in The Prestige, more than make up for it by having a freewheeling and very funny chat with Chris about their new movie Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, life with an assistant, British sitcoms, and John Carpenter and Kurt Russell. And if that weren't enough, Chris is then joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and Helen O'Hara (who's not in the podbooth, which is why there's some slight distortion on her mic this week. Hopefully it won't spoil your listening experience.) for a fun episode in which they discuss their Christmas movie traditions, who would win between John McClane and Kevin McCallister; talk about the week's movie news, including Avatar: The Way Of Water's box office, the Barbie trailer, and the sad passing of Mike Hodges; and review Corsage, Glass Onion, and The Pale Blue Eye. We're taking a little break but are back on January 13, folks, so have a great Christmas if you celebrate, a fantastic holiday season if you don't, and an amazing start to 2023. Thanks so much for listening and supporting our nonsense throughout the year. Here's to more!

Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen. James Cameron has finally returned to the director's chair after more than a decade away, with Avatar: The Way Of Water, the sequel to the biggest film of all time. And when he came to London recently, we were delighted to stage a special Cameron-centric event, via the Empire VIP Club. First up, the Empire Podcast team of Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer hold court in front of a packed audience of Empire VIP Club members, waxing lyrical about all things Cameron (James, not Diaz or David). Then, in the second half of the show, Chris is joined on stage by Cameron himself for a one-hour deep dive into the career of one of the most successful directors of all time, and the path that has finally led him back to Pandora. If you're interested in becoming a member of the Empire VIP Club and being first in the queue (real and virtual) for events like this, go to empireonline.com/vip for more information and to sign up.

Christmas is coming, and the goose isn't the only thing that's getting fat. The Empire Podcast is bursting at the seams with incredible guests yet again, as we welcome a trio of top directors this week. First up, you get a brief excerpt from Chris Hewitt's live Q&A with James Cameron as he returns to cinemas with Avatar: The Way Of Water (the full show will be up soon, should you wish to listen to the rest; and you should!). Then, Amon Warmann has a nice in-depth chat with Alejandro G. Inarritu about his most personal film yet, Bardo: False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths, and then Chris talks to Spirited director Sean Anders about turning Dickens into a musical. Oh, and Chris gushes about one of Anders' films. No, not Daddy's Home 2. Although it is a Christmas movie. Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about the movie-themed Christmas presents they'd like, the film they've bought the most; to discuss the week's movie news, including Henry Cavill's on-off-on-off-again relationship with Superman; and review Bardo, The Amazing Maurice and that water film. Enjoy.

Mele Kalikimaka, everybody. As part of Empire's Advent Calendar season, here's a little gift from us to you, as we temporarily break down the door of the Empire Spoiler Special subscription channel and bring you the retro spoiler pod we recorded a couple of years ago for one of the most beloved modern Christmas movies: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Featuring an in-depth deep dive with the film's director, Jeremiah S. Chechik (no, the S. doesn't stand for Santa), and a good old natter about the film and the Griswold family festivities between superfans Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and Nick de Semlyen. As the poster once put it, 'Yule love it!'. Thankfully, the jokes in the film are better. And if you like this, there's more where that came from for Spoiler Special subscribers. Enjoy!

Christmas is coming, folks, and that means that the Empire Podcast's sack is simply heaving with guests this week. First, Toy Story 3 and Coco director, Lee Unkrich, pops into the booth for a bit to talk about his new, definitive book about the making of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and tackle this week's listener question (about Christmas songs in movies). Then Chris Hewitt chats with Resurrection star Rebecca Hall and Emancipation director Antoine Fuqua, and Amon Warmann gets to the heart of The Silent Twins' silent twins, Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance. And yes, he asks about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about the week's movie news, including the possible demise of Wonder Woman 3, and review Emancipation, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and Resurrection. Bumper-sized! Jampacked! Ho ho ho! Enjoy!

Blimey, folks, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast has more guests than Jamie Lee Curtis' home on Christmas Day. (Because she's married to Christopher Guest, you see, and presumably there would be a large number of extended family members invited around for a slap-up meal.) Helen O'Hara has a lovely chat with White Noise star Greta Gerwig about casting herself, her desire to make a musical, and more. Then Chris Hewitt has a lovely natter with action movie ace Frank Grillo, who's spreading his wings as the star of Lamborghini: The Man Behind The Legend. And, in the studio this week, Chris and Helen are joined by the brilliant Damian Lewis and Nick Murphy, star and director respectively of the ITVX drama, A Spy Among Friends (take that, Pilot TV). Lewis and Murphy (no, they're not a RoboCop tribute act) occupy the third and fourth chairs with remarkable grace, fielding questions about spies, breakfasts and buttocks, while tackling this week's listener question, about the best time jumps in movies and TV. Then, Chris and Helen are joined by Amon Warmann to discuss the week's movie news (including all those big trailers), review Violent Night and White Noise, and bang on about Cocaine Bear. Oh, and Amon has his mind blown by Frank Grillo. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Luca Guadagnino, director of Call Me By Your Name, talk about his new movie, the dark cannibal romance Bones And All, and to spare him the ignominy of Chris Hewitt bellowing *that* song at him, we asked John Nugent to Zoom with Guadagnino instead. The result is a fascinating and frank discussion about the director's creative process. Also being frank and fascinating about their creative process is Tim Minchin, the genius songwriter behind the tunes of this week's Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical. He talks to Helen O'Hara about turning the hit stage musical into a movie, and about the sad failure of the quite wonderful Groundhog Day The Musical. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt returns and, as well as Googling 'how to host a podcast', welcomes Helen, James Dyer and fourth chair newcomer, Kelechi Ehenulo for discussions of random encounters with Emma Thompson in a lift, the best sequels to not feature the main character from the previous movie, the week's movie news (such as it is; thanks a bunch, Thanksgiving!), and review Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, She Said, Strange World, Matilda, The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special, and more. It's podcast time — gobble gobble!

The Empire Podcast has more hat-tricks than Mo Salah, and this week is no exception, as we welcome three batches of tremendous guests. First, Paul Mescal, star of the wonderful new drama Aftersun, goes it alone, as he tells Ella Kemp that he's not as serious as the movies and TV shows he makes, no honest. Then, Chris Hewitt is the Host Of Christmas Present as he chats to Spirited stars Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer about the best swag they've ever got from a movie. And finally, Amon Warmann chats to Florence Pugh and Sebastian Lelio, star and director respectively of stunning new Netflix drama, The Wonder. And as well as all of that, there's an actual podcast in there too as, with Chris stricken with lurgy, Helen O'Hara invites Amon and regular pod debutant, Sam Clements, into the virtual podbooth for a fun pod in which they discuss the fictional movie companies they'd buy and tank if they could; the week's movie news (up to Thursday night that is); and review Disenchanted, Aftersun, Confess, Fletch, Bardo, Spirited, and more in another jam-packed reviews section. Oh, and a special guest host drops in for a short while too. Enjoy! (And please accept our apologies for the delay in it going up...)

Another bumper belting bangily-banger this week, folks, as the Empire Podcast marks the eagerly-awaited arrival of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever by dispatching Amon Warmann to talk to two of its stars, Dania Gurira — Okoye herself — and the MCU's latest menace, Namor The Sub-Mariner, aka Tenoch Huerta Mejía. Then, Chris Hewitt has a chat with Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the filmmaking duo behind the trippy and terrific Something In The Dirt. But that's not all — in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris is joined by Amon, James Dyer, and Helen O'Hara to talk about the Christmas movies they wish could have sequels (and things take a turn for the dark pretty quickly), discuss the week's movie news, review Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Hellraiser, The Wonder, My Father's Dragon, Slumberland and Is That Black Enough For You?, while all trying desperately to name every movie Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have made together. Who will be the lone survivor? Find out by listening. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Daniel Radcliffe make his second pod-appearance of the year, as he tells Chris Hewitt all about playing Weird Al Yankovic in the riotous faux-biopic, Weird. They also talk about accents, living in New York, and what Radcliffe's own biopic would be called. And names are on the agenda with Jennifer Lawrence too, as the Oscar-winning actress returns with her contemplative drama, Causeway, the first movie to be produced by her company, Excellent Cadaver. In our interview, she and director Lila Neugebauer tell Chris all about the how and why of the movie's name change from Red, White & Water, about working in a heated swimming pool, and more. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent to discuss the week's movie news, being replaced by Liam Hemsworth, review EVERY FILM IN THE WORLD including Enola Holmes 2, Living, Weird, Causeway, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Something In The Dirt, and tackle the thorny issue of which comedy movie directors they'd put on their personal Mount Rushmore. If your favourite director isn't mentioned, rest assured they were mentioned, but were cut out. Probably. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Billy Eichner, writer/star of rom-com Bros, and his co-star Luke Macfarlane, sit down with Chris Hewitt for a fun and frank chat about shooting sex scenes, Eichner's long struggle to bring a gay love story to the big screen with the backing of a major studio, and why podcasts are the new porn. Then Chris also sits down with British actress Georgina Campbell, star of this week's cracking new horror Barbarian, for a spoiler-free chat which includes Campbell's Halloween double-bill recommendations. Then Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Ella Kemp for a fun episode in which they try not to answer any questions about scary films, but end up talking about the most terrifying movie clowns anyway. They also discuss the week's movie news, including James Gunn being hired as co-CEO of DC Studios, and review Bros, Barbarian, The Good Nurse, Triangle Of Sadness, and Wendell & Wild. Oh, and Chris loses his mind over an upcoming threequel. No, not that one. Nor that one either. Enjoy.

The Good Nurse is a sombre, serious and affecting drama based on the story of Charles Cullen, one of the most notorious serial killer cases in American history, with superb performances from Eddie Redmayne as Cullen, who abused his position as a nurse to kill patients, and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren, a fellow nurse and friend who helped the police apprehend Cullen and put a stop to a spree that had lasted for more than a decade and, it is believed, accounted for hundreds of victims. It was also Empire's gala presentation at this year's BFI London Film Festival, and in our latest Empire Podcast special, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with Chastain and Redmayne, director Tobias Lindholm and writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns, for chats about the movie, its dark subject matter, its scathing criticism of the American healthcare system, and much, much more. Enjoy.

Who hasn't found themselves consumed with thoughts of Pierce Brosnan films after reading the instructions on a microwaveable ready meal? And rightly so, for the Irish superstar has made a number of memorable movies over the years, including some in which he played a memorable number. But now to the iconic likes of James Bond and Thomas Crown, we can add Doctor Fate, the character Brosnan plays in the new DCEU movie, Black Adam. And on this week's Empire Podcast, The Artist Formerly Known As Bronhom tells Amon Warmann all about that, about shooting The Thomas Crown Affair, and pays a heartfelt tribute to his former Bond comrade, the late Robbie Coltrane. Our other guests this week are Emma Corrin and Michael Grandage, star and director respectively of the love-triangle melodrama My Policeman, who tell Ella Kemp all about their experiences making that movie. Either side of those, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent for a fun episode in which they discuss the horror filmmakers who would adorn their personal Mount Rushmores, have a crack at the week's movie news including Harrison Ford joining the MCU, and review Black Adam, Park Chan-wook's Decision To Leave, Martin McDonagh's The Banshees Of Inisherin, and Paul Feig's The School For Good And Evil. Oh, and we raise a glass to our fellow colleague of such lethal cunning, Ben Travis, who got married last week to his beloved Lizzie. Up the Weds! Enjoy.

"Now it's time for Halloween Ends, Halloween Ends, Halloween Ends — Empire Podcast!" Yes, folks, Halloween is just around the corner and with it, the debut of Halloween Ends, David Gordon Green's conclusion to the retconned sequel trilogy that continues the story that began so memorably in John Carpenter's Halloween. That, of course, introduced the world to Michael Myers and one Jamie Lee Curtis as his nemesis, Laurie Strode, and now, over forty years on, Curtis returns to the pod for the third year in a row to have a chat with Amon Warmann about saying goodbye to Laurie, about a possible Knives Out return, and about rapping to and for Michelle Yeoh. Our other guest this week is one of our favourite British actors (and also, as the star of The Haunting Of Hill House and The Invisible Man, someone with a background in horror), the brilliant Oliver Jackson-Cohen, who talks to Ella Kemp about his new movie, Emily, about speaking French on screen, and much, much more. Then, in the podbooth this week, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon, and James Dyer for an episode that delves into their Halloween traditions, pays tribute to the late, great Angela Lansbury by discussing the greatest typewriters on screen, casts an eye over the week's movie news, and just about manages to review Halloween Ends, Emily, Nothing Compares, Rosaline, and Luckiest Girl Alive. Oh, and the world's most terrifying earworm is back, so prepare yourself. But remember: YOU WILL NOT BE SAVED!

Who doesn't love a bit of Hans Zimmer blasting through their speakers/earbuds/headphones [delete as applicable]? The legendary Oscar-winning composer has been soundtracking our cinematic lives for decades now, and recently has started taking the show on the road with an incredible live tour and, as of March next year, a live album called Hans Zimmer Live. (See hanszimmerlive.com for more details) So, when the great man popped into London last week and let it be known he was up for speaking to the Empire Podcast, there was only one person in the Zimmer frame: super-fan Amon Warmann, who popped along to talk to the composer about his live shows, creating the best setlist imaginable, and synths. Lots of synths. As Hans himself might say, 'bloody 'ell!' (That'll make sense in about half an hour, trust us.) Enjoy!

Hat-tricks aren't exclusive to that robotic Haaland fella, you know, as this week's Empire Podcast sees a trio of cracking interviews with three pairs of guests. First, Helen O'Hara sits down for a fun chat with The Woman King's right-hand ladies, Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim. Then Chris Hewitt talks to The Lost King's screenwriting duo, Steve Coogan (yes, that one) and Jeff Pope about following up Philomena with another true-life tale. And finally, after coming so close on Thor Love & Thunder, we finally sit down for a natter with Christian Bale, as Alex Godfrey talks to the Amsterdam star/producer, and his director David O. Russell, about their new film and their long association. Then, in the virtual podbooth (blame Covid), Chris and Helen and James Dyer pick their brains for the funniest visual gags in superhero movies, discuss the week's movie news including the Super Mario trailer, and the horrible fate (at time of writing) of the Edinburgh International Film Festival and, in the reviews section, they cast their eyes over The Lost King, The Woman King, Amsterdam, Michael Giacchino's MCU oddity Werewolf By Night, and Vengeance. Enjoy.

The second trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever didn't hold back on the emotion that is clearly going to drive Ryan Coogler's MCU mega-sequel, following the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, but it also filled in more of the film's blanks, plot-wise, hinted at some major action sequences, and preserved the mystery of just who is going to take over as the new Black Panther. Plenty, then, for Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and Amon Warmann to dig into in this trailer breakdown special, recorded very late at night, and with one of us down with Covid, so if there's even more brain fog than usual, go easy on us. Enjoy.

Hands! Corner! Behind! No, we're not trying to activate The Winter Soldier — these phrases will make sense to you once you've watched the excellent new comedy-drama, The Bear, the first season of which is now streaming on Disney+. It follows Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a highly-rated and extraordinarily-talented chef who swaps being a rising star on the New York fine dining scene for the relentless grind of running a sandwich shop in Chicago, bequeathed to him after the death of his older brother. And in this latest crossover episode of the Empire Film Podcast and the Pilot TV Podcast, in association with Disney+, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Beth Webb get their teeth into The Bear, talking about its intensity, its humour, their own relationships with food and fine dining, and much, much more. It's a pod so good we give it three Michelin stars. And that, friends, is definitely a recommendation. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast looks ahead to two of next week's releases, as Maika Monroe makes her first appearance on the pod since 2014 to talk with Chris Hewitt about her new film, Significant Other, bonding with directors, and how she navigated her career after the one-two punch of The Guest and It Follows. Then Chris also has an in-depth chat with B.J. Novak, star of the American version of The Office, about his long-awaited directorial debut, Vengeance, about his dad's Google alerts, and early retirement. Back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode that packs in plenty of chat about the upcoming London Marathon, in which Helen is running, Tom Hanks' claim that he has made only four pretty good movies in his illustrious career, the announcement of Deadpool 3 with Hugh Jackman returning as Logan/Wolverine, the rest of the movie news, and reviews of Blonde, Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris, Hocus Pocus 2, and Flux Gourmet. Don your business shoes, and get ready for the podcasting equivalent of 26.2 miles. But in a good way. Enjoy!

Happy birthday, Mr. Bond. Yes, this October sees 007 turn 0060 with the 60th anniversary of Dr No, the film that brought Ian Fleming's James Bond to the big screen for the first time. The celebrations begin this weekend with a series of Bond At 60 events at the BFI Southbank and BFI Imax, then a The Sound Of Bond concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday October 4, headlined by Dame Shirley Bassey, and the debut of Mat Whitecross' documentary, The Sound Of Bond, on Prime Video on October 5. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are the producers who have overseen not one, but two, key reboots of the character, through the Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig eras, firmly keeping alive the traditions established by their father, Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli. They've been around since the franchise began — Michael cameoed briefly in Goldfinger in 1964, while a very young Barbara toured the world with her father as the movies became a cultural phenomenon in the Sixties — and in this special interview with Empire's Chris Hewitt, the two talk about their relationship with Bond, the movies and actors, through the decades, culminating in the major decision they made with the most recent movie, No Time To Die. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast marks the return of the podcast with the best theme tune this side of, well, us, by talking to its co-creator and star. Yes, we're talking all things Alan Partridge with Steve Coogan as series 2 of the Partridge podcast, From The Oasthouse, returns to Audible. Plus, Ben Travis flies to Malta (and boy, were his arms tired) to have a raucous chat with Jurassic World: Dominion stars Bryce Dallas Howard and DeWanda Wise about Colin Trevorrow's Extended Edition. Stop that, you filthy-minded lot. This isn't Carry On Up The Empire Podcast. Speaking of which, back in the podbooth Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss the best gateway horror films for kids; whether the Carry On... series counts as horror; the week's movie news, including Constantine 2 and a mini-episode of The Ranking: Keanu Reeves, and the trailers for M. Night Shyamalan's Knock At The Cabin, and Hellraiser; and they review Don't Worry, Darling, Catherine Called Birdy, and After Yang. Plus Chris comes up with his most annoying earworm yet, which is saying something. I wonder why... Enjoy! STEVE COOGAN INTERVIEW: 00:20:24.759 - 00:40:29.780 BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD/DEWANDA WISE INTERVIEW: 01:07:34.00 - 01:30:23.00 (approx.)

Wedding Season is the new thrill-packed, mystery-stuffed rom-com that is now streaming on Disney+. The first-ever UK Original Series on Disney+, it follows the adventures of Stefan (Gavin Drea) and Kate (Rosa Salazar), a couple on the run after Katie's entire wedding party, including her husband, are killed, leaving Katie as the prime suspect, and the cops (and other interested parties) hot on their heels. And in this special crossover episode, brought to you in association with Disney+, the Empire Film Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast teams — Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Kay Ribeiro — come together to have a big old natter about the show, about the disastrous weddings they've attended, the nature of love, and the dangers of cake. But that's not all — there are exclusive, and enormously fun, interviews, in which Chris talks to cast members Jamie Michie, George Webster, Bhav Joshi, Omar Baroud and Callie Cooke, plus star Gavin Drea and the show's creator, Oliver Lyttelton. We now pronounce you pod and listener. Enjoy!

Andor is the latest Star Wars show to hit Disney+, with the first three episodes (of its 12-episode first season) dropping on the service on Wednesday September 21st, but it's a very different beast than, say, The Mandalorian or The Book Of Boba Fett. Instead, Tony Gilroy and Diego Luna's return to the flawed but noble character who, in many ways, was the heart of 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the most ambitious new slab of Star Wars to date. And in this preview podcast, Ben Travis talks to Luna and Gilroy, separately, about their ambitions for the character and for the show, and a host of other things. It's a preview podcast, not a spoiler special, so don't worry, you can listen to this and remain unspoiled for Andor, although we can't say the same for Rogue One. Oops. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast brings you Reece Shearsmith — our guest at last week's London Podcast Festival live show at Kings Place, London — on sparkling form, as he tells Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis all about new film See How They Run, recruiting actors for Inside No 9, working with David Warner, Peter Kay and Steve Coogan, and much, much more. That can be found at around 00:22:49.00, and finishes around 00:49:00.00 Then, in the podbooth, Chris, Helen and Ben are joined by live show absentee James Dyer for an episode in which Chris defends DC League Of Super-Pets, the team discuss their most memorable cinematic queuing experiences, they cast their eyes over the week's movie news, and they review Clerks III, Ticket To Paradise, Do Revenge, and End Of The Road. Enjoy.

'Ello 'ello 'ello, what's all this then? This week's Empire Podcast — recorded before the news about the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II — sees Sam Rockwell, who plays Inspector Stoppard in breezy new whodunnit See How They Run, reunite with his director, Tom George, and tell Chris Hewitt all about howtheydidit. That can be found from 00:51:13.00 - 01:10:39.00 approx. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris returns to the host's chair after a couple of weeks 'off', and is armed with tales of what's out there in the world of children's TV. He's joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss the week's movie news, review See How They Run, Pinocchio, Crimes Of The Future, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and tackle the big question: if you had to erase the movies of Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, or Seth Rogen, who would you choose and why? Nobody can ever accuse us of not being highbrow. Enjoy. UPDATE: NOW WITH ACTUAL HELEN. IF YOU HAVE THE VERSION WITHOUT HELEN, DELETE AND RE-UPLOAD.

He is the Lord Of The Dance. The Riveriest of dancers. A man who scares the bejesus out of Chandler Bing. But now Michael Flatley has made the most talked-about movie of the week: his long-awaited motion picture debut, Blackbird, which he also wrote and directed. In a fun and candid interview, Flatley tells Chris Hewitt all about the motivation to make a movie now that his dancing career is behind him, the long delay in getting a release date, and his awareness of the critics lying in wait. Check it out from 00:34:34.00 - 00:52:03.00 (approx.). Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Helen O'Hara hosts Sophie Butcher and Olly Richards, as they talk about movie pets and the greatest fake ears in movies (yet somehow don't mention Spock; highly illogical), natter about the week's movie news, and review Me Time, George Miller's Three Thousand Years Of Longing, Blackbird, and more. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the ace British actor Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù — memorably seen breaking heads in Gangs Of London — breaking hearts instead as the most eligible bachelor in England, in the delightful Mr. Malcolm's List. He tells Chris Hewitt all about this gear shift, his extensive research for a period role, and his days as a Harry Potter fan. That can be found between 00:32:45.00 and 00:55:19.00, timestamp fans. Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Helen O'Hara hosts and brings Amon Warmann and John Nugent along for the ride, discussing average films with great scores, the week's movie news (including the trailer for Empire Of Light, the new Sam Mendes film), and reviewing Mr. Malcolm's List, Beast, Samaritan, and Official Competition. Enjoy.

Just like Chorley FM, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is Cumming in your ears as Chris Hewitt invites the great Alan Cumming — star of this week's excellent documentary, My Old School — into the podbooth for a fun chat about bagels, surnames, and why making this movie felt like fate. Chris also has a lovely chat with Secret Headquarters star, the wowtastic Owen Wilson, and his directors, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, which takes in everything from parental responsibility to how to make a toast. Then, in a two-pronged pod recorded in a couple of different locations this week (circumstances beyond our control, folks, but we're sure you'll agree the blend of both halves is utterly seamless), Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the movie stunts they would love to perform themselves, the week's movie news, and review My Old School, Day Shift, and Secret Headquarters. And Chris tells a Kenneth Branagh-related story that may still be going on, it's hard to tell. Enjoy. Quick interview timestamps! Owen Wilson runs from 28:05.00 - 43:51.00 (approx.) and Alan Cumming can be found somewhere around 1:01:39.00 - 1:24:21.00

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is the latest MCU show to hit Disney+, and introduces us to Bruce Banner's cousin, Jennifer Walters, a high-flying lawyer who also happens to be a Hulk. The show launches on August 18 on Disney+, and in this episode Chris Hewitt (who is crazy about the show) sits down across Zoom for chats with Jessica Gao, the show's head writer/creator; Kat Coiro, the show's lead director; and the brilliant Tatiana Maslany, who plays both Jen and She-Hulk. Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler special but a preview of the show, but some mild spoilers for the first episode lurk within, so it's your call if you want to listen now, or wait until episode one has aired. Either way, the interviews are fun dives into the show, which feels fresh and different and unlike anything we've seen in the MCU, and the character (ditto), and we hope you enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt have two fascinating natters with two very different directors: first, Jordan Peele talks about his mysterious third movie, Nope (which gets a big Yep from us), and anoints Chris as the new Oprah Winfrey (you'll have to listen for it to make some kind of sense), and then Ari Folman, the director of Waltz With Bashir and new animated movie Where Is Anne Frank, talks about the state of animation, why it took him eight years to make it, and Liverpool Football Club. Yes, fair warning to non-Reds, but this time it wasn't Chris' fault! Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Neel Bhatt, making his pod-debut proper and marking the occasion with a box of freshly-baked cookies. Together, our intrepid quartet discuss a freshly-baked listener question about the DCEU, discuss the week's movie news, and review Nope, Eiffel, and Where Is Anne Frank. Enjoy!

We've got Predator on our minds this week on the Empire Podcast. Which makes a change. Not only do we review Dan Trachtenberg's Prey, his prequel to John McTiernan's 1987 action classic, but Chris Hewitt sits down with that film's star, Amber Midthunder, for a fun interview in which they discuss how Amber, whose parents are an actor and a casting director, wasn't necessarily fated to become an actor, about Prey's commitment to Comanche traditions, going to craft services with a Predator, and using Brazilian jiu jitsu to take out a bunch of feral children. Chris also has a sit-down with the legendary John McTiernan, who came into London last week for The London Action Fest, and while they only talk about Predator a bit, there's plenty of Die Hard and The Hunt For Red October chat to keep you action aficionados happy. Back in the pod booth, Helen O'Hara hosts this week, due to Chris being locked in mortal combat with an alien hunter (or in LA for a set visit; one of the two), and she's joined by James Dyer and Ben Travis to discuss movies which would benefit from gender-flipping their lead from a man to a woman (in the wake of the England Women's team's triumph at the Euros), review Prey, Bullet Train and Luck, and dive deep into the week's movie news, including the Batgirl debacle. Enjoy.

Next week sees the release of David Leitch's latest action movie, Bullet Train, which we're confidently told is not a sequel to The Railway Children Return. Instead, it stars Brad Pitt as an assassin on board a Japanese bullet train, who gets mixed up with a colourful cast of fellow hitpeople, not all of whom have his best interests at heart. Two of those are Tangerine and Lemon, two Cockney killers played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry, both of whom join Chris Hewitt this week for a fun dive into how they cultivated co-star chemistry, how Henry tackled a tricksy accent, and they each give us the scoop on each other's upcoming Spider-Man-adjacent projects. Elsewhere, Chris is joined by old pod-chum Robert B. 'Bob' Weide, making his first appearance on the pod in a while to talk about his new documentary, Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck In Time, how it took him 40 years to finish and became unexpectedly personal along the way, and about how he's probably the most famous director in the world, thanks to a little Curb Your Enthusiasm meme. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and, making her pod-debut proper, Ella Kemp (sorry, Dame Emma Kememp), as they talk about the greatest movie scenes set in trees, discuss the week's movie news, and review Ron Howard's Thirteen Lives, DC League Of Super-Pets, Fire Of Love, and Joyride. Oh, and they try not to mention the fact that this is now an AWARD-WINNING podcast. Well, they try not to mention it too much. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS! (Timings are approx.) Intro/Listener Q -- 0:00.00 - 28:33.00 Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry Interview -- 28:34.00 - 44:38.00 Movie News -- 44:39.00 - 01:07:07.00 Bob Weide Interview -- 01:07:08.00 - 01:30:49.191 Reviews/Outro -- 1:30:50.00 - end

Nature is healing. How do we know? Because Saturday saw Kevin Feige and some of his amazing friends return to Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con to announce a ton of exciting news about the future of the MCU, including the first trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, an 18-episode Disney+ series for Charlie Cox's Daredevil and not one, but two Avengers movies, due to be released just six months apart in 2025. And while Team Empire wasn't at Comic-Con this year (we were busy picking up a gong at the British Podcast Awards!), we decided that this news was too big to wait until later in the week before discussing it on the pod. (It also spares those who couldn't give a The Tinker's cuss about the MCU) And so, in this very special episode, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis for a deep dive into all the titles and dates confirmed by Feige. There is speculation aplenty, hot takes galore, and the debut of a new prediction phrase that will take the world by storm. And that's an Amon Guarantee. Enjoy.

We can't move for members of the Howard family on the Empire Podcast these days. Why, only the other week we had Bryce Dallas Howard, and now her dad, the great director Ron, is our special guest this episode, as he tells Chris Hewitt all about his latest movie, Thirteen Lives, the story of the near-impossible Thai cave diving rescue that captivated the world in 2018. Ron and Chris also talk about how proud Ron is of Bryce's new career as a director, and her Apollo 13 homage in an episode of The Mandalorian. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Ben Travis and the returning James Dyer and Helen O'Hara for a heat-addled episode filled with much talk of Predator, the greatest movies with one-word titles, shameless plugging for sundry live shows, discussion of the week's movie news (including the trailers for Michael Flatley's Blackbird and Rob Zombie's The Munsters), and reviews of Where The Crawdads Sing, Persuasion, Don't Make Me Go, and The Princess. Oh, and it's a truth universally acknowledged that Chris will incur the wrath of Jane Austen fans. Enjoy. Next stop: Clint Howard! TIMESTAMPS! (Timings are approx.) Intro/Listener Q: 0:00.00 - 25:01.00 Movie News: 25:02.00 - 58:15.00 Ron Howard: 58:16.00 - 01:14:02.00 Reviews: 01:14:03.00 - end

Don't ever say that the Empire Podcast has a predictable roster of guests. For this week sees tennis legend John McEnroe sit down on Zoom with Chris Hewitt for a fun chat about his career, the new documentary McEnroe (which chronicles said career), and the numerous cameos he's made (usually as himself) in an array of films and TV shows. We cannot be serious? We can be serious. And don't call us Shirley. Chris is also joined by Elvis director Baz Luhrmann in an excerpt from our upcoming spoiler special on that fantastic fever dream of a movie. And, in the brand new podbooth (actually, the Jazz FM studio), Chris is joined by Ben Travis and Sophie Butcher for an episode in which they discuss the panels they want to see at next week's Comic-Con, the week's movie news, including the sad death of the legendary James Caan, and review The Gray Man -- the movie that sees the Russo Brothers reunite with Chris Evans -- McEnroe, The Sea Beast, and The Railway Children Return. The Railway Children have returned? YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, MAN! Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (Timings are approx.) Intro/Listener Question -- 0:00.00 - 31:04.00 John McEnroe Interview -- 31:05.00 - 46:25.00 Movie News -- 46:26.00 - 1:12:50.00 Baz Luhrmann Interview -- 1:12:51.00 - 1:22:39.00 Reviews/Outro -- 1:22:40.00 - end

This week's Empire Podcast sees someone new and noteworthy ease themselves into the fourth chair, as Eddie Hamilton, the brilliant editor of Top Gun: Maverick and the forthcoming double whammy of Mission: Impossible 7 and 8, joins the podteam — Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and John Nugent — for the duration of the show. So, as well as picking Eddie's brains for tales of editing Maverick and getting the odd tip or ten, he joins us to tackle this week's listener question (about the best fourth instalments in film franchises), and discuss the week's movie news (this episode was recorded before news broke of James Caan's death; we'll discuss the legendary Mr. Caan next week), and we think you'll agree that he's a most welcome addition to the team. Elsewhere, the team review Thor: Love And Thunder, and Brian And Charles, and Chris has an audience with the wonderful Jenny Agutter, star of next week's sequel, The Railway Children Return. The two of them talk about that, and about some of the milestones in her incredible career, including An American Werewolf In London, her cameo in Darkman and, of course, her appearances in the MCU. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer — recovering from their failure to win Podcast Of The Year at the BSME awards. In the process of doing so, they prove categorically why they didn't win, and in the process discuss the greatest movie pilots (who aren't Maverick), talk about the best way to beat Roger Deakins in a fight, chat about the week's movie news, prepare to bid farewell to the grey, depressing podbooth, review Nitram, Minions: The Rise Of Gru, and The Man From Toronto, and declare war on The Radio Times Podcast. This week's guest is the fantastic Australian director Justin Kurzel, who chats to Chris about his hard-hitting new drama, Nitram. Enjoy. NB: there is a brief discussion of the future of Bond, which includes some MAJOR spoilers for No Time To Die. So if you've somehow still not seen that film and wish to avoid any revelations, that starts around 29:48.00 and carries on for three minutes or so, until around 32:43:00 (timestamps are approximate).

Elvis has entered the building. This week sees the release of Elvis, Baz Luhrmann's energetic biopic of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock'n'roll, and as a result our guest is Austin Butler, the young actor whose scintillating, swaggering performance as Elvis is set to make him a huge star. The charming Butler talks to Chris Hewitt about getting under Elvis' skin, and about the time he had a surprising encounter while shooting Once Upon A Time In Hollywood with Quentin Tarantino. That interview starts around 40:15.00. Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Amon Warmann for an episode in which they discuss their favourite movie parents (not just mums or dads), have a chat about the week's movie news (there was some, promise), and dive deep into both Elvis and Scott Derrickson's chilling new horror, The Black Phone, which introduces a cracking horror villain in the shape of Ethan Hawke's The Grabber. Oh, and Helen gets docked some Dune points. Find out why by giving it a listen. Enjoy. Thankyouverymuch.

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande is a fantastic new British movie that sees Dame Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack spend a lot of time together in a hotel room. So that's exactly what we made them do again this week, with Ella Kemp (making her Empire Podcast debut) talking to the stars of Sophie Hyde's movie about an ageing woman who, having had very few positive sexual experiences, hires a sex worker (McCormack), and complications ensue. The film is frank, funny, and insightful, and their chat with Ella is similarly so, featuring Dame Emma's reminiscences about The Tall Guy, and one of the best answers we've ever had on the podcast. Hint: it features an Oscar. Then, in the podbooth this week, Chris Hewitt is joined by James Dyer and, for the first time in ages, Helen O'Hara, and truth be told, being reunited makes them go a little doolally. So, in-between answering a listener question about the film sets they've accidentally stumbled upon in a non-professional capacity, they talk about Helen's Wikipedia page, and Chris and Helen educate James about the history of the Giant's Causeway. They also discuss actual films at some point, including the week's movie news, including Lady Gaga possibly joining Joker 2 (which may be a musical???), the announcement of the Paddington 3 director, and their feelings about the official title of Knives Out 2: Benoit Boogaloo. In the reviews section, they run their eye over Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, Spiderhead, Everything Went Fine, and Last Seen Alive, and Sophie Butcher goes to infinity and beyond to help everyone get to grips with Pixar's Lightyear. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (timings are approx.) Intro/Listener Q/Nonsense: 0:00.00 - 19:56.00 Movie News: 19:57.00 - 43:08.00 Emma Thompson/Daryl McCormack: 43:09.00 - 1:02:19.00 Reviews/Outro: 1:02:20.00 - end

Udo Kier is one of cinema's greatest cult heroes. The German actor has been working steadily for almost sixty years, having become an actor after being discovered by chance while living in London as a young man. Since then, he's built one of the most eclectic filmographies around, appearing in over 200 films which have seen him work with some of the greatest directors around. Virtually all those appearances, though, have been cameos, which is why it's great to see Kier finally get his leading man due, at the age of 77, in Todd Stephens' poignant and funny Swan Song (in cinemas now), in which Kier plays Pat Pitsenbarger, a gay man who rediscovers his spark towards the end of his life. Kier was nominated for Best Actor at the Independent Spirit Awards for the role, and he attacks it with brio. As he does the interview process, as Chris Hewitt found when he sat down over Zoom with Kier to discuss Swan Song and more, and couldn't get a word in. Not that we're complaining -- Udo has anecdotes to spare, and in this interview we're delighted to bring you just a few. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is an episode 65 million and 29 years in the making, as Jurassic World: Dominion star Bryce Dallas Howard pops in for a face-to-face chat with Chris Hewitt, in which she talks about growing up on set with her director dad, Ron Howard, and how he's rubbish at keeping secrets. There's plenty of dino-chat as well for you Parkheads. Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris is joined by James Dyer and Amon Warmann for an episode in which they take advantage of Helen O'Hara's ongoing absence to have a mass debate over the hottest Chris Evans moments, discuss just what it takes for a film to get the Empire one-star treatment, have a natter about the week's movie news including the announcement of Joker 2 (which whips the podteam into a frenzy of excitement), and review Jurassic World: Dominion, Udo Kier in Swan Song, Karen Gillan and Karen Gillan in Dual, while Chris and Amon have a bit of a barney over Adam Sandler in Hustle. Enjoy!

With Ms. Marvel, the latest MCU TV show, set to debut on Disney+ this Wednesday (June 8), we've decided to bring you a special preview of the show, and what you can expect from Kamala Khan, the newest hero on the Marvel Cinematic Universe block. In this suitably embiggened episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt chats with the show's key creatives — head directors Adil & Bilall, show creator and head writer Bisha K. Ali, and Kamala Khan co-creator and producer, Sana Amanat. These are largely spoiler-free chats, but they do touch upon certain things that happen in the first two episodes of the show, so be on the lookout should you wish to be remain spoiler-free. Or, you know, come back here after you've seen the first two episodes. Either way, it works for us. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS! (timings approx.) Intro/Boring Chris bit -- 0:00.00 - 3:39.00 Adil & Bilall -- 3:40.00 - 17:30.00 Bisha K. Ali -- 17:31.00 - 36:35.00 Sana Amanat -- 36:36.00 - 51:05.00 Another boring Chris bit/call for spoiler special subscribers -- 51:06.00 - end

Britain may have shut down to mark the celebrations of the Queen's latest Jubilation Lee, but the Empire Podcast keeps on trucking, folks. In this week's episode, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom (luckily, with no demon present) to talk to director Rob Savage about DASHCAM, his follow-up to the sensational Host, and he brings his stars Annie Hardy and Amar Chadha-Patel along for an interview that is a wild ride in itself. Perhaps it's best to listen to this once you've seen the film, as they talk about the film's unique credit sequence, Annie's fears about playing a character who shares her name, the actors' multi-tasking as camera operators on the film, and whether producer Jason Blum could become a hitman. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by James Dyer and Amon Warmann to tackle listener questions about the greatest examples of royalty in the movies, and what franchises should do to negate toxic fanbases (in the wake of the abhorrent racist comments sent to Obi-Wan Kenobi star, Moses Ingram). They also discuss the week's movie news, including a lengthy tribute to Ray Liotta, and Amon and Chris jettison James to review DASHCAM, Alex Garland's Men, and Bergman Island. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (Timings approx.) Intro/Listener Questions -- 0:00.00 - 22:35.00 Movie News -- 22:36.00 - 45:05.00 DASHCAM Interview -- 45:06.00 - 1:06:34.00 Reviews/Outro -- 1:06:35.00 - end

Only a group as seismic as The Sex Pistols could bring the Empire Podcast and the Pilot TV Podcast together once again. Yes, to mark the launch of Danny Boyle's brand-new six-part series, Pistol, on Disney+, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Beth Webb put their collective noggins together and discuss the show, which debuts on Disney+ on May 31, and which charts the rapid rise and fall of the British punk band towards the tail end of the 1970s. In a fun episode, Chris, James and Beth talk about the cultural impact of Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Sid Vicious and the boys; their legacy; their weird link to the Spice Girls, and much, much more. Plus, Chris sits down with two of the stars of the show, Maisie Williams and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and asks one of them about nicking Andy Serkis' arancini at the Empire Awards. It doesn't get much more punk than that. Never mind the you-know-what, here's [Empire and Pilot talking about] the Sex Pistols.

"Carter! That's my name!" And Hodges! That's his name! Get Carter, the 1971 film that marked Mike Hodges' directorial debut on the big screen and which launched a career that would take in the likes of Flash Gordon and Croupier, has been re-released and remastered (in glorious 4K) by the BFI. It looks and sounds better than ever, so now you can bask in the bleakness of this revenge thriller, which sees Michael Caine go to Newcastle and wreak havoc. Hodges is now 89, and retired from filmmaking, but he took time out to have a chat with Chris Hewitt in which they talk about the enduring appeal of Get Carter, and run through some of the more eclectic entries in Hodges' career. It's a candid and insightful chat with one of Britain's greatest filmmakers, and we hope you enjoy.

In a world-first for a podcast, every single person on this week's episode of the Empire Podcast (sorry, newly award-nominated Empire Podcast) is played by Rory Kinnear. Probably. Actually, that's not true, but after witnessing his tour de force performance(s) in Alex Garland's MEN, which is out next week and which sees Kinnear play multiple roles opposite Jessie Buckley, we wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that he was also playing Amon Warmann, who talks to Kinnear about Men, his career, and knowing the biggest spoiler in Bond history ahead of time. (Don't listen to that interview if you haven't seen No Time To Die!) Our second guest is the excellent Miles Teller, who stars in Top Gun: Maverick as Rooster, aka Son Of Goose, and he talks to Chris Hewitt about his Tom Cruise experience, about flying for real, and about Whiplash (and whiplash, most likely). Then, in the podbooth (virtual this week), Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they discuss great movie scenes set in and around airports, talk about movie news including the Thor: Love And Thunder, The Gray Man, and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One trailers (however, this was recorded before the sad passing of the great Ray Liotta; we will pay tribute to him next week), and review The Bob's Burgers Movie, Sneakerella, and Cop Secret. Oh, and they lose their minds over Top Gun: Maverick, and plan an open-top bus parade through the streets of London. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! Intro/Listener Q -- 0:00.00 - 24:59.00 Rory Kinnear Interview (inc. No Time To Die spoiler) -- 25:00.00 - 42:17.00 Movie News -- 42:18.00 - 1:07:23.00 Miles Teller Interview -- 1:07:24.00 - 1:26:56.00 Reviews/Outro -- 1:26:57.00 - end

Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now that's a name we've not heard in a long time. A long time. But we're delighted to hear it again, because that means that Ewan McGregor is returning to the role he played in George Lucas' Star Wars prequel trilogy (and which Alec Guinness originated, of course, in the original trilogy) in a six-part limited edition show which launches this week on Disney+. And to celebrate, we've put together a preview special in which Chris Hewitt sits down across Zoom with the show's director, Deborah Chow, and head writer Joby Harold, and asks them the big questions about bringing back Obi-Wan, Darth Vader, Owen and Beru, and more. And yes, there's an Elan Sleazebaggano question in there somewhere too. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the great writer/producer/director Judd Apatow drop in for another appearance, this time with his documentarian hat on, as he tells Chris Hewitt all about why he made the excellent two-part documentary, George Carlin's American Dream, which tells the life story of the great American stand-up, who was famous for his legendary routine about the seven words you can't say on television. You can say them on a podcast, though, which is what Chris does, so be mindful of an unbleeped C-bomb, folks. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as they discuss the number of knights and dames they've interviewed, dig into the trailer for She-Hulk, talk about the new developments in the world of Star Wars, and ask if the only good Predator film is the first Predator film. In the reviews section, they discuss Terence Davies' Benediction, Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers, Emergency, and The Innocents. Oh, and Chris makes a shocking announcement. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (timings approx.) Intro/Listener Question -- 0:00.00 - 22:12.00 Movie News -- 22:13.00 - 49.48.00 Judd Apatow Interview -- 49:49.00 - 1:10:46.00 C-word! -- 56:47.00 Reviews/Outro -- 1:10:47.00 - end

Episodes of The Ranking are like buses: you wait ages for one, and then when you get on, everyone's discussing the movies of Nicolas Cage. In this special live edition of The Ranking, recorded at our all-day Episode 500 celebrations at Kings Place in February (can it really be so long ago?), Helen O'Hara leads a motley crew of Cage enthusiasts — Nick de Semlyen, John Nugent, Amon Warmann, and Dan Jolin — to talk about the movies, career and nouveau shamanic acting style of the one, the only Nicolas Kim Coppola, aka Nicolas Cage. The top ten may well surprise you! Enjoy.

Heck of a week for comebacks on the latest episode of The Empire Podcast. First up, Ke Huy Quan — the iconic Short Round in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, and Data in The Goonies — tells Chris Hewitt all about why he has ended his long hiatus from acting with the sensational Everything Everywhere All At Once. Then Scott Thompson and Bruce McCulloch, two of the five members of legendary Canadian sketch comedy troupe, The Kids In The Hall, talk to Chris about getting the gang back together for their new series on Prime Video. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, John Nugent, and Irish Siri to talk about great movie scenes set in stadiums (or arenas), discuss the week's movie news (including a little bit we recorded on Friday morning), and review Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Quiet Girl, and Vortex. Oh, and Chris makes an impassioned plea that will bring tears to your eyes. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (timings approx.) Intro/Listener Q -- 0:00.00 - 23:15.00 Ke Huy Quan Interview -- 23:16.00 - 42:34.00 Movie News -- 42:34.00 - 1:14:58.00 The Kids In The Hall interview - 1:14:59.00 - 1:31:56.00 Reviews/outro - 1:31:57.00 - end

The Gray Man — the latest movie from Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of little films like Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame and Welcome To Collinwood — is on the cover of this month's Empire magazine (on sale now, folks, in all good, evil and virtual newsagents), and so we can finally bring you the latest Empire Podcast interview special: a one-hour chat between Joe Russo and our very own Chris Hewitt, recorded a few weeks ago in St. Andrews, Scotland. This is not an interview about The Gray Man. Instead, Joe was in Scotland to promote Sands, the first ever St. Andrews International Film Festival, of which he is a supporter and backer. In this in-depth interview, he tells Chris about his connection to St. Andrews and Scotland, and then goes deep on the early career of the Russo brothers, including stories about their first (and still unreleased) movie, Pieces, their big break into the business, their forays into television, and the circuitous journey that eventually landed them at Marvel Studios, where they made four of the biggest movies of all time in quick succession; success which allowed Joe and Anthony to form their own company, Agbo Studios, which is behind the likes of The Gray Man and Everything Everywhere All At Once. It's a fascinating chat with one of the most powerful and important figures in the business. Enjoy.

This is too much Multiverse Of Madness to fit into one text! Yes, this week finally sees the Empire Podteam assess the long-awaited arrival of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, directed by Chris Hewitt's beloved possessed GOAT boy, Sam Raimi, and as well as reviewing that film, our guest this week is one of the stars of the movie, Elizabeth Olsen, aka Wanda Maximoff, aka The Scarlet Witch. She has a lovely chat with Chris about the evolution of Wanda, her love of London and sports, and more. Then, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth this week by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the great movie star cameos in TV shows, a question that's been delayed more times than an Avatar sequel. Speaking of Avatar sequels, James and Helen tell us all about the trailer for Avatar: The Way Of Water, while the team also discuss the departure of Jon Watts from the Fantastic Four director's chair, and the trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi. And, with new releases being dominated by Mister Doctor this week, they also talk about the new Chris Pine actioner, The Contractor. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS! (timings are approx.) Intro/Listener Question -- 0:00.00 - 23:57.614 Movie News -- 23:58.00 - 53:44.00 Elizabeth Olsen Interview -- 53:45.00 - 1:12:28.008 Reviews -- 1:12:29.000 - end

Welcome to Downtonpalooza, as this week's guests on the Empire Podcast hail from either side of the camera on Downton Abbey: A New Era, the latest cinematic instalment of the ever-popular Downton Abbey franchise. First, Helen O'Hara chats to two of the movie's stars, Laura Carmichael and Tuppence Middleton, and then has a natter with the creator of the whole shebang, Julian Fellowes. Then, in the podbooth, Helen joins Chris Hewitt, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer to discuss the obscure non-MCU Marvel cameos they'd like to see in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness; talk about the week's movie news, including the reveal of the title for Avatar 2, Justin Lin's departure from Fast X, and more; and review Downton Abbey: A New Era, Casablanca Beats, and The Velvet Queen. And they ask the biggest question of all: just what has happened to Alan Cumming's chimpanzee? Enjoy.

Choose life. Choose a podcast. Choose a movie podcast. Choose Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer talking about movies. Choose the occasional digression about fancy restaurants and Easter eggs. Choose a listener question (well, sort of) about the best lightsaber battles in Star Wars history. Choose discussion of the week's biggest movie news, including the Thor: Love And Thunder trailer. Choose reviews of new films like The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent, Happening, and Choose Or Die. Choose an interview with Eddie Marsan, the star of the latter of that trio. Choose realising that you're stuck in this bit now and need to see it through to the end. Choose life. But why would you want to do a thing like that? We chose to choose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got The Empire Podcast? Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (approx. timings) Intro/Listener Question: 0:00.00 - 25:58.00 Movie News: 25:59.00 - 54:51.00 Eddie Marsan Interview: 54:52.00 - 1:13:54.00 Reviews/Outro: 1:13:55.00 - end

This week's Empire Podcast brings you not one but two former Mr. Darcys, in the shape of Operation Mincemeat stars, Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen, who tell Chris Hewitt all about their connection to the World War II thriller, and their personal approaches to acting. Chris also has a lovely natter this week with Alexander Skarsgård, the star and producer of Robert Eggers' bonkers and brilliant Viking saga, The Northman. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey for an episode filled with incendiary and controversial opinions as they discuss the Cannes line-up, Brie Larson joining Fast & Furious 10, the new issue of Empire; review The Northman, Benedetta, Operation Mincemeat, and The Lost City; and do a deep, deep dive into the listener questions, which asks if any Best Animated Feature Oscar winners have been better than their Best Picture-winning counterparts? The answers, and frankly wild opinions on display, will shock you. Enjoy. (Oh, and Chris did mean to say 'Bond novels', not 'Bond movies'. You'll know that bit when you reach it. TIMESTAMPS! (timings are approximate) Intro/Listener Q: 0:00.00 - 31:15.535 Colin Firth/Matthew Macfadyen: 31:16.00 - 45:39.00 Movie News: 45:40.00 - 1:12:10.00 Alexander Skarsgård: 1:12:11.00 - 1:31:20.219 Reviews: 1:31:21.00 - end

This week's Empire Podcast sees a bright and optimistic young man who wears spectacles, lives under the stairs, and just might be the last hope for humanity... interview Daniel Radcliffe. Yes, in this episode Ben Travis, a humungous Harry Potter fan, finally comes face-to-face with The Boy Who Lived, and as well as talking about Radcliffe's new movie, adventure comedy The Lost City, his musical tastes and plans to launch a directing career, there's a little bit of Potter chat as well. Then, in the podbooth, Ben joins Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they wax lyrical about Film4's greatest movies and general contribution to British cinema, discuss the week's movie news and find it to be wanting, throw in a boatload of obscure, unusual and arcane facts (that aren't movie-related, weirdly), and review the Harry Potter/Daniel Radcliffe-free Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, Richard Linklater's Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Adventure, Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton thriller All The Old Knives, and Mark Rylance in The Outfit, a film so good it almost makes Chris come to terms with the past. Almost. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS! (timings may be approx.) Intro/Listener Question -- 0:00.00 - 22:20.00 Daniel Radcliffe -- 22:21.00 - 43:39.508 Movie News -- 43:40.00 - 1:04:49.00 Reviews -- 1:04:50.00 -- end

The world has been waiting all week for an exclusive interview with someone called Smith, and this week's Empire Podcast doesn't disappoint, as Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with Morbius star Matt Smith, and they have a lovely natter about nicknames, horror movies, and Smith's desire to play Dracula, now that he's got his fangs into the whole vampire thang. (What, did you think we meant another Smith?) Our other guest this week is the wonderful Ruth Wilson, who speaks with Amon Warmann about her new movie, True Things, her ongoing crusade to keep a workbook, and her relationship with music. This interview was cut somewhat short due to technical issues, folks, so be prepared for a fairly abrupt ending. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and, making a rare in-person appearance, James 'Jaime Blanco' White, to discuss their favourite Bruce Willis movies, following the news of his decision to retire from acting due to health issues; review Morbius, True Things, and Judd Apatow's The Bubble; and talk about the week's movie news, including an extended segment on the Oscars and, of course, that unexpected Will Smith/Chris Rock interface. Get your hot takes here! Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS: Intro/Bruce Willis Discussion -- 0:00.00 - 27.05.00 Matt Smith Interview -- 27.06.00 - 44.32.866 Movie News -- 44.33.00 - 1:16:02 Ruth Wilson Interview -- 1:16:03 - 1:32:10 Reviews/Outro -- 1:32:11 - 1:59:14

Here's a podcast that can tell the difference between its waking life... and dreams. Yes, folks, as Moon Knight finally makes his dramatic debut on Disney+, this special edition of the Empire Podcast brings you interviews with the folks who brought the MCU's latest hero to life. First, Chris Hewitt welcomes the show's stars -- Moon Knight/Marc Spector/Steven Grant himself, Oscar Isaac; Ethan Hawke, who plays the villainous Arthur Harrow; and May Calamawy, aka Leila -- to our London studio for an interview that is filled with bonkersness, and then he sits down over Zoom with the show's lead director, Mohamed Diab. This isn't a spoiler special, and the interviews are largely spoiler-free, but they do engage with events that take place in the first episode in particular, so perhaps listen to this after you've seen that. Otherwise, there's nothing to fear here but Chris' impression of Steven Grant. Enjoy...?

Another bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast this week, as we cram four guests and the podteam into the back of an ambulance and take off at high speed. First, Chris Hewitt has a fun chat with Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, stars of Michael Bay's cracking new thriller, Ambulance. Then, as Chopper gets a re-release to mark its 20th-ish anniversary, Chris jumps on Zoom with that film's director, Andrew Dominik. Finally, Beth Webb sits down with Norwegian actress, and star of the wonderful The Worst Person In The World, Renate Reinsve. Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a discussion about which of the many facets of film journalism appeal to them most. They also tackle the week's movie news, including taking a stab at predicting the outcome of the Oscars, while they review The Worst Person In The World, Windfall, and have an argument about Ambulance. Enjoy. TIMESTAMPS Intro/Listener Question: 0:00.00 - 24.29.447 Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II: 24.30.00 - 43:03.00 Movie News: 43:04.00 - 1:02:02.00 Andrew Dominik: 1:02:03:00 - 1:15:33.403 Reviews: 1:15:34.00 - 1:39:10.883 Renate Reinsve: 1:39:11.00

Welcome to The Great Unwatched, a new Empire Podcast show brought to you by JustWatch, the ultimate movie and TV streaming guide. In this episode, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer get together to plan a movie marathon. But the twist is that the movies they suggest must be obscure efforts, worthy of discovery, and that at least one of the trio hasn't seen. The idea is simple, the results are carnage. From a Cary Grant comedy to punks cavorting in graveyards, their choices run the gamut — and thanks to JustWatch, they know that every movie they talk about is available to stream in the UK. Give The Great Unwatched a whirl now, and let us know if you ever undertake the final marathon. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Sophie Butcher interview Sebastian Stan, while trying not to say the words 'homecoming', 'fahrenheit' and 'boxcar'. Otherwise, bad things might happen. Not that they could be much worse than the bad things that happen in Stan's new movie, Fresh, in which he stars alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones as a new couple whose relationship turns very dark, very quick. Sophie talks to Stan and Edgar-Jones about that, their musical tastes, and more in a fun interview. Also fun, and interviewy, is Chris Hewitt's chat with old podchum Simon Farnaby, writer of this week's whimsical true-life golf comedy, The Phantom Of The Open. The two natter about golf, about Farnaby's output as a writer, and about being yelled at. Then, in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann for another fun episode in which they discuss movies that deserve a third instalment, get to grips with the week's movie news, including Dune 2, Deadpool 3 and Ms Marvel revelations and, in a top week for movie rumpy-pumpy, review Fresh, Deep Water, Paris, 13th District and The Phantom Of The Open. It's a podcast that's perfect for spoiling a good walk. Enjoy. Intro/Listener Question -- 0:00.00 - 27.53.00 Daisy Edgar-Jones/Sebastian Stan Interview -- 27:54.00 - 40:42.00 Movie News -- 40:43.00 - 01:09:09 Simon Farnaby interview -- 01:09:10 - 1:26:59 Reviews -- 1:27:00 - end

Episode 500 of the Empire Podcast may have taken place in February, but we're continuing our quest to bring you recorded versions of all the shows we mounted on that day. And the latest is the live edition of beloved/besmirched podcast semi-regular segment, The Three Fact Structure, in which host Chris Hewitt takes it easy while Ben Travis, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer work themselves to the bone by presenting an obscure, unusual, or arcane film-related fact. This pod may only be 20 minutes long, but it packs a punch, as Helen talks about sex, James talks about loads of stuff at such a speed that it's honestly hard to tell what he was banging on about, and Ben talks about Pooh. Lots of Pooh. Oh, and there's a singalong too. This may be the way we do The Three Fact Structure from now on (live, with a 20-minute limit), so let us know if that tickles your factual fancy. Either way, enjoy.

Red is the colour for this week's Empire Podcast. First, Ben Travis has a chat with Sandra Oh and Rosalie Chiang, stars of the new Pixar movie, Turning Red, and then Red Rocket director, Sean Baker, tells Alex Godfrey all about how he pulled off his delightful latest, in which Simon Rex stars as a porn star down on his luck. Sorry about the innuendo there, but that sets the tone for this mucky-minded filthpot of an episode, in which Chris Hewitt is joined by Ben, James Dyer and, making her debut on the pod, Hanna Flint. The quartet talk about who they'd like to see play the next big-screen Robin, discuss the week's movie news, including the new trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Dune 2 casting news (this was recorded before the Austin Butler news broke), and review the aforementioned movies, along with Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy's latest, The Adam Project. Along the way, they discuss The Spice Girls, MENA representation in movies, and a very rude Obi-Wan Kenobi anagram. Enjoy. Timestamps! Intro/Listener Question -- 0:00.00 - 19.50.00 Rosalie Chiang/Sandra Oh interview -- 19.51.00 - 32.54 Movie News -- 32.55 - 1:02:48 Sean Baker interview -- 1:02:49 - 1:20:43 Movie Reviews -- 1:20:44 - end.

The first three episodes of The Dropout, the new series charting the rise and fall of tech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, the company she founded, have landed on Disney+, and in the latest team-up between the Empire Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Beth Webb have a good old natter about it. In this very special crossover episode, in association with Disney+, they talk about the real-life events behind the show (created by Elizabeth Meriwether), the reasons why Hollywood is drawn to stories like this, the incredible cast, led by Amanda Seyfried, and much, much more. So turn on, tune in and drop out for The Dropout...

Riddle us this, riddle us, erm, shimmy, who's the man who wrote Steven Soderbergh's Kimi? Why, that would be David Koepp, one of our cracking guests on this week's Empire Podcast. The legendary screenwriter sits down on a Zoom with Chris Hewitt and tells him all about that, being a writer on set, and much more. And riddle us this, riddle us, um, drano, why does nothing rhyme with Dano? Yes, Ben Travis and Chris have a fun audience with Paul Dano, the actor who plays The Riddler in Matt Reeves' The Batman. Either side of that, in the virtual podbooth this week, Chris and Ben are joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode in which they discuss how difficult it is to voice Paddington, nominate the movies they'd like to see become immersive hotel experiences, talk about movie news including the Bullet Train and Fantastic Beasts: The Wotsit Of Thingummy trailers, and review The Batman, Ali & Ava, The Desperate Hour, and A Madea Homecoming. Enjoy. Timestamps! Intro/Listener Question: 0:00.00 - 26:05 David Koepp: 26:05 - 43:52 Movie News: 43:53 - 1:11:44 Paul Dano: 1:11:45 - 1:29:04 Reviews/Outro: 1:29:04 onwards

Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson's BAFTA and Oscar-nominated Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is one of the finest directorial debuts in years, as the Roots drummer/musical maestro crafts a powerful and profound documentary that charts the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969, a music festival that took place in the same summer as Woodstock, and yet didn't receive nearly the same cultural cachet. In fact, footage of the festival lay, untouched, for almost 50 years before Questlove was clued in as to its existence, resolving to make this movie. The resulting documentary, one of the favourites to win Best Documentary on both sides of the Pond, is part celebration of the amazing artists who played at the Festival, but also a compelling deep dive into Black history, Black culture, Black joy and, as he tells Chris Hewitt in this exclusive interview, the notion of Black erasure. They also talk about Questlove's relationship with the material, finding interviewees for the movie, and how he's going to handle attending the Oscars, as a former Musical Director of the ceremony. Enjoy.

Kenneth Branagh's wonderful BELFAST sees the writer-director (but not actor on this one, as he explains) return to his youth for inspiration, charting a beautiful black-and-white path through the childhood of a young boy growing up in the Northern Irish capital in 1969, just as The Troubles are about to truly erupt, changing the lives of all who lived there for decades to come. In this Empire Podcast interview special, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with his fellow Northern Irishman, Branagh, and they talk about growing up during very different eras, about Branagh's decision to make the movie now, about his creative choices such as going black-and-white and using copious amounts of Van Morrison on the soundtrack, Northern Irish accents and much, much more. The film has been nominated for many BAFTAs and Oscars since, and may well scoop the ultimate prize on the big nights. This fascinating and fun interview may just tell you why, so it might. Wee buns!

There go our heroes. Watch them as they go. This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees three big names chat with us about their new projects, and as a result this pod is a little... everlong. First, Joe Wright, director of Cyrano, talks with Hanna Flint about his new musical and discloses his favourite Christmas movie along the way. Then Alex Godfrey Zooms in for a chat with the great Paul Thomas Anderson, who waxes lyrical about Licorice Pizza, Hard Eight turning 25, loving Mission: Impossible — Fallout, and more. And finally, as the Foo Fighters release their first movie, the horror-comedy Studio 666, Chris Hewitt has a chat with the one and only Dave Grohl. Either side of those, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an episode recorded in space. Or more accurately, the Galactic Starcruiser, the new Star Wars immersive experience/hotel at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. They also tackle a listener question about the weirdest places they've ever conducted an interview, talk about the week's movie news, and review Cyrano, Studio 666, Kimi, and The Duke. We got The Duke? We got The Duke! Enjoy. Timings below: Intro and chat about the Galactic Starcruiser: 0:00 - 15:11 Joe Wright: 15:12 - 33:40 Listener Question: 33:40 - 51:15 Paul Thomas Anderson: 51:15 - 1:11:24 Movie News: 1:11:24 - 1:32:22 Dave Grohl: 1:32:22 - 1:49:42 Reviews: 1:49:42 - 2:17:03

This week's Empire Podcast has a pair of interviews with some heavy-hitting acting types. First off, Joanna Scanlan, recently BAFTA-nominated for Best Actress for her turn in the excellent drama, After Love, talks with Helen O'Hara about that, and about playing the long game in her career. Then Hanna Flint (making her Empire Podcast debut) has a fun chat, recorded before Christmas hence the festive references, with the ever-excellent Peter Dinklage, star of next week's Joe Wright-directed musical, Cyrano. And no, we don't ask him where the handle is. Then, in and out of the podbooth (you'll see), Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for an in-depth and often moving (ahem) examination of the best bald bad guys in movie history. They also discuss the week's movie news, which mainly means trailers, lots of trailers (we've taken care of Doctor Strange business elsewhere, though). And then Chris and Helen, despite the best efforts of Storm Eunice, review Channing Tatum's return in Dog, Leatherface's return in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's return with Bigbug. Enjoy.

Because a few of you demanded it, here it is: the Empire Podcast's breakdown of the brand-new trailer for Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis as they go frame-by-frame through the new trailer, and the 30-second Super Bowl TV spot, as if it's the Zapruder film. Features: wild speculation and rumour-mongering, much of which will no doubt be proved incorrect when the film opens in May. So, cue up the trailer on a device of your choice (hopefully not the same one on which you're listening to the pod), and prepare to enter a new world of gods and monsters. Sorry, wrong cinematic universe!

Happy birthday, Hot Fuzz! Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's cracking cop comedy is now fifteen years old, if you can believe it. And in this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, recorded live at Kings Place as part of our all-day celebration of Episode 500, Chris Hewitt sits down with Wright and Pegg live on stage for a one-hour deep dive into the movie. Featuring never-before-heard stories of the writing of, and making of, the movie, it's a must-listen. And that's even before we get to the late cameo (of sorts) from a very special surprise guest. Bring the noise!

We don't hang around here on the Empire Podcast. Less than a week after the epic celebration that was our 500th episode, we're already back in the podbooth, bringing you episode 501. And it's a belter, folks, as Chris Hewitt is joined by newly-minted BAFTA and Oscar nominee, the wonderful West Side Story star, Ariana DeBose, for a chat that takes in Spielberg, auditions, British accents, SNL, and Hamilton, but which is mostly concerned with Nando's, and the consumption thereof. We're also joined this week by director Josephine Decker, who tells Amon Warmann all about her new film, the Apple TV+ original, The Sky Is Everywhere. Either side of that, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent for a fun episode in which they discuss their dream LEGO movie-themed sets (this was recorded before news broke of the new Jurassic Park set), talk about the week's movie news, including a bumper Oscars section (this was recorded before news broke of the new Jurassic World: Dominion trailer; it's almost as if dinosaurs hate us), and review Uncharted, Death On The Nile, Flee, and Marry Me. Whether this is your first episode or your five-hundred-and-first episode, enjoy.

Here it is, folks. A landmark episode deserves an epic running time. Welcome to the 500th episode of the Empire Podcast, recorded in front of a live audience at Kings Place, London, on Saturday, February 5, and featuring our most astonishing line-up of guests yet. There's Tom Holland (no, not that one), talking about Uncharted and spoiling the hell out of Spider-Man: No Way Home (seriously, maybe only listen to this pod after you've seen that film)! The Souvenir Part II director Joanna Hogg and her star, Bafta-nominated Harris Dickinson! Roy Kent himself, Ted Lasso star, Brett Goldstein, talking about fashion, swearwords, and blaming our Chris Hewitt for the pandemic! West Side Story's Maria, aka Rachel Zegler, on befriending Spielberg! Loki director Kate Herron with the inside scoop on Owen Wilson's moustache! And the captain of the Jackass gang, Johnny Knoxville, on what can only be described as Dongzilla! Phew! It's so packed that all the interviews are smushed together in one huge section that runs from 00:33:23 to 02:14.50. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt welcomes not one, not two, not three but FOUR colleagues of such lethal cunning -- Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis -- for the mother of all Empire Podcasts, as they talk movie news (Scream! Fast 10! Baftas! Den Of Thieves 2!), review Moonfall, The Souvenir Part II, Belle, Jackass Forever, and The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, and answer a ton of audience questions. It's been weeks in the planning, and is our gift to you, our loyal listeners. Thank you for all your support over the last ten years. Here's to the next 500. Enjoy.

The legendary Donnie Yen has been kicking all kinds of butt for decades now, in movies like Hero, Ip Man, Blade II, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His latest movie, Raging Fire (the last directed by Benny Chan) is out now on DVD, Blu-ray and digital, and to mark the occasion, Amon Warmann sat down with Donnie Yen for an engrossing in-depth chat. Which we present to you in full. Enjoy!

Episodes of The Ranking are like buses. Not in the 'you wait ages for one, and then three turn up at once' sense (although we do acknowledge that episodes of this fine spin-off from Empire magazine, in which four Empire writers argue the toss about a series of films and come up with a definitive cough cough top ten, have not exactly been on the regular). More in the 'you get on one, and all you find is four people talking about Stanley Kubrick' sense. And if that's not your experience of buses, then you have our pity. You can't get on a bus round here without someone banging on about Barry Lyndon. Anyway, as our gift to you, to make up for the absence of Episode 500 from the feed today (what with Episode 500 not having been recorded yet), here is an actual episode of The Ranking, in which Ian Freer, Neil Alcock, Beth Webb, and Alex Godfrey clamber aboard the number 19 and talk about the career of one of the greatest directors of all time with their eyes wide shut and their mouths wide open. Enjoy.

Edgar Wright's latest movie, the pulse-pounding, melon-melting, time-twisting psychological thriller, Last Night In Soho, is out now on all the formats you can think of (and some you can't), so you can watch it in the comfort of your own home. So now is the perfect time to bring you lucky lot the first hour of the epic TWO AND A HALF HOUR spoiler special interview that we recorded with Wright and his co-writer, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, when they came into the podbooth late last year. In this exceedingly candid chat with Chris Hewitt, Wright and Wilson-Cairns talk about how the Hot Fuzz research process led to one of the darkest lines in the film; how Terence Stamp inspired a permanent plaque in The Toucan; where the idea for the film came from; and going for dinner with Billie Piper. For details of our spoiler specials subscription service, go to empire.supportingcast.fm

Reacher may say nothing, but thankfully Alan Ritchson -- the actor who steps into the shoes of Lee Child's man-mountain master detective, Jack Reacher, on a new Prime Video series called REACHER that launches on February 4 -- says plenty. He talks to Chris Hewitt this week, and tells him all about his audition for Reacher, acing Reacher's physicality, and what inspiration he drew from Child. Chris also has a natter this week with Romola Garai, the British actress who makes her directorial debut with the ultra-creepy horror film, Amulet. They talk about how Garai made the transition behind the camera, working with creature FX, and much more. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a jam-packed episode in which they discuss the week's movie news (including a new Wallace & Gromit movie), review Amulet, Sing 2, Pedro Almodovar's Parallel Mothers, and Munich: The Edge Of War. Plus, the listeners' question this week will almost certainly see us get sued by the BBC. Not least for hesitation, repetition and deviation. Enjoy.

We believe in America. And we also believe in Francis Ford Coppola's seminal classic, The Godfather, which turns 50 this year. In fact, we believe in it so much that we've only gone and put it on the cover of the brand-new issue of Empire (on sale now!), along with an exclusive interview with Coppola himself, as well as many of his key cast members. And, accordingly, we've decided to do a podcast in which we talk about The Godfather, and why it's still one of the greatest films of all time. So join Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen, and Ian Freer for 45 minutes of chat about the film's amazing characters, visual style, themes, death scenes, and other memorable moments. And there are absolutely no terrible impressions of Marlon Brando. Well, ok, there's maybe the odd one or two or dozen. Enjoy!

2022 is only a few weeks old, but this week alone sees the release of two films that are almost certain to be up there come year's end: Guillermo del Toro's atmospheric noir, Nightmare Alley, and Kenneth Branagh's wonderfully warm childhood tale, Belfast. And we're delighted to be joined on this week's episode by del Toro, who chats with Chris Hewitt about doom, black-and-white, and Bradley Cooper's eyes; and Belfast star Jamie Dornan, who goes full Norn Iron with Helen O'Hara. Who, despite her protestations to the contrary, does thicken her accent for that interview, so she does. Then, in the podbooth, Chris and Helen are joined by James Dyer for an episode in which they talk about the legacy sequels they'd like to see, discuss the week's movie news, including the Moon Knight trailer and talk of a third Equalizer film, review Nightmare Alley, Belfast, A Journal For Jordan, and Mass, reveal more exciting details about our upcoming 500th episode, and can't tell the difference between their waking life... and dreams. Enjoy.

This week, the Empire Podcast opens The Book Of The Book Of Boba Fett, as Chris Hewitt has a fun chat with Fennec Shand herself, the wonderful Ming-Na Wen. They talk about stanning Han Solo, smuggling artefacts off set, and interior design. And Chris also has an interesting and engrossing Zoom chat with George MacKay (or is it Georges MacKay?), the English actor who stars in the Netflix WWII thriller, Munich: The Edge Of War. Either side of those interviews, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they tackle a number of listener questions, discuss the week's movie news, including the sad passing of Sidney Poitier, and review the new Scream, The Tragedy Of Macbeth, Andrea Arnold's Cow, and Memoria. And Chris tells it like it is about Adolf Hitler. Enjoy.

We're back! After a brief break for the Christmas and New Year holidays (during which we somehow managed to produce a whole bunch of podcasts anyway, but let's not quibble), the Empire Podcast is back, and seeing in 2022 with a bang. Our very first guest of the new year is a cracker, as Amon Warmann sits down on Zoom with Lupita Nyong'o, star of The 355, while later Chris Hewitt has a natter with Bert & Bertie, the directing team behind episodes 3-5 of the excellent Disney+ show, Hawkeye. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris and Amon join forces with James Dyer and, belatedly, Helen O'Hara to talk about the movies they watched over the Christmas break (the answer may shock you), the movie-related presents they received (the answer may bore you); discuss the movie news; review The 355, Licorice Pizza, The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain, and Boiling Point; and get into a big old humdinger of a debate about... well, we won't spoil it. You'll have to listen to find out. Enjoy! And Happy New Year!

Here's a lovely little treat to bring 2021 to a close (or see 2022 in with a bang): a lengthy interview special in which Chris Hewitt sits down (in an actual hotel room; this was actually our first in-person interview since the pandemic began) with the legendary Quentin Tarantino for an in-depth chat about Tarantino's decision to turn Once Upon A Time In Hollywood into a novel, his creative process, his relationship with his characters, his future plans, and much, much more. So, sit down, set aside an hour and change, and enjoy.

Happy New Year, listeners! 2021 has been a right old bangily-banger of a year, and no mistake, but it's also been a cracking year, cinematically speaking. And in this bumper-sized end of the year round-up edition, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis talk about the filmic highs and lows of the year that was. And, apart from one fairly sizeable section between 01:13:07.500 and 01:32:24.545, it's relatively spoiler-free, and culminates in the now traditional rundown of Team Empire's Top 20 films of the year. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hurl swearwords at your podcast device of choice as the team don't mention that one film you love. Enjoy! And, on behalf of the podteam, have a great 2022!

Merry Christmas, listeners! Here, on this most festive of days, is the second part of our bumper-sized Christmas podcast that totally isn't a regular podcast, no sir. In this edition, you'll have Sophie Butcher (making her pod interview debut!) talking to the brilliant French director Julia Docournau about Titane, and Chris Hewitt having a natter with Adam McKay about his new movie, Don't Look Up. You'll also have an extended reviews section, in which Chris, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer get to grips with both of those movies as well as The King's Man and The Matrix Resurrections. In case you're trying to avoid even the most vague description of the plot of The Matrix Resurrections, that largely spoiler-free review begins at 24:56.745 and ends at 41:04.510. It's a long 'un. And with that, that's the last of our regular pods for 2021. We'll be back on Jan 7, folks. In the meantime, we'd like to wish you all a happy holiday season, and a wonderful 2022. Thanks for all your support this year, you bangily-bangers!

Ho-ho-ho, folks! The Empire Podcas team may be on a Christmas break, but that hasn't stopped the elves in our workshop from bringing you a couple of last blasts of podcast goodness just (about) in time for the big day. This week's absolutely-not-official-no-sir episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis don virtual terrible jumpers for a bumper edition of festive film-related fun. First, they answer a bunch of listener questions about Christmas movies, then they discuss a ton of movie news. And, surprisingly, there's much to talk about, including trailers galore and the box office of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and its implications for the future of film. Also, in this first part of a two-part episode, Chris sits down on Zoom with The King's Man stars, Rhys Ifans and Tom Hollander, and talk turns to a low yellow cloud that could spell doom for all. What could it be? Listen, and find out. Part 2 will be along presently. We promise. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas, you bangily-bangers! In this, the last regular episode of the Empire Podcast for 2021 (don't worry, though, there's a Christmas special to come next week, and the Review Of The Year on the 29th), Chris Hewitt enters the Matrix and sits down on Zoom with Neo and Trinity themselves, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, ahead of the release of The Matrix Resurrections next week. The only spoilers here are thematic ones, but if you're antsy, the interview starts at 00:27:47.104, and ends at 00:46:01.513. Chris also has a chat with Paolo Sorrentino, the Italian director of the simply beautiful The Hand Of God, which is on Netflix now. How's that for a pair of Christmas crackers? Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer as they talk about what's in store for the epic live show that will mark Episode 500 (tickets on sale now for our February 5th extravaganza at kingsplace.co.uk), discuss the best Christmas parties on film, that time Chris and James watched Spanish porn together, talk about a whole bunch of trailers including Everything Everywhere All At Once and the new Fantastic Beasts, and review The Tender Bar, The Lost Daughter, Swan Song, and a little movie called Spider-Man: No Way Home. We appreciate that some people will be wary of spoilers, and believe us, this is a spoiler-free review, talking more about how the movie made us feel. But again, if you're antsy, or spidery, then the review begins at 01:26:50.531, and ends at 01:44:03.835... And that's that. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast is the penultimate episode of the year, but we've brought you some cracking early Christmas presents. First up, the legendary Steven Spielberg returns to the pod to tell Chris Hewitt all about why he's remade West Side Story, and his experiences working with Peter Falk and John Cassavetes. He also sheds some light on an Indiana Jones line that has been somewhat co-opted by the pod over the years. Then, Beth Webb has a lovely chat with Noomi Rapace about her new movie, Lamb, taking in Spotify and Hamlet along the way. And, last but not least, James White Zooms with Andrew Garfield to talk about life, the universe, the apocalypse, and Garfield's new movie, Mainstream, which is available now on digital formats. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer for an episode in which an old semi-favourite makes a very unplanned return; a listener question about the greatest deployment of 'Merry Christmas!' in the movies is considered; the week's movie news is discussed; and West Side Story, Being The Ricardos, and Wrath Of Man are reviewed. It's a Christmas stocking fair heaving with goodness. Don't wait for Christmas Day -- open it now! Enjoy.

Mike Leigh's Naked may be almost 30 years old, but it remains as fresh, impactful, and timely as ever. Join your host, Chris Hewitt, for this very special oral history of the film, which has been re-released on remastered 4K Blu-ray by the BFI. Featuring excerpts from interviews with Leigh, cast members David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, and Peter Wight, and crew members Dick Pope, Lindy Hemming, Christine Blundell, and Andrew Dickson, it's a celebration of one of Leigh's finest films, and one of the best British movies of the modern era. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees a triple whammy of guests as Chris Hewitt natters away with three of Britain's finest actors. First, there's Hannah John-Kamen, who talks about being cold on set of her new film Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City, her aptitude for fantasy, and singing with Steven Spielberg. Next up is Riz Ahmed, star of the touching sci-fi drama Encounter, who talks about that movie and whether or not he's moved to Los Angeles. And then Chris sits down in person with Benedict Cumberbatch, star of the new Jane Campion film, The Power Of The Dog. Together, they talk about Love Hearts, what Cumberbatch learned from Campion, and what we can expect from a Sam Raimi Doctor Strange film. (Chris had a faulty microphone cable on this one, which explains why he ducks in and out from time to time.) Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Katie Smith-Wong to discuss great family collaborations, talk about the week's movie news, from Nicolas Cage playing Dracula to a heartfelt tribute to the great Stephen Sondheim, and review The Power Of The Dog, Encounter, C'mon C'mon, Boxing Day, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City, and Silent Night. They also discuss the movie-themed Christmas gifts they've got their eyes on, and Chris talks about the epic and ambitious plans for the 500th episode of the podcast, which will be recorded live in London on February 5th. Enjoy!

Almost thirty years after JFK blazed a trail and called into question the facts surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, Oliver Stone is returning to the subject with a new documentary. JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass is out in cinemas today (November 26) in the UK and is, perhaps, Stone's final word on the subject of the Kennedy assassination, presenting his theory about what happened on that fateful day, augmented and enhanced by new information and declassified documents. In this in-depth interview, Chris Hewitt catches up with Stone over Zoom for a long chat about the director's fascination with JFK (both subject and man), and an examination of what the success of the 1991 movie meant for Stone's career. They also talk about the famous Mr. X sequence from the original movie. Whether you believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or not, this is a fascinating interview and an insight into Stone's creative and thinking processes. JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass is also available from November 29 on digital platforms, including altitude.film Enjoy.

Another bumper-sized Empire Podcast this week, as Chris Hewitt has a fun and also impassioned chat with the great John Leguizamo, star of the new Disney animation Encanto. They talk about how Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a rap especially for Leguizamo, about Latinx representation in movies, and that thing Benny Blanco From The Bronx did in Carlito's Way. (Spoilers for that film lurk within, so be careful!) Then Ben Travis has a natter about House Of Gucci, The Last Duel, Kylo Ren and more with the wonderful Adam Driver, and we round off a trio of interviews with Chris talking Eternals spoilers with that film's director, Chloe Zhao. Right at the end of the episode, so you can skip it if you wish to remain spoiler-free. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss whether the MCU has jumped the shark, talk about the week's movie news (or lack thereof, given that it's Thanksgiving and Hollywood has clocked off), imagine what David Attenborough would make of Jurassic World: Dominion, and review House Of Gucci, Encanto, Pirates, and Bruised. Oh, and they also talk Christmas tree etiquette, because the most wonderful time of the year is upon us. So sit back, grab your baubles, and enjoy.

It's a very musical episode on the Empire Podcast this week. First up, Ben Travis geeks out over Disney musicals with the great Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the songs for the new animated musical Encanto, which debuts next Wednesday (November 24). Then Chris Hewitt sits down with Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld, stars of the new Disney+ MCU show Hawkeye (which also makes its bow -- heh, bow -- next Wednesday), and simply has to ask them about Rogers: The Musical. And other stuff as well. Then, when Chris gets into the podbooth with Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb, they've all got music on the brain, building inexorably to a rendition of a beloved animated show's theme tune. But that's not all -- the podteam also discuss the week's movie news (including the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, and the Disney+ Day reveals), and review Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Petite Maman, Drive My Car, and King Richard. And in the listener question section they tackle an enquiry about the worst movie merchandise they've ever received, leading to a very unexpected cameo. Enjoy.

'Nuff said, True Believers! Because (three of) you demanded it, Team Empire managed to grab hold of the Eye Of Agamotto and squeeze out a chunk of time in which to discuss all the talking points thrown up by the second, and final, trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis as they do a deepish dive into the trailer, advance some wild theories for the finished film (and the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and speculate on whether you-know-who and you-also-know-who might show up. Enjoy.

To herald the arrival on Disney+ of Dopesick, Danny Strong’s drama chronicling the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on America, the Empire Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast crews have, once again, set aside their differences and come together to have a good old natter. In this very special crossover episode, in association with Disney+, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Beth Webb do a deep dive into Dopesick, which tackles the opioid crisis from the points of view of characters connected to the crisis in various ways. They talk about the crisis itself, about the show’s all-star cast (including Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard, Kaitlyn Dever, and Will Poulter), and much, much more. And if that weren’t enough, Beth also sits down with Danny Strong, Kaitlyn Dever and Will Poulter for an in-depth chat about the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy Dopesick, an Empire + Pilot TV podcast special with Disney+.

Another bumper bonanza of film-related film this week, folks! On the interview front, Chris Hewitt has a wide-ranging series of chats, talking first to Paul Andrew Williams, writer/director of the brutal and brilliant thriller Bull; then he recovers just in time from a vicious attempt on his life to have a fun natter with Home Sweet Home Alone stars, Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper, in which Rob reveals just how far he'd go to please Andy Daly; and finally there are previously unheard excerpts from our recent reunion interview with Naked director/star, Mike Leigh and David Thewlis, as their 1992 masterpiece is re-released in cinemas. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis and new addition to the Empire team, Sophie Butcher, for an episode that takes in everything from terrible movie professions to a discussion of the week's movie news (including deep, deep dives into Road House, and the Vin Diesel/Dwayne Johnson brouhaha), and reviews of Red Notice, Home Sweet Home Alone, Mothering Sunday, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut, tick tick... BOOM! Oh, and there's much talk of sexy potatoes. Because of course there is. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast is back in one piece, but that doesn't mean we're shirking on the guests front. First off, Chris Hewitt has a fun chat with Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani, two of the stars of Marvel's newest flick, Eternals, in which Halloween costumes, Salma's dad, and the scary-sounding Marvel Police are discussed. Then, Amon Warmann has an in-person, and very entertaining, chat with Kristen Stewart, the American actress who is tackling one of Britain's greatest icons, Princess Diana, in this week's Spencer. Back in the podbooth, Chris is joined this week by Amon, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for a chaotic episode which incorporates much talk of biscuits, sees the team answer a listener question about karaoke, discuss the week's movie news, including the trailers for Morbius and Moonfall, and review Eternals (a rare MCU movie which has split the room), Spencer, The Harder They Fall, and Finch. A podcast fit to be enjoyed over a nice cup of tea, and two fingers of Twix. Enjoy.

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.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is going all out for awards. Yes, with voting about to commence on this year's British Podcast Awards entries, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer turn on the waterworks and get to grips with some of the big issues that awards judges like to hear being debated on shows like this. You know, big questions like, 'what's your perfect Sunday?', 'how many Game Of Thrones spin-off shows are there?' and 'how many stars does Orlando Bloom's new movie, Retaliation, warrant?' Give it up, other movie podcasts. The award is in the bag. Also on this week's show, our fearless leader Terri White has a lovely chat with yer actual Kate Winslet about her new movie, Ammonite, and Chris natters away with Eddie Izzard, star and co-writer of the eve-of-WWII thriller, Six Minutes To Midnight. Both are worthy of your time. And, indeed, awards. Oh, and at long last, a mere year after it was first introduced to the podcast, The Three Fact Structure justifies its existence with a fact that will blow your mind and destroy your ears. And if that's not worthy of a big old gong, we don't know what is. Enjoy.

Now that Sam 'Falcon' Wilson and Bucky 'Winter Soldier' Barnes have ditched that do-gooder Steve Rogers and struck out on their own (well, together, but you get the gist) in the new MCU series, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, on Disney+, we decided that it was time to give Steve's two BFFs their day in the podcast sun. So, in this very special episode, Chris Hewitt chats to Kari Skogland, director of all six episodes of the show, and Malcolm Spellman, the show's head writer and executive producer, about the reaction to the first episode, and what we might expect to see, not just ahead of the second episode on Friday, but the rest of the series to come. And then Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann to talk all things Sam and Buck past, present, and future. Do be warned, though — while this isn't a spoiler special, we do talk about the events of the first episode (and all of Sam and Bucky's previous appearances in the MCU), so you might want to familiarise yourself first. All you have to do is watch all three Captain America movies, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Ant-Man, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, before checking out the first episode of the show we're calling FAWS. The work of a jiffy. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees father-son duo Liam Neeson and Micheal Richardson, stars of next week's Made In Italy, sit down with Chris Hewitt for a soul-searching interview about how close to home that film hit for them. But, because it's us, there's some nonsense about accents and football too. Chris also has a chat with writer-director John Lee Hancock about his new thriller, The Little Things, which brings together acting powerhouses Denzel Washington, Jared Leto, and Rami Malek. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis to exchange nuggets of film information in The Three Fact Structure, talk about the longest films that they love and their strategies for sitting through bum-numbing behemoths, discuss the week's movie news including the Oscar nominations and the sad passing of Yaphet Kotto, and review Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Little Things, and Infinitum: Subject Unknown. Enjoy.

On this week's episode of the Empire Podcast, we're virtually visited by the true Nerb Emperor, Joe Manganiello, who tells Chris Hewitt all about his new movie, Archenemy, gives us a little tour of his geeked-out office, talks Dungeons & Dragons, and his plans to play Galactus. OK, the last one was maybe not so serious. Chris also chats this week with Shaka King, director of the hard-hitting drama, Judas And The Black Messiah, which tells the story of the murder of Black Panther leader, Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), and his betrayal at the hands of fellow Panther, William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield). Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a quick burst of The Three Fact Structure, a chat about the best examples of recasting in movies, discussion of the week's movie news including the BAFTA nominations, and reviews of Judas And The Black Messiah, the Russo Brothers' first post-MCU movie, Cherry, and Yes Day. It's all happening, folks! Enjoy.

It's a good time to be Eddie Murphy right now. After taking a few years off, he returned in style with 2019's Dolemite Is My Name, and this week reprises one of his most famous roles, as Prince (now King) Akeem in Coming 2 America, the long-awaited sequel to Coming To America. And now the man who is, quite simply, one of the biggest movie stars of all time, is a guest on this week's Empire Podcast, chatting to Chris Hewitt about returning to Zamunda, prosthetics, how the pandemic affected his plans to return to stand-up, visiting the set of Do The Right Thing, and much, much more. It's all been leading to this moment, Eddie. You're welcome. Ahem. This week, Chris also visits the set of Matthew Modine's new movie (virtually, of course) to talk to the actor about all manner of things, including rocking up as an action hero of sorts in Wrong Turn, the reboot of the Wrong Turn franchise. It's a gas. And then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Amon Warmann for a fun (no, really) and fairly short (no, really really) edition of The Three Fact Structure. They also take a walk down memory lane as they recall their very first interviews, discuss the week's movie news, and review Coming 2 America, Raya And The Last Dragon, and Moxie. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt go on a rollercoaster ride as he has a natter about Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, and ice-skating uphill with Wesley Snipes, star of next week's big comedy release, Coming 2 America, and then pivots to talking docs and directing with Alex Winter, the former Bill S. Preston, Esq., about his new movie, Zappa, which tells the tale of Frank Zappa's life thanks to unpredecented archive access. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb for a fun episode in which they talk about the best spaceship landings and space dockings in movies, discuss the week's movie news including the new title for Spider-Man 3 and the launch of Paramount Plus, and review The United States Vs Billie Holiday, Dead Pigs, and Archenemy. Oh, and James makes his latest bid to derail the wildly popular and beloved segment, The Three Fact Structure. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is brought to you even remotely in lockdown than usual (all will be revealed within), as Chris Hewitt convenes over Squadcast with Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for another, we're told, fun-filled episode. As well as talking about Helen's new book, Women Vs Hollywood, and a particular Empire milestone for Chris, our three colleagues of such lethal cunning talk about the week's movie news, review I Care A Lot, Willy's Wonderland and The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things, and answer a listener question about bad guys who get away with it. Speaking of which, Chris has a lovely chat with Rosamund Pike, who gives a wicked performance in the wonderful I Care A Lot (although be warned, there are spoilers lurking within), and who becomes the first guest to appear on the show twice during the global pandemic. Hopefully next time she's on, life will be back to something approaching normality. And our other guest this week is also a returnee to the show, as Hugh Bonneville talks to Amon Warmann about playing Roald Dahl in the new Sky Cinema Original film, To Olivia. They also have a natter about Jingle Jangle, and Paddington 3, of course. In fact, there's much Paddington chat in this week's episode. Not all of it wholesome. You may want to cover the little bear's ears. Enjoy.

We may have missed George C. Wolfe, director of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, when it first hit Netflix just before Christmas, but with the film one of the major awards contenders, we put that right in this week's episode, as Amon Warmann sits down for a chat with him about the movie, its impact, and working with the late Chadwick Boseman. Our second guest this week is the wonderful British actress, Juno Temple, who talks to Chris Hewitt about her Justin Timberlake experience on the new film, Palmer, and much more besides. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for another round of The Three Fact Structure, discussion of the week's movie news including a tribute to Christopher Plummer and a breakdown of the big Super Bowl trailers, and they review News Of The World, Palmer, and get all kinds of giddy about Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar. And they also discuss the thorny, and topical, issue of being able to separate the art from the artist in this week's Listener Question section. Enjoy.

Happy birthday to us! It's a landmark episode for the Empire Podcast, folks, as we go 450 up. Due to the pandemic, this episode isn't a live show, as had been originally intended, but that will happen, we promise you. But it's a cracking episode, as Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Helen O'Hara take a little trip down memory lane to recall the early days of the pod. Then they also discuss the best stock market movies, indulge in a lightning round of the Three Fact Structure, discuss the week's movie news, including the Golden Globes nominations, and review Greenland, Malcolm And Marie, and Bliss. Our guests this week are two fantastic British directors. First, Kevin Macdonald, director of Life In A Day 2020, tells Chris all about how he made the ultimate crowd-sourced movie, and then old pod friend Paul Greengrass has a natter with Chris about his new movie, News Of The World. And if you've ever wanted to hear Paul Greengrass quote Step Brothers, this is the pod for you! Enjoy.

The new issue of Empire, curated by Edgar Wright, features a celebration of the type of amazing movie-going moment that can shake an audience to its very foundations. It features contributions from some of the biggest names in the business, and is so special that we decided that we would only do a companion podcast if we could make it just as special. We think we've succeeded. Join your host, Chris Hewitt, for this incredible THREE-HOUR behemoth, in which Edgar Wright (in London) and his good friend, Mr. Quentin Tarantino (in Tel Aviv) get together over Zoom and natter about movies until the cows come home, or their batteries run out. They talk about the movie moments that moved them; how they, as writer-directors, cultivated those moments in the likes of Shaun Of The Dead, Django Unchained, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood; and the importance of subversion on a massive level. But that's not all. The second half of the pod is a dizzying back-and-forth in which the duo dive deep into the annals of British cinema. What, exactly, is The British Book Club? How is Martin Scorsese involved? And just who did direct the Clint Eastwood vehicle (and vehicle), Pink Cadillac? For the answers to these questions, and more, listen to find out. Enjoy.

In case you haven't already bought (and read) this month's issue of Empire magazine, which is a colossal celebration of those incredible movie moments that are best enjoyed with an audience in an actual cinema, Edgar Wright -- who orchestrated the whole shebang -- drops by this episode to tell Chris Hewitt all about it. They talk about Edgar's status as Empire's new unpaid intern, the decision to push Last Night In Soho back by a few months, his upcoming music documentary about Sparks, and how this issue caused him to build a very unexpected bridge with one of Hollywood's biggest names. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for an even more raucous than usual episode (if you're a fan of double, or even single, entendre, this is the episode for you!), as they exchange nuggets of info in The Three Fact Structure; recall their favourite home viewing experiences; discuss the week's movie news; review Synchronic, The Dig, and Assassins; and beat a brand-new joke into the ground, Empire Podcast-style. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast goes Down Under -- metaphorically speaking, of course -- as Chris Hewitt has fun-filled chats with two wonderful Antipodean actors. First off, there's Isla Fisher, the Australian star of Blithe Spirit, who tells Chris all about her affinity for accents, Hot Rod, and working with Judi Dench, while Chris makes an impromptu purchase. Then Chris has a chat, and a Kurt Russell quiz, with Baby Done star, the New Zealander comedian and actor, Rose Matafeo. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for the first time this year, Amon Warmann, as they exchange facts in The Three Fact Structure, talk about actors and directors who deserve a McConaissance, discuss the week's movie news including that big MCU rumour, and review Baby Done, MLK/FBI, Outside The Wire, and The White Tiger. A jam-packed show, and no mistake. Crikey! Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast features two interviews with fast-rising British stars, both of whom play icons in films released this week. First off, Chris Hewitt has a chat with actor-musician Johnny Flynn about his experiences playing David Bowie in Stardust, and later has a natter with Kingsley Ben-Adir about playing Malcolm X in Regina King's sensational directorial debut, One Night In Miami. Then, Chris is joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss their favourite movie (and real-life) teachers, talk about the week's movie news (this episode was recorded before that rumour about a certain character returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and review One Night In Miami, Stardust, Blithe Spirit, and the first two episodes of WandaVision. In fact, there's quite a bit of TV chat on this week's show, but we're pretty sure we haven't been infiltrated by the Pilot TV podcast. Yet. Enjoy.

We're back! Despite popular demand, the Empire Podcast returns, refreshed after its Christmas break, and ready to tackle 2021. Or, at the very least, trip up 2021 when it isn't looking. In the first episode of the year, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis discuss what they got up to over the long break, and their favourite film-related Christmas presents. They also play another round of The Three Fact Structure, answer listener questions, discuss the latest movie news, and review Sylvie's Love, Pieces Of A Woman, and We Can Be Heroes. Oh, and they play a brand new quiz — Wolff or Wolff — that will soon be sweeping the nation. Sweeping! And our guest this week is the geektastic Wil Wheaton. In a long, and often very frank, interview with Chris, Wil talks about his film, Rent-A-Pal, takes a walk back down Star Trek and Stand By Me memory lane, and talks about Stephen King without treading on the Kingcast's toes. Honest. We should also point out that this conversation touches on topics like emotional abuse and trauma, so be advised. And with that in mind, do please... enjoy.

And so, as the worst year in living memory draws to a close, Team Empire gathers together (virtually, at least) to have a good old natter about it from a cinematic point of view. In this bumper-sized example of 2020 vision, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Terri White answer listener questions about the year that was, talk about their personal highlights (and lowlights) in the face of the Covid pandemic that rocked the world and has posed such a huge threat to cinemas around the world, discuss the movies that they loved, and then run down Team Empire's top 20 films of the year. And we wanted to thank you so much for continuing to listen to and support the Empire Podcast (and our spoiler specials, if you subscribe to those). This year, more than ever, it's meant so much to us, and we hope to continue to repay you with some great pods in 2021. Which, we can only hope, is a better year for all of us. Happy New Year, listeners! Enjoy.

Part two of the final Empire Podcast (special episodes notwithstanding) of 2020 sees the podteam of Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer discussing the week's movie news (including an update on at least one of The Hollywood Chrises), and reviewing Wonder Woman 1984, Soul, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and The Midnight Sky. Chris also sits down for a fun, if slightly audio-compromised, chat with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom stars Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, and Glynn Turman, who talk about getting involved in the August Wilson adaptation, their chemistry together, and working with Chadwick Boseman on what would prove to be his final film. We're back on January 8th, folks. Review Of The Year will be up next week in our stead. Have a very happy holidays, everyone!

The final episode of the Empire Podcast in this most accursed of years proved to be so big, folks, that we have split it in twain. In this first part, you will find Chris Hewitt reconnecting with pod fave, David Oyelowo, talking about his new movie, Come Away, and his approach to directing with his upcoming movie, The Water Man. This interview sees one of the two men incessantly impersonate Michael Caine. See if you can guess which. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to tackle a series of Christmas movie-related listener questions, while The Three Fact Structure takes an interesting twist... Enjoy.

"Who ya gonna call?" "INVESTORS!" Yes, folks, the annual tradition that is Disney's investment call, in which shareholders are reassured that Scrooge McDuck hasn't absconded with all of their cash, took place yesterday, and was a four-hour epic in which the company announced more than 50 new projects to be spread across some of their biggest brands. And, because you demanded it, in this Friday night special, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis put their heads together and talk about all the new Marvel announcements (Fantastic Four! Ironheart! Christian Bale butchering gods! The Loki trailer!), the Star Wars shenanigans (Ahsoka! Lando! Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron!), the Buzz Lightyear prequel, Sister Act 3, and as much as they can possibly cram into just under an hour. If you want to hear more, you won't believe what we've got lined up for the Empire Podcast Investors' Call next Friday. Calls cost £9.99 per second. Please don't seek the permission of the bill payer before you call. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down (across Zoom) with two directors whose first film came out 30 years ago, and who are back back back in the director's chair with new efforts. First up is Reginald Hudlin, the polymath who, along with his brother Warrington, made House Party, then tried his hand at a number of things, including producing the Oscars and writing Black Panther comics. His new film, Safety, hits Disney+ this week. Then Chris also chats to the legendary producer Frank Marshall, who returns to the director's chair for only the fifth time (Arachnophobia being his first) with the documentary, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart? In this interview, Chris chats to Frank about his musical background, working on Noises Off!, and his strange Twitter handle, @LeDoctor. 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 ideal cinematic Christmas presents, answer a listener question about Christmasified (it's a word, honest) sequels, discuss the week's movie news (NOT including the big Disney news drop, which will get a special all of its own), and review Dreamland, The Prom, Safety, Songbird, and the last of Steve McQueen's epic Small Axe series, Education. Enjoy.

Happy spookies, everyone! To celebrate the cinematic release of Rob Savage's savagely scary Zoom-based horror film Host (one of the best movies of the year, folks!), in this interview special Chris Hewitt jumps onto Zoom and has a natter with Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, and Edward Linard, aka the cast of the movie. It's a fun-filled chat, full of insight about how they made the movie, their reaction to its immense success and, while this isn't a spoiler special, talk of some of their characters' fates. So, if you're yet to log on to Host, perhaps give it a watch before you give this a listen. For the rest of you... Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is a particularly bumper-sized (more so than usual) edition, largely thanks to the late-breaking news about Warner Bros' decision to release their entire 2021 slate of movies simultaneously to streaming via HBO Max in the US. So Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann and James Dyer jumped back on and had a fairly involved chat about that. You can hear that in the news section, where they also pay tribute to the late David Prowse and Hugh Keays-Byrne. Elsewhere in the show, our colleagues of such lethal cunning get festive with a very special MCU version of A Christmas Carol, one-up each other in The Three Fact Structure, review Mank, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Alex Wheatle, Falling, County Lines, and more. Oh, and Amon declares that he's going to win an Oscar. Our guests this week are fast-rising British star Harris Dickinson, so chilling in County Lines, who talks to Chris about a career path that will almost certainly see him end up in the director's chair. And, speaking of actors who have turned their hands to directing, Chris has an epic chat with Viggo Mortensen about his moving directorial debut, Falling. What's more, they're joined by the legend who plays Viggo's dad in that movie, the great Lance Henriksen. Enjoy. Perhaps in a couple of batches.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt chat it up a storm with David Arquette, star and subject of new documentary, You Cannot Kill David Arquette. The two talk about Arquette's return to the wrestling ring, 20 years after a publicity stunt for a movie saw him somehow end up as a world champion, his reasons for coming back to the Scream franchise as Dewey Riley, and why he seems to have taken the title of his latest movie as a challenge. Either side of that, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about great movie phone calls, discuss the week's movie news, and review Uncle Frank, Happiest Season, Possessor, The Christmas Chronicles 2 and the latest of Steve McQueen's Small Axe films, Red, White And Blue. Oh, and somewhere along the way Chris challenges their knowledge of the Police Academy movie titles, and loses his mind. The two may be related. Enjoy.

We love Carl Weathers at Empire Towers. How can we not? Over the course of a career that has spanned almost 50 years, he has played some of the most iconic characters around. Apollo Creed. Dillon from Predator. 'Action' Jackson. Chubbs Peterson. And now Greef Karga in The Mandalorian. And so, in the first of an occasional series, the Empire Podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Rocky superfan Terri White — get together to take a very special, and deeply affectionate, look back at Weathers and his storied career. But that's not all. This series will also delve into the Empire Podcast archives to bring you interviews we've done in the past. So you can hear the interview Chris did with Weathers when he came to our London studio in 2017, which runs from 03:16.412 to 28:43.245. And you can also hear an extended excerpt from the chat the two had just last week about Weathers' work starring in and directing the latest episode of The Mandalorian. That runs from 28:57.301 to 47:11.805. And yes, we hope to have Carl back to discuss Upgrade 2: Unlandable: Holding Pattern With Carl Weathers at a later date. If you don't know what that is, have a listen to the episode. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees us go rogue with M.J. Bassett, the director of new VOD title Rogue, in which Megan Fox does battle with a very angry lion. M.J. chats with Chris Hewitt about making the movie, working with Megan Fox, making her peace with a negative Empire review of her first movie, Death Watch, and coming face to face with a black mamba. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb for an episode in which they discuss saying painful goodbyes to beloved TV shows, engage in a very animalistic edition of The Three Fact Structure, mull over the greatest haircut and shaving scenes in cinema, discuss the week's movie news including Wonder Woman 1984's new release strategy, and review Steve McQueen's latest Small Axe offering, Lovers Rock, as well as Rogue and Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula. Oh, and Chris mounts a desperate campaign to be verified by Instagram. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees one of Chris Hewitt's favourite writers, Lee Child, the man who created Jack Reacher, drop by the virtual podbooth to talk about the 25th Reacher novel, The Sentinel. But he also brings his younger brother, Andrew Grant (now Child), who co-wrote the book, to talk about handing over the reins of Reacher, the Amazon Prime show that's in the works, and much, much more. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis to talk about terrible Irish accents, famous film types with whom the podteam share birthdays, rank the Friday The 13th series in unusual fashion, discuss the week's movie news, and review Steve McQueen's Mangrove, Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy, and the Netflix movies Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story and The Life Ahead. Enjoy.

Josh Hartnett was born in America, but now lives in England. Emily Mortimer was born in England, but now lives in America. That's not why we asked them both to guest on this week's Empire Podcast. That's just an incidental fact with which you can amuse your friends and dazzle your enemies. But they do both guest on this week's show, talking to Chris Hewitt about Target Number One, getting a bottle of wine from Sofia Coppola, and writing (Josh), and Relic, retaining your accent after years of living/working abroad, and writing (Emily). Word of warning: the Emily Mortimer interview delves deep into the subject of death, so tread carefully. Timings are Hartnett: 34:03-51:57 and Mortimer: 1:15:53-1:37:15 Elsewhere, Chris is then joined in the virtual podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the death of Sean Connery, the ideal filmgoing experience, a bunch of horror film news, review About Endlessness, Target Number One, and Luxor, and somehow, despite the fact that there are only two colleagues of such lethal cunning, deliver another instalment of the Three Fact Structure. Enjoy.

As luck, or the devilish machinations of our dark lord Beelzebub, would have it, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is, if you count all our specials and one-offs, our 666th. It's all for you Damien etc. etc. And, as it lands one day before Halloween, it's a suitably spooky ep, as Chris Hewitt has a chat with fast-rising British actor Sope Dirisu, star of the fabulous Netflix horror movie, His House. They also talk about Sope's breakout year, his role in Gangs Of London, his former life as an economist, and Thierry Henry. Our other guests this week are Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, the co-directors of the wonderful Irish animated film, Wolfwalkers, and they talk to Amon Warmann about that, about the state of animation, and about Batman. Well, of course. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Amon, Helen O'Hara and Beth Webb to answer a ton of your Halloween-themed questions, drop the shortest Three Fact Structure to date, discuss the week's movie news and, in a bumper reviews section, cast a critical eye over His House, The Witches, Relic, Mogul Mowgli, Shirley and Wolfwalkers. Oh, and Helen ruins everything with her potty mouth. Enjoy.

Is Olivia Cooke a psychopath? What, exactly, does her mum keep on a corkboard in her Manchester home? Where did her Irish accent come from for her new film, Pixie? These burning questions, and more, are explored by the British actor as she guests on this week's episode, having a fun chat with Chris Hewitt about all this, her love for Spielberg's Hook, and much more. It starts at 00:45:08.333, ends at 01:08:38.450. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer for a fun episode (we would say that, wouldn't we?) in which they discuss directors who use the same ensembles, chat about the week's movie news including the revelation that the never-ending Fast & Furious franchise is ending and THAT Die Hard-related commercial, and review Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, Ben Wheatley's Rebecca, Liam Neeson's Honest Thief, and Pixie. Enjoy. Especially if you're not a psycho.

This week's Empire Podcast brings us all one degree closer to Kevin Bacon, as the star of You Should Have Left zooms in for a remotely-distanced chat with Chris Hewitt in which the pair talk about Bacon's reunion with writer/director David Koepp, those EE commercials he does, Tremors, and more. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer for another impromptu, off-the-cuff edition of The Three Fact Structure, discussion of the best movie prosthetics, a deep dive into the week's movie news including the announcement of Fury Road prequel, Furiosa, and reviews of the terrifying trio of You Should Have Left, Vampires Vs The Bronx, and The Wolf Of Snow Hollow. Enjoy.

One of the standouts of this year's BFI London Film Festival -- which runs until this Sunday -- was the UK premiere of Soul, the latest slice of dizzying and dazzling Disney/Pixar brilliance from director Pete Docter. In this very special interview episode, Chris Hewitt Zooms into a chat with Docter and his co-writer/director, Kemp Powers, and producer Dana Murray for a wide-ranging chat about the inspirations behind the film, the secret fears that drive them as artists, the recent announcement of its debut on Disney+ this Christmas Day, casting Graham Norton, and much, much more. It's a funny and frank chat, and apart from brief talk of one deleted joke, it's spoiler-free. So, even if you haven't seen Soul yet, come on in. The podwater's lovely. For more information on the London Film Festival, go to bfi.org.uk

With Halloween just around the corner (followed by an unsatisfying reboot, no doubt), the Empire Podcast is turning its attention to scary fillums this week, and they don't come much more scary than Rose Glass' astonishing debut, Saint Maud. Glass, and her star, the wonderful Morfydd Clark, both chat to our Ben Travis in this week's episode. And the not-in-any-way-scary-but-still-great crime comedy-drama, Kajillionaire, is also out this week, marking the return of writer-director Miranda July after almost a decade away. She talks to Ian Freer about where she's been and what we can expect from her new film. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White for an epic episode in which they discuss what's happening on the UK cinema scene in the wake of Cineworld/Picturehouse's temporary closure, and the release date shift for No Time To Die. They also dig into the week's movie news, including trailers galore, and review Saint Maud in spectacularly chaotic, sweary fashion, along with Kajillionaire, Dick Johnson Is Dead, I Am Woman and the scariest fillum of them all: Adam Sandler's Hubie Halloween. Enjoy... if you dare!

On another bumper edition of the Empire Podcast, Paddington 2 co-writer and one of BBC's Ghosts, Simon Farnaby, tells Chris Hewitt all about his debut as a children's author, The Wizard In My Shed, while also branching out is David Morrissey, who has launched his very own podcast, Who Am I This Time?, in which he discusses key roles with actors like Alan Cumming, Liz Carr, and David Harewood. Chris' interview with Morrissey (the actor, not the singer) is taken from our one-off live show last week at Kings Place, London, and is included here as a Brucie bonus. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey for an epic show that sees the unplanned return of an old favourite, discussion of the best in-joke cameos, and reviews of The Trial Of The Chicago 7, The Boys In The Band, On The Rocks, and Eternal Beauty. And in the news section, we discuss Vin Diesel's singing career, Barry Jenkins directing The Lion King 2 and we foil Kevin Feige's evil schemes by reconvening to discuss this week's Electro-fying MCU news. Your move, Feige! Enjoy.

In this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann are joined by Sam Clements, host of Picturehouse Cinemas' The Love Of Cinema podcast, for an in-depth discussion of the career of the great Chadwick Boseman, whose untimely death in August left behind an indelible cinematic legacy. In this episode, the podteam pay a heartfelt tribute to a truly great actor, as they discuss everything from 42 to Da 5 Bloods and, of course, the incredible cultural impact of his work as T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We hope you like Henrys, because this week's Empire Podcast brings you not one, but two actors of that name. Hooray! First there's Henry Cavill, who tells Chris Hewitt all about becoming Sherlock Holmes for the fun Netflix caper Enola Holmes, and they talk about some other stuff as well (but not, probably, the stuff you'd expect us to ask him about... oops!). And then, just for good measure, another impossibly charming, improbably handsome British Henry pops onto SquadCast for a chat with Chris. This time it's Henry Golding, star of Monsoon, who has a natter with Chris about vinyl collections, finding your identity, asking your parents uncomfortable truths, and how he'd fare against other contenders for Bond. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, John Nugent, and Amon Warmann for a rambling (even more so than usual) episode that takes in unexpected revelations about the podteam's past lives, discussion of the week's news (including the WandaVision trailer, and the Tom Hardy as Bond rumours), reviews of Enola Holmes, Miss Juneteenth, and Monsoon. And there's much discussion of the perfect egg. Unctuous. Enjoy.

The first thing you should know about this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is that we talk about Rocks on it. And Rocks rocks. The second thing you should know is that Chris Hewitt talks to Sarah Gavron and Bukky Bakray, the director and star of that movie, which is one of the best British films in yonks. And the third thing you should know is that that interview is a lot of fun. The fourth thing you should know is that this week Chris is not just joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as per usual, but a brand-new occupant of the ever-rotating fourth chair: Edith Bowman! Yes, the creator and host of Soundtracking, one of our favourite film pods, drops by and joins the team for this episode, and along the way they discuss the best movie cameos by musicians, discuss the week's movie news, including the Madonna biopic, the potential arrival of Kang The Conqueror in the MCU, and review Rocks (told you!), Bill & Ted Face The Music, and The Devil All The Time. Enjoy.

In what is sure to be The Bee Gees' favourite episode of the Empire Podcast, it's Ewan again as Chris Hewitt has a chat with Ewan McGregor about returning to the small screen with Long Way Up, in which McGregor reteams with Charley Boorman for another epic motorbike odyssey. Ewan also talks about his penchant for reflective roles of late, including the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series, and dishes on the return of a fan-favourite Star Wars character. Maybe. Possibly. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, in the rotating fourth chair, Alex Godfrey for an episode in which they discuss the films they'd like to see directors have another crack at; talk about the week's movie news, including the first trailer for Dune (Jamesplaining ahoy!); and review The Painted Bird, The Roads Not Taken, and Les Miserables. No, not that one. This episode was recorded just before the sad death of the great Dame Diana Rigg. We'll pay tribute to her on next week's episode.

We're not usually happy to see another podcast enter this increasingly crowded market, but we'll make an exception for Alan Partridge. This week sees the launch of the first Partridgecast, an Audible Original series entitled Alan Partridge: From The Oasthouse, and to mark the occasion, Chris Hewitt has a very special Zoom audience with the man who is Alan, Steve Coogan. Needless to say, you'll have the last laugh. Then, in an episode that flips the pod-format on its head, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer to pay an extended tribute to the late, great Chadwick Boseman. They also discuss the latest No Time To Die trailer and more in the News section, talk about their experiences back in the cinema in the listener question section, and review Mulan, The New Mutants, and Charlie Kaufman's brain-baking I'm Thinking Of Ending Things. Enjoy.

Bona fide Hollywood legend Annette Bening steps into our custom-built virtual podbooth this week, telling Chris Hewitt all about her new film, Hope Gap. The duo also talk about dancing, Dick Van Dyke, and being pulled over by the accent police. Chris also talks to Amy Seimetz, the talented writer/director of the pitch-black comedy-horror, She Dies Tomorrow, about recruiting her cast, Twitter, and the infectiousness of ideas. Either side of those, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a bumper-sized edition featuring the quickest Film Fact Section yet; much discussion of Sean Connery, as he turns 90 (which means many, many Sean Connery impressions); an extended chat about the news emerging from last week's DC Fandome; and reviews of Hope Gap, She Dies Tomorrow, and The Lost Prince. Oh, and... Forget Maui.

This week's Empire Podcast sees two genre directors step into our Interviewtrona3000 for a Paxman-like grilling from Chris Hewitt. First, Mortal director André Øvredal (as in, he's the director of Mortal; he's also mortal, we reckon, but that's irrelevant) talks Norse mythology, Stephen King and Draclier with Chris. And then actor/director Jay Baruchel talks about his blood-soaked meta-horror Random Acts Of Violence, aka How To Dismember Your Dragon, and recalls his last visit to the cinema. It was a doozy. Then, in the Podboothatron3000, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, making his long-awaited return in the rotating fourth chair, John Nugent for an episode in which the following occurs: they exchange film facts, grumbling as they do so; they discuss the best Netflix original movies; they talk about the week's movie news (this is pre-Batfleck Returns, folks; we'll talk about that next week); and then review The One And Only Ivan, Random Acts Of Violence, and Tenet. Or, more accurately, Helen and James review Tenet, while Chris just gets increasingly confused. How confused? Picture Zoolander and Hansel trying to access computer files, and you're halfway there. Yojne.

The second of our too-long-for-the-regular-Empire-Podcast interviews this week sees Joe and Anthony Russo, the brothers who directed four MCU movies we may have talked about on the podcast from time to time, drop by the virtual podbooth for an extended chat with Chris Hewitt. They begin by talking about their new lockdown venture, the Russo Bros. Pizza Film School, all episodes of which are available on their Instagram and YouTube channels, but we spiral off from there into their filmmaking sensibilities, where they were when they found out that Avengers: Endgame had become the biggest movie of all time, and how they're already hard at work at following that up with a ton of content from their new company, Agbo Studios. It's a fun and fascinating insight into the creative minds of two of the best directors working today. Enjoy.

This week's regular Empire Podcast featured two interviews that were just too darn long, and just too much darn interview, to fit into the show. So we decided to bring you them both as specials this weekend. First up is an extended interview with Josh Lucas, the star of The Secret: Dare To Dream, which is now available to rent on PVOD. Here, he and Chris Hewitt talk about that movie, and how its principles appealed to Josh, plus how he's coping with lockdown, how Ang Lee continues to help him long after they worked together on Hulk, and how Josh came to terms with some of his higher-profile flops, like Poseidon and Stealth. It's a candid, funny, interesting chat, and we hope you enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees our old chums, and directors of the biggest movie of all time, Joe and Anthony Russo, drop by for a slice of metaphorical pizza as they discuss their impromptu film show, The Russo Brothers Pizza Film School, with Chris Hewitt. Chris also has a lovely chat with Josh Lucas, star of The Secret: Dare To Dream, who talks candidly about his career, and how Ang Lee continues to help him, years after they last worked together. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis and, in the rotating fourth chair, Nick de Semlyen, to compare film facts (Helen's got a deadly one this week), discuss movie Vice-Presidents, talk about the week's movie news (Tron! John Wick 5! Three Men And A Baby!), and review Babyteeth, Project Power, and Howard, the Disney+ documentary about Howard Ashman. Oh, and we're trying something a little new and funky with our interviews this week. Let us know what you think. Enjoy.

Another bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast this week, as Chris Hewitt talks improv and R.E.M. with Endings, Beginnings star, Shailene Woodley, and discusses much with An American Pickle star/producer Seth Rogen, including a simple question: why do things always go south, and never north? Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which Helen fails to focus in the film fact section; they talk about great background gags in the listener's question segment; discuss the week's movie news, including Nia DaCosta directing Captain Marvel 2 and Mulan heading to Disney+; and review An American Pickle, Black Is King, Shudder horror sensation Host, and Endings, Beginnings. Warning: includes much discussion of Bucky Barnes' bare bottom. Someone cover Steve Rogers' ears. This week's episode is dedicated to Empire writer, Seb Patrick, who passed away suddenly this week at the age of just 37. If you want to contribute to the GoFundMe mentioned in this episode, go here: https://gf.me/u/yk2bbk

One of our favourite actors and people, Gemma Arterton, is our guest on the Empire Podcast this week, talking with Chris Hewitt about her new movie, Summerland; how she never fully understands her characters; and her great new working relationship with Summerland writer/director, Jessica Swale, which now has both of them around a virtual keyboard, beavering away on a new script. That's from 31:33.483. Sorry we can't be more precise. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, returning to the rotating fourth chair, Empire's Editor-in-Chief, Terri White, as they exchange film facts that might not even be film facts, discuss the week's movie news including the return of (many) UK cinemas, speculate on the rollercoasters you might find in a theme park dedicated to British cinema, and review Proxima, Summerland, The Fight, The Vigil, and Unhinged. Blimey. It's, as ever, a madhouse. Enter with caution. But once you're inside, do please enjoy.

At the heart of this week's Empire Podcast is an extended interview with the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart, who talks to Chris Hewitt about Shakespeare, sonnets, stage fright, and the worst birthday he's ever had. They also talk about Patrick's new movie, Life With Music, in which he plays a concert pianist, and Patrick delves into his past for a spot of old Yorkshire dialect that has to be heard to be believed. In the socially isolated virtual podbooth, Chris is then joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, in the rotating fourth chair this week, Ben Travis and his incredible quiff, for our most delirious lockdown episode yet. Together, they tackle the new film fact section, discuss great movie tie-in songs of the 80s and 90s (and an old friend returns to the pod as a result), talk about the week's movie news (this was recorded before EVERY MOVIE IN THE WORLD moved back to 2021), and review Life With Music, Saint Frances, and How To Build A Girl. There's also a sweet Sundance London offer for podcast listeners in there too. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the debut of the very last interview we recorded before we locked down, as Chris Hewitt chats with Radioactive star Sam Riley about playing Pierre Curie, being a cad for Ben Wheatley, some of his notable screen deaths, and how Empire got Sam into trouble at school. It's a fun interview — but be warned, spoilers abound for Radioactive. (See also: the internet) Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as per usual, while the rotating fourth chair is this week occupied by the wonderful Kobi Omenaka, co-host of two of our favourite pods, The Wire Stripped and Flixwatcher. Together, this intrepid quartet parade an array of film facts, some of which may even be true; cast their dream Hamilton movie; discuss the week's movie news; and review Above Suspicion, Clemency, and Beach House. Enjoy.

While we wouldn't normally do a spoiler special for a video game, The Last Of Us Part II is no ordinary game. Therefore James Dyer, Nick de Semlyen and Amon Warmann all got together to chat about the game's major plot points and indulge in a little group therapy to help get over the trauma of actually playing it. We also invited the game's director, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, to share his views and talk to us about everything from the big plot twists to the game's final ending. We're also putting this one out on the regular podcast channel so that even those who don't already subscribe to our Spoiler Special podcasts can listen and enjoy. And if you do enjoy it, then why not head over to glow.fm/empirefilm and sign up for more.

It's finally here — the last part of the epic trilogy of podcasts that wasn't meant to be a trilogy, but we got carried away and now have to pretend that we meant it as a trilogy all along a la Scream and The Matrix. Anyway, in this episode, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis argue the toss over the reader/listener-voted list of the 50 Greatest Movie Heroes Of All Time, as seen in the last issue of Empire. And things get heated as they enter the top ten. There will be shocks. There will be surprises. There will be terrible impressions, and even worse opinions. There's only one thing for it: steel yourself and enter. Enjoy.

Mr. Sandman, bring us a dream! James McAvoy is the guest on this week's latest lockdown episode of the Empire Podcast, having a good old natter with Chris Hewitt about McAvoy's latest project, the Audible adaptation of Neil Gaiman's legendary comic book series, The Sandman, in which McAvoy plays Morpheus, lord of dreams. They also chat about McAvoy's geekdom, his Stephen King experience on It Chapter 2, his recent FIFA game with Liam Payne for Soccer Aid, and his starring role in cheap-as-chips lockdown Instagram show, the very funny Space Force. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, in the fourth chair this week, Ben Travis for an episode that brings you all kinds of mind-blowing film facts, discussion of the week's movie news, including the sad passing of the great Ennio Morricone, reviews of The Old Guard, Greyhound, and Finding The Way Back, and possibly the most self-indulgent listener's question bit in the pod's history. Enjoy.

Can we offer you a libation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative? That, sadly, is not what Dan Jolin nor Chris Hewitt said to the great Werner Herzog when they chatted to him for this episode. Chickens. Yes, the legendary German director, owner of the most distinctive voice in movies, is our third and final guest this week, and in the second part of the pod he is as delightfully Werner Herzogian as you might expect, as he talks to Dan and Chris about being in lockdown, making Star Wars, and his new movie, Family Romance LLC. Back in the virtual podbooth, Chris, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news, including the sad death of the legendary Carl Reiner, and review Hamilton, Lost Transmissions, and Hamilton. Mainly Hamilton, to be honest. Did you think we would throw away our shot? Nope! No shots were thrown away in the making of this podcast, we can assure you. Enjoy.

This week's lockdown episode of the Empire Podcast is once again so jam-packed with chatty goodness that we've split it into two parts. This is not the new normal, folks — we promise. Just something that will happen from time to time. Anyway, this half sees two of our favourite guests return for another bite at the pod-cherry, as Chris Hewitt talks to Simon Pegg about make-up, mental health and Pegg's new movie, Lost Transmissions, and hops on a trans-continental call with Ride Like A Girl star, Sam Neill, to talk horses, box sets, and Event Horizon. Because Chris. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, in the rotating fourth chair, Amon Warmann to compare film facts (warning: joy is in short supply this week) and movie pubs. Enjoy.

In the second (and final...?) part of the podteam's countdown of the 50 Greatest Movie Heroes Of All Time, the magazine feature voted for by you, the listeners and readers of Empire, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis argue (and argue, and argue) the toss over the top 25. We won't give too many of the heroes' identities away, but let's just say that if you're a fan of impossible missions, gods of thunder and, erm, wonder women, you'll be happy. And if you want to read the full list, and an astonishing array of incredible features and interviews (Michael J. Fox! Sigourney Weaver! Keanu Reeves! Bruce Campbell! Carrie-Anne Moss! And more!), then pick up the latest copy of Empire from any good, evil, or virtual newsagent. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast (once again brought to you in lockdown) sees two acting powerhouses have a chat about their craft. First, Chris Hewitt talks to Delroy Lindo about his incredible performance in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, and then Terri White grills Maxine Peake mercilessly about playing the title role in Fanny Lye Deliver'd. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, in the rotating fourth chair, James 'Jaime Blanco' White, our man in LA, for a fun ep in which they discuss tea and coffee cups in the movies (next week: scraped barrels), talk about movie news including Michael Keaton's possible return to the Batcave, and review Thomas Clay's Fanny Lye Deliver'd, David Dobkin's Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga, and Jon Stewart's Irresistible. Oh, and the new film fact section claims another victim. Enjoy!

It is a time for heroes. Or, more accurately, discussion of heroes. And we're happy to oblige. In this special edition of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis gather (remotely, of course, because they're heroes) to go through the first half of the brand new, reader/listener-voted list of the 50 Greatest Movie Heroes Of All Time, as seen in the latest issue of Empire magazine. From Chief Brody to Imperator Furiosa, it's a fast and furious discussion of the merits (and demerits) of your choice of heroes, filled with the usual trenchant opinions and terrible impressions. If you want to hear more, the gang will be discussing heroes 25-1 at the same time next week. And if you want to read more, the full list — including in-depth features and interviews with the likes of Keanu Reeves, Sigourney Weaver, and Michael J. Fox — can be found in this month's Empire, on sale now in all good, evil, and virtual newsagents. Enjoy.

In this week's bumper-sized (so much so, in fact, we're wondering if we should have split it into two parts like last week) Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt chats to Armando Iannucci, the co-writer/director of The Personal History Of David Copperfield about discovering optimism, and how hard it is to write comedy in the middle of a pandemic. And John Nugent talks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the latter returns to our screens with gripping plane hijack thriller, 7500. In the remote podbooth, Chris is then joined by James Dyer and Helen O'Hara, as per usual. But the rotating fourth chair this week is occupied by Dave Corkery and Cathy Cullen, the married couple who host one of our favourite podcasts, The Cinemile. Together, this intrepid quintet tackle the Film Fact section, answer questions about graduation speeches and non-trilogy trilogies (it'll make sense when you listen), discuss the planned return of cinemas in the UK, and review 7500, Dating Amber, Resistance, and Radioactive. We can see now why this is bumper-sized. Enjoy, if just for the Irish accents of four-fifths of the team getting increasingly thicker as the pod goes on. Wee buns!

On the second part of this week's podcast, you'll find the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer — discussing the week's movie news, plugging the heck out of the latest issue of Empire magazine, celebrating our cinemas in the, erm, Celebrate Our Cinemas section, and reviewing Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, Judd Apatow's The King Of Staten Island, and Kenneth Branagh's Artemis Fowl. On the interview front, Chris hears from Rosamund Pike about her incredible light-up lockdown mask and her new film, Radioactive, in which she plays Marie Curie; and talks to Judd Apatow about The King Of Staten Island, and his comedy aesthetic. The latter is funnier than it sounds, honest. Enjoy.

How jam-packed is this week's episode of the Empire Podcast? How bumper-sized is it? Well, it's so huge — bursting at the seams with four — count 'em, FOUR! — interviews — that we have, for the first time ever (we think!), had to split the pod into two parts. In this, Parte The Firste, Chris Hewitt chats to British actors David Thewlis and Richard Armitage (both of whom have their own microphones, throwing down the gauntlet to other thesps everywhere) about, respectively, Atom Egoyan's Guest Of Honour and new audiobook, The Chekhov Collection Of Short Stories. Plus, they natter on about guitars, decapitation, midlife crises, Captain America, and building a fort at home. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer to answer a couple of listener questions about filmic fruit and movie cops, while the film fact segment — aka Love Factually — takes an unexpected turn. Enjoy. There's more to come!

On the latest locked-down episode of the Empire Podcast, Simon Bird — former Inbetweener, current Friday Night Dinnerer — tells Chris Hewitt all about Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the charming comedy that marks Bird's directorial debut. It's an interview that features more Guess Who? chat than you could shake a stick wearing glasses, a hat, and a beard at. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer as they get serious (for about five minutes) and discuss the Black Lives Matter protests that have been happening all around the world. Plus, the film fact segment returns and controversy abounds, they answer listeners' questions, discuss the week's movie news including Ryan Gosling playing the Wolfman, and review Days Of The Bagnold Summer, The County, Banana Split, and Atom Egoyan's Guest Of Honour. Sorry for the delay in this going up — enjoy.

On the latest locked down slice of Empire Podcast goodness, we welcome Eliza Hittman, director of the excellent Never Rarely Sometimes Always, who joins Helen O'Hara for a transatlantic chat about the acclaimed drama. Then Helen joins Chris Hewitt and James Dyer for an episode in which they answer several listener questions, anoint some of the greatest visually impaired characters in the history of film, discuss the week's movie news, from the new Tenet trailer to rumours of Henry Cavill's return to the Superman cape, and then review The Vast Of Night, The High Note, and Only The Animals. And, in our regular #CelebrateOurCinemas section, Chris gives shout-outs to cinemas around the world that need our, and your, help. All aboard for the pod with a record-breaking number of mentions of a certain English town. Find out which one within. Enjoy.

This week's slab of locked down, self-isolated, quarantined Empire Podcast sees the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — joined in the revolving fourth chair by one of our favourite people, the amazing anecdote machine that is Jason Isaacs. Jason joins the gang to talk about his new movie, Scoob!, life under lockdown as an actor, and reel off an array of incredible stories about his career. He also joins in with the new weekly film fact section, answers listener questions, and discusses movie news with the team, including Luca Guadagnino's remake of Scarface, and the confirmation that Zack Snyder's Justice League cut is finally going to see the light of day. Elsewhere, on the show, Chris, Helen and James review The Lovebirds, The Half Of It, and All Day And A Night, Chris lists a bunch of cinemas that need your support, and he has a fun natter with The Lovebirds star, Kumail Nanjiani, in which they talk about working out and eating lots of pies. Mmm... pies. Enjoy.

Our latest load of locked down, socially distanced pod sees Chris Hewitt's accent get progressively thicker as he sits down for a chat over Squadcast with fellow Northern Irishman, Michael Smiley. The two of them talk about Smiley's work with Edgar Wright and Ben Wheatley, his Easter egg preferences (it was recorded a while ago!), and his delivery of the best movie line of the year (so far!) in the gory Elijah Wood-starrer, Come To Daddy. Then, in the remotely recorded podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for an episode that takes in some incredible film facts, an in-depth discussion of Daniel Day-Lewis' track record, the weekly dollop of film news (including Boba Fett cropping up in The Mandalorian, and the team banging on about Hamilton again), and reviews of Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Wrong Missy, and Infinite Football. Enjoy.

This week's episode of The Empire Podcast: Mistakes Were Made sees Chris Hewitt have a chat with Tom McCarthy, the Oscar-winning director of Spotlight and the Disney+ film, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. And a right good old chat it is, too, as they talk about everything from Portland to Pixar. Then, back in the remote, socially distant, virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis for a rip-roaring episode that takes in everything from fatally cold film shoots to the week's movie news (sequels ahoy!), and post-credit stings that aren't on the end of Marvel movies. They also review the Michelle Obama documentary, Becoming, and the Willem Dafoe dog-umentary, Togo. Oh, and Chris is trying a different sound mix this week, so let us know your feedback. Have mistakes been made? Almost certainly. But we hope you enjoy.

It's another locked down, remotely recorded Empire Podcast this week, folks. But it's a cracker of a show (in our humble etc.), as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Alex Godfrey dazzle each other with arcane film facts, discuss (in depth, so Martin Scorsese best skip this one) the Marvel Cinematic Universe's post-credit stings, talk about the week's movie news, and review The Assistant, Astronaut, and Ema. And Chris chats this week to Kitty Green, the writer/director of the excellent The Assistant, and Dave Filoni, the gentle genius behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is about to end its run next week. Just in time for Star Wars Day, in fact. Must be a coincidence. Enjoy.

Gareth Evans, the directorial mastermind behind The Raid, The Raid 2 and Apostle, turns his attention to the small screen this week, with the launch of his blistering, bruising, bloody crime saga, Gangs Of London. And to celebrate on the show's launch day he became a member of a very different gang — the Empire Podteam, joining Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for most of this week's show. And he even brought a fact for our brand new weekly segment. What a legend. Along the way, the team discuss kidnapping, getting chilling phone calls from Christopher Lee, the week's movie news (and there is some! Saints, and The Saint, be praised!), and their cinematic blind spots. The results may shock you. In particular, Chris and Gareth both make confessions that could see them forced to hand in their movie fan credentials. Then, when Gareth has left the building, Chris, James and Helen review Extraction and Beastie Boys Story. Enjoy.

This week's pod sees the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann — recording remotely once again as they discuss the week's movie news (note: this was recorded before the sad death of the great Brian Dennehy), review Stargirl, Coffee & Kareem, and Love. Wedding. Repeat, and tackle listener questions about their DVD collections and the best films-within-films. Also, the new fun fact section sees some major revelations, a huge tangent (even for us), and another brand-new name. And Chris is joined, remotely, of course, by the wonderful Ben Schwartz for a jam-packed interview in which they talk (a bit) about Ben's new film, Standing Up, Falling Down, his improv shows with Thomas Middleditch, and life under lockdown. And Chris recommends that Ben watches a Walter Matthau classic. Give it a listen to find out which one. ] Enjoy.

Our latest remotely recorded pod is the first to come with remotely recorded, socially responsible interviews, as Chris Hewitt has lovely chats from a minimum safe distance with Military Wives' star, Sharon Horgan, and Prentice Penny, writer and director of the charming Netflix drama, Uncorked. Either side of those, Chris is joined-ish by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis, as they talk the week's movie news (Marvel release dates ahoy!), review Who You Think I Am, Uncorked, and Trolls World Tour, and answer listener questions. Oh, and our new fact section gets a new name, while Ben reveals a hitherto unheralded skill. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast — recorded responsibly, yet again, from our living rooms of such lethal cunning — sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer joined by an old familiar face and voice: Empire's Editor-in-Chief, Terri White, taking a brief break from bringing up baby to slip onto the pod. Together, they discuss the week's movie news (there is some! Honest!), answer a bunch of listener questions, review The Platform, Standing Up, Falling Down (that's one movie, folks), and Four Kids And It. And then James, Terri, and Helen take turns to wow Chris with their movie facts in a brand-new segment with a brand-new theme tune. We think you'll like it. This week's interview was recorded last year and had been set to run as a special in its own right, but a sudden and unexpected guest shortage (damn those stockpilers!) means it now takes pride of place here, as Chris has a lot of fun speaking to Larry Karaszewski, Scott Alexander, and Ruth E. Carter, the writers and costume designer, respectively, of the excellent Eddie Murphy/Netflix comedy, Dolemite Is My Name. As ever, we hope you... Enjoy.

This week's pod sees the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — in isolation once again, but that doesn't stop them from reaching out to actor/writer/comedian/podcast host Brett Goldstein, who becomes the latest person to join the team for the duration of an episode. Together, this bold and intrepid quartet discuss the week's movie news and answer some listener questions, including the best video calls in movies, and the greatest single-location films. Then, when Brett has left the building, Chris, James, and Helen review The Banker, Vivarium, and Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. Speaking of mistakes, this week's episode sees the launch of a new format, wherein James and Helen bring a film fact to impress Chris. Which, this week, leads to much discussion of the sweariest of all swear words. You know, that one. Now, while this discussion is censored, said word is discussed and uttered quite a bit, so if you're listening with kids, perhaps earmuff the first 20 minutes or so. Sorry, we're all utter you-know-whats. Enjoy?

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is the first to be recorded remotely in the various homes of our podteam, thanks to the Coronavirus crisis. But we remain committed to bringing you the podcast and so Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer gather around their individual microphones and chat about their self-isolation schedules, Easter eggs, how Covid-19 has disrupted Hollywood, the best speeches to wash your hands to, and much more. We also review (there are some!), Spenser Confidential and The Truth. And our guest this week is the wonderful Jesse Eisenberg, who invites Chris into his (pre-corona) hotel room for a good old natter about Jesse's upcoming movie, Vivarium; his experiences on big Hollywood blockbusters, his writing process, and how he deals with improvisation. This is the first of what will hopefully be a fairly short run of these stay-at-home shows, but we're all flying blind here. So do let us know if you have any problems with the sound quality. Stay safe, stay well, and keep washing those hands!

This week's Empire Podcast sees Beth Webb chat to the wonderful Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of this week's dramedy, Misbehaviour, about the 1970 Miss World pageant. And, thanks to some wonderful snipping from Editor Emma, you wouldn't know that Beth's microphone wasn't working during the interview. Thankfully, we haven't mentioned it, so we think we got away with it. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, Alex Godfrey, and James Dyer for an episode that truly runs the gamut, from discussion of great movie star pairings to a tribute to the late, great Max von Sydow; from reviews of Misbehaviour, Bloodshot, and Calm With Horses to a long discussion of the impact that the Coronavirus crisis is having on the world in general, and the movie world in particular. Oh, and they answer the age-old question: who was the sixth member of The Beatles? Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is another live show in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and token English bloke, the award-winning James Dyer, rock up for the Virgin Media Dublin International Film 2020. In front of a packed crowd, they discuss the Coronavirus' impact upon the movie industry, in the wake of No Time To Die being pushed back; additional movie news including the unveiling of the Batmobile; review Onward, Military Wives, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, and The Photograph; and answer audience questions. Oh, and in a bit that totally works on an audio-only podcast, Chris's opening remarks are translated into Irish. It's also a guestapalooza, with Rialto's twin Toms, Glynn-Carney and Vaughan-Lawlor, joined on stage by Calm With Horses' Niamh Algar and Nick Rowland. And then, in a surprise for the audience, Game Of Thrones star, and local legend, Liam Cunningham shows up for a brief chat. And, in a surprise for our intrepid pod-team, he brings an unannounced guest, Syrian refugee-turned-actor Hassam Ahlrak, with him. Find out more about Hassam's incredible story on the episode. Oh. And Chris would like to apologise to all Irish people for mispronouncing the 'Brian' in 'Brian Gleeson'. Chris pronounces it on the show as 'Brian', when we've since been told that it's actually 'Brian'. Enjoy.

The latest episode of The Ranking — the magazine/podcast crossover in which Empire writers discuss the work of an actor/director, or a big old franchise/genre, and come up with the definitive top ten — is dedicated to The Master Of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock. Join Ian Freer, Nick de Semlyen, Beth Webb, and Neil Alcock as they discuss the themes that run through Hitchcock's work, his problematic methods, their favourite moments, leading men and ladies, and much, much more. Then stick around at the end as they go through the empirical — or should that be Empirical? — top ten. Enjoy.

We've got horror of all kinds on our mind this week at Empire Podcast Towers. First off, Chris Hewitt has a chat with Elisabeth Moss, star of Leigh Whannell's excellent update of The Invisible Man, and finds that she has blood on her hands. Well, feet. Then, Richard Stanley — making his return to directing with Colour Out Of Space after a looooooong time out — pops into the podbooth to natter away with Alex Godfrey about ouija boards, The Island Of Dr. Moreau, and getting stoned with cats. Elsewhere on this week's pod, Chris is then joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, as they talk about James' experiences at Disneyworld, tackle a couple of listener questions, talk about Chris Evans joining Little Shop Of Horrors and Steven Spielberg possibly handing over Indiana Jones 5 (or 4, depending on your point of view) to James Mangold, review The Invisible Man, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, and more. Enjoy.

Justin Kurzel is the director of fast-paced knockabout comedies like Snowtown, Assassin's Creed, and Macbeth. Sorry, serious and intense dramas, not fast-paced knockabout comedies. Easy mistake to make. And he's back with another slice of hard-hitting drama with next week's True History Of The Kelly Gang, which stars George Mackay, Essie Davis, Russell Crowe, and Nicholas Hoult in an attempt to tell the tale of Ned Kelly and his accomplices. And in this week's episode, he tells John Nugent how he did it. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann to discuss Avengers-as-biscuits, the week's movie news (including a lengthy discussion of Indiana Jones 5 or, if you will, 4), and review Greed, Like A Boss, The Call Of The Wild, and more. Oh, and Amon brings a takeaway, which causes much controversy. Enjoy.

He's the son of Martin Sheen. The brother of Charlie Sheen. But Emilio Estevez has always been his own man, starring in the likes of Young Guns, The Breakfast Club, Stakeout, St. Elmo's Fire, and many more in the glory days of the 80s. His latest film is The Public, a drama which he wrote, directed, and starred in, and on this week's episode of the Empire Podcast he has a chat about that, and much more, with Empire's Editor-in-Chief, Terri White. Meanwhile, back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer have Valentine's Day on their minds, discussing romantic movies and the greatest non-Star Wars robot. They also chew the fat over a veritable ton of movie news, including the reveal of the latest Batsuit and Chris' reaction to the news that Sam Raimi is directing an MCU movie, before being joined by Amon Warmann to review Sonic The Hedgehog and Emma. Enjoy.

Here it is, folks. As promised, here is the second part of our podcasts dedicated to dissecting Empire's 100 Greatest Films Of The 21st Century (So Far!). And in this episode, we throw open the doors of the podbooth to three listeners — Chad Armstrong, Christelle Brewster, and Luke Jones — who join host Chris Hewitt for a fun-filled and jam-packed countdown of the 100. Who thinks Paddington 2 should be higher? Who sings the praises of notable omissions like Gravity and, erm, Final Destination 2? And, more importantly, who defends the inclusion of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street? To find out, give it a listen. And who knows — maybe next time you could be in the booth too! Enjoy.

Despite not looking a day over 398 episodes, the Empire Podcast has officially turned 400. And we did so with a blowout bumper celebration earlier this week at our spiritual home of Kings Place, London, in front of a sold-out audience. In this episode, you'll hear Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis discuss the week's movie news; review Parasite, Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn, and Dolittle; and take some audience questions. But it's not just the Four Giggling Idiots Show, oh no. We invited some super smashing great guests as well — Steve Coogan and Michael Winterbottom popped by to talk about their latest collaboration, Greed; Emily Beecham, winner of Best Actress at last year's Cannes Film Festival, talks Little Joe with Dan Jolin; and Todd Haynes, the director of Carol and now Dark Waters, pops in too. But that's not all — our old podchum, Christopher McQuarrie, shows up right at the end as a very special surprise (for the audience — we've ruined it for you now) to talk the return of Henry Czerny's Kittridge to the Mission: Impossible movies, throwing up in a jet plane, and not breaking Tom Cruise. We had a blast. And we hope you do too. Enjoy.

The 21st century may only be twenty years old, but it's still borne witness to thousands of films. And so, as the third decade of the century begins, we decided to canvas Team Empire, and Team Empire Readers, to find the 100 films you deem the greatest 2000-2019 has had to offer. And, in this bumper-sized and fun-filled edition, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Empire's Editor-in-Chief, Terri White, chew the fat, argue the toss, pour scorn on some less-celebrated entries, and champion their faves. Enjoy.

This week's bumper, giant-sized edition of the Empire Podcast comes complete with a trio of amazing guests. Helen O'Hara talks to A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood director, Marielle Heller. Amon Warmann has a chat with the legendary Bong Joon Ho about his Oscar-nominated cracker, Parasite. And Chris Hewitt sits down with Queen & Slim star, Daniel Kaluuya, for a conversation that features more pick'n'mix chat than you might imagine. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen and James Dyer for a fun (well, you be the judge) episode in which they discuss their favourite Gene Hackman films, talk about musical theatre, Jack Reacher and then eventually some movie news, and review the heck out of Queen & Slim, The Lighthouse, The Rhythm Section, A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood, and more. One more episode to go before episode 400. It's going to be a belter. But in the meantime... enjoy.

We say a sad goodbye to Terry Jones and recall our favourite moments from across an illustrious career in Python and beyond; in news, we track who’s leading the Oscar race, catch up on the latest Marvel news, and try to make sense of the new David Lynch short; and review The Personal History of David Copperfield and The Grudge. Plus Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe stop by to talk about Lighthouses.

He's played Ray Charles (to Oscar-winning effect), Bats, Motherf**ker Jones, Django, Ricardo Tubbs, and the President of the United States Of America. But this week Jamie Foxx — for it is he — faces his greatest challenge yet: appearing on the Empire Podcast. OK, we may have oversold it. But in a fun and insightful interview with our Chris Hewitt, Foxx talks about his new movie, Just Mercy, in which he plays a prisoner who's wrongfully imprisoned on Death Row. Give it a listen to hear Foxx talk about his views on the death penalty; do a quick tour of some of the most iconic voices he's used in his career; and reveal the advice Ellen Barkin once gave him. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about this week's Oscars nominations (spoiler: Helen isn't happy, and gets a little bit sweary, about one nominee in particular), discuss the best film in the Academy Awards 11-nominations club, pore over the rest of the week's movie news, including Scott Derrickson's departure from Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness and Billie Eilish performing No Time To Die's title song, and review Bombshell, Just Mercy and Bad Boys For Life, which already may have the 2020's surprising movie award sewn up. Oh, and there's much talk of Gwyneth Paltrow's brand new candle. Be warned. Enjoy.

And 2020 was going so well... The Empire Podcast makes its triumphant (?) return with the first proper pod of the new year, and it's a barnstormer. We have four guests for the price of two this week, as Helen O'Hara chats to the directors of Uncut Gems (the best Adam Sandler movie since Murder Mystery), Josh and Benny Safdie. Then Ian Freer has a natter with George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman, the stars of Sam Mendes' astonishing single-shot World War I movie, 1917. And, in the podbooth itself, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen and James Dyer for a dissection of their Christmas break activity, a discussion of the films that should never be remade, a conversation about the week's movie news, and reviews of Uncut Gems and 1917. And yes, you guessed it -- the pod was recorded before the news broke that Scott Derrickson had left Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. As correctly guessed on this very pod a few weeks ago, Nostradamus fans. We'll talk about that next week. But right now: enjoy.

2019. What a year that was, eh? It was the year when Avengers: Endgame became the biggest film of all time. It was the year when Martin Scorsese returned with a bang with The Irishman, and put the cat amongst the pigeons with his comments on Marvel. It was the year when Star Wars ended... for now. It was the year of indie triumphs, glorious documentaries, killer clowns, overseas triumphs, and much, much more. And it was the year when Team Empire crammed themselves into the podbooth to talk about it all. So, join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, James Dyer and —all the way from LA — James White aka Jaime Blanco for a bumper-sized edition in which they talk about their favourite and least favourite movies, moments, and general film-related things of the year. And if you're worried that they might talk about that film — you know the one — a bit too much, steps have been taken to ensure that won't be the case. Oh, and they finally do talk about the Portals scene. Enjoy. And Happy New Year to all our listeners!

Anthony Daniels has been playing C-3PO, the most famous protocol droid in the galaxy, for 42 years now, across nine Star Wars films, TV shows, and much, much more. The role has dominated his career, and his life — so much so that he's finally decided to record his experiences in the form of a wonderful new memoir called I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story. In this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt invites Daniels into the podbooth for an extended natter about the book, Daniels' decision to write it at this stage of his career, and all things Star Wars. And don't worry if you're The Rise Of Skywalker spoiler-averse — the emphasis here is very much on the book, and on the past. Enjoy.

Ho-ho-ho, listeners! This week's Empire Podcast is the last regular pod of the year, and we've pulled out all the stops to bring you four — FOUR! — of Hollywood's biggest names. There's Taika Waititi, writer/director/star of Jojo Rabbit, which opens on January 1, talking to Nick de Semlyen. Then there's Greta Gerwig, writer/director/not star of Little Women, which opens on Boxing Day, talking to Helen O'Hara. And finally there's Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Grant, not writers/not directors/but definitely stars of Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, nattering away with Chris Hewitt. Then, in the podbooth, Chris, Helen, and James Dyer look forward to 2020, discuss the week's movie news including the Tenet and Top Gun: Maverick trailers, talk about Tom Cruise's coconut sponge and Kumail Nanjiani's abs, and review The Rise Of Skywalker, Little Women, Jojo Rabbit, and The Gentlemen. But not Cats. They're not readicle for that jellicle. Thanks for listening this year, folks. You've made this the biggest year for the pod yet and we're extremely grateful. So, for one last time in 2019, enjoy.

Ho-ho-ho, readers! As an early Christmas present from us to you, our dear readers/listeners, here's the episode of the absolutely-on-schedule and not-late-at-all-no-you-shut-up regular series, The Ranking, that you've all been asking for. No, not the Star Wars one. Or the two-part MCU special. Or even the one about 1989. Instead, this is the one where we discuss and rank Santa Claus in the movies! Yes, from Richard Attenborough in Miracle On 34th Street to, erm, Edmund Gwenn in Miracle On 34th Street, in this episode Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Olly Richards talk about their favourite movies involving Father Christmas. And, as you might expect, it gets a bit silly and weird. But, as you might not expect, it somehow gets sexy. All will be explained within. (NB: if you have kids, maybe don't listen to this with them.) Enjoy.

If you weren't lucky enough to snag a ticket for our latest live podcast extravaganza, then fret no longer — for here it is. A couple of weeks ago, we held a very special screening of Rocketman, the Elton John musical biopic, at Picturehouse Central in London. Why was it special? Well, because afterwards the film's star, Taron Egerton, and director, Dexter Fletcher, popped in for a chat with our very own Chris Hewitt. And what a chat it was, full of revelations (Al Pacino has seen Rocketman seven times! It made Jason Statham cry!) and showcasing the warm rapport that Egerton and Fletcher share. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast takes things to the next level. Mainly because Olly Richards sits down with Jake Kasdan, director of Jumanji: The Next Level, to hear how he made the sequel to the 2017 surprise smash, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. Also, the great Jonathan Pryce — star of The Two Popes — has a chat about that film, and more, with John Nugent. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt returns to host, and is joined by Helen O'Hara and (latterly) Ian Freer as they discuss movies that act as a fillip in the middle of a bout of pure existential dread (no reason), discuss the week's movie news, including trailers for Wonder Woman 1984 and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and review a whole bunch of movies, including Jumanji: The Next Level, 6 Underground, The Two Popes, and Black Christmas. There's also a bit of singing. Be warned. Enjoy.

Move over, Kubrick. Step aside, Malick. It's been 19 years since Edward Norton last directed a movie, but he puts that right this week with Motherless Brooklyn, a detective noir that he also wrote, and produced, and in which he stars. Chris Hewitt sat down with him for this week's pod to talk about that long gap, writing monologues for Alec Baldwin, and looking like James Cameron in Alita: Battle Angel. With Chris away on top secret business, Helen O'Hara steps into the breach for this week's show, talking about some film-related stuff and reviewing some movies with James Dyer and Ben Travis. Any rumours that this blurb is so vague because it was written in a hurry by someone who hasn't had a chance to listen to the show because someone else forgot to upload the podcast can neither be confirmed or denied at this time. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees a panicked and flustered Chris Hewitt (you'll have to listen to the show to find out why) sit down with Sam Claflin and Aisling Franciosi, the stars of Jennifer Kent's wonderful new film, The Nightingale. They talk about working with Kent, the perils of shooting in Australia, and Claflin talks about becoming one with nature. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to answer the first Christmassy question of the year, discuss the week's movie news, including a Downton Abbey sequel and the manner in which Rapman's Blue Story was pulled from two British cinema chains at the weekend, and review Charlie's Angels, The Nightingale, and Rian Johnson's excellent whodunnit, Knives Out. Oh, and the entire team objectifies Colin Farrell, the poor chap. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is packed with Disney royalty, fact fans. First up, Chadwick Boseman takes a break from defending Wakanda to star in cop thriller 21 Bridges, and he talks about that with John Nugent. Then, Ben Travis has a really fun chat with the wickedly talented, one and only Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff about returning as Olaf and Kristoff in Frozen II. Back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt returns after two weeks away, and is totally over the cold that ruled him out last week, honest. He sits down with Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and the aforementioned Mr. Nugent to talk about the future of Marvel TV shows, the mysterious Zack Snyder cut of Justice League, the new Star Trek movie, and Chris' plans for his own movie trilogy. They also review Frozen II, 21 Bridges, Blue Story, and Judy & Punch. Enjoy.

This week's podcast is brought to you by the letter 'L' and, fittingly, the directors of both Le Mans '66 and Last Christmas stop by to talk about their respective movies. Of course, all of that pales into insignificance compared to the Maclunkey controversy that played out this week, and our intrepid trio dive beneath the surface of George Lucas' latest bit of Star Wars tinkering in some detail. Plus we pitch ideas for Christmas movies and bring you all the usual movie news and nonsense you've come to know and love.

Stephen Graham stops by the podbooth this week to discuss all things Scorsese for The Irishman. Not only that but we also talk to Roland Emmerich about Midway, midway through the podcast. Plus, with Chris away on his annual staycation, James and Helen debate the various merits of overlong movies, ruminate on the likelihood that Queen Latifah might kill us all and, ultimately, call upon Chris to quite literally phone in a review.

This week's Empire Podcast is a rare two-hander as Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara hold the fort in the podbooth as the only two colleagues of such lethal cunning. They answer listeners' questions, bemoan the availability of old films ('old' here also being subjective), discuss the week's movie news, and review Doctor Sleep, The King, Dolemite Is My Name, and more. On the guest front, it's another belter of a week. First, Chris talks to David Michod, the Australian director of The King, and then Ian Freer has a lovely chat with Felicity Jones, star of Rogue One, Inferno and The Aeronauts, which is out on Monday. Much fun was had by all. Enjoy.

Ho-ho-ho! Yes, listeners, it's that time of year again, when the nation turns its thoughts to Christmas Day, and the biggest question of them all: just what the elf do we watch on Christmas Day? Well, in this very special podcast, in association with Sky Cinema, the Empire Podcast crew — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Absolute Radio's Dave Berry and Sky Cinema's very own Alex Zane — have your back. The idea is simple: we programme your Christmas Day viewing, from 10am through to bedtime (with time outs for turkey and all the trimmings, of course), with each member of the team arguing the toss for a specific film. All of which are available on Sky Cinema, of course, with the Sky Cinema Christmas Collection available from November 2nd. So, from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to Die Hard, there's something here for everyone. Whether you've been naughty or nice. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam return, semi-triumphant, to the podbooth following their mini-tour of the UK (well, most of the UK — sorry, Wales). Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and John Nugent are the three colleagues of such lethal cunning this week, discussing movie franchises that start with the weakest instalment, the week's movie news, and reviewing Terminator: Dark Fate, Black And Blue, and The Last Black Man In San Francisco. And all without the benefit of a live crowd, the brave lambs. Also, Helen speaks to Jillian Bell, the American comedy star who can soon be seen anchoring her first big movie, Brittany Runs A Marathon. Why did we send Helen, veteran of 26 (possibly 27 by the time you read this) marathons, to do this interview? Beats us. Enjoy.

2019 has been The Year Of The Boss. Cinematically speaking, at least. Bruce Springsteen may have just turned 70, but he's as creatively restless and dynamic as ever, as evidenced by his new film, Western Stars, which works as both a sublime performance of his new album, and a beautiful, profound insight into its songs and the man who wrote them. The film marks Springsteen's directorial debut, alongside his long-term collaborator, Thom Zimny, and rounds off a year that also boasts the likes of Jim Cummings' Thunder Road and Gurinder Chadha's Blinded By The Light as celebrations of all things Springsteen. And, in this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt and Ben Travis sit down with Zimny and Springsteen to talk about the movie, and Springsteen's love of cinema. If you listen to only one podcast in which one of the greatest musicians of all time namedrops Avengers: Endgame and The Godfather in the same sentence, make it this one. Enjoy.

It's here. At long last, the final trailer for JJ Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker — the ninth and final film in the Skywalker Saga — has arrived, and naturally it got the internet's tongues a-wagging. And, because you demanded it, here's the Empire Podcast's near-hour-long reaction to a trailer that's just over two minutes long. So, join Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, Helen O'Hara, and Ben Travis for a fun-filled, fact-packed, frame-by-frame dissection of the trailer, with more wild theories and unfounded speculation than you could shake a laser sword at. Just what is Bendemption? How do space horses work? And can droids get syphilis? Just some of the questions posed, and unanswered, within. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara make a (very arguably) triumphant homecoming, as the Empire Podcast mini-tour rocks up for its final show as part of the Cinemagic Film Festival in Belfast. And they bring two Wee English Fellas — James Dyer and Ben Travis — with them for a fun-filled show in which they discuss the week's movie news (Batman! Murder Mystery 2! The Dolittle trailer!), review Zombieland: Double Tap, Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, and take audience Qs. We also have a trio of ace guests — Belfast-based directors, Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa talk their new movie, Ordinary Love; Jim Sturgess flies in to talk about his career, including doing a sex scene in Belfast; and a pre-recorded chat with Ruben Fleischer, director of Zombieland: Double Tap. Enjoy, so you will! Ah, go on, go on, go on...

David Arnold and Michael Giacchino are two of the best composers in the business, with the likes of Casino Royale, Up, Hot Fuzz, Star Trek, Lost, Sherlock, and much more. They're in London to prepare for a special show at the Royal Albert Hall called Settling The Score, in which the two old friends will duke it out, rap-battle style. Only if a rap battle had a huge orchestra, and a little man waving a baton. Naturally, we couldn't let them do this without nabbing them for a podcast, so in this very special episode Chris Hewitt sits down with the pair for a freewheeling and very funny conversation that touches upon... well, pretty much everything but their music. Although they do eventually get around to talking about their work on Bond, Marvel movies, and more. Oh, and JJ Abrams makes an appearance. Sort of. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast ably fills the gap in your lives that you didn't even know was there: the experience of listening to a film director speed-carving a pumpkin on a podcast. Yes, this episode sees the Empire Podtour juggernaut roll into Brighton, where Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White discuss the week's movie news (Marty vs the MCU), review American Woman, Gemini Man, and The Day Shall Come, and answer audience Q&As. Oh, and local heroes Ben Wheatley and Corin Hardy drop by - and Corin shows off his speed-carving prowess in a genuine podcast world first. This episode also contains a fun studio interview between Chris and Sienna Miller, talking about her phenomenal performance in American Woman, and her desire to play Catwoman. Enjoy.

We love the BFI London Film Festival round here at Empire Towers. So, with this year's festival still in full swing, we were delighted to host our first ever Empire Podcast roundtable, in which Chris Hewitt talks to three actors who each have films showing at the festival. In this engrossing, frank, and often hilarious chat, Ben Mendelsohn (star of The King and Babyteeth), Morfydd Clark (star of Eternal Beauty, The Personal History Of David Copperfield, and Saint Maud), and Jimmie Fails (star of and inspiration for The Last Black Man In San Francisco) pull back the curtain on what it means to be an actor, their various films in the festival, and how to avoid being a complete A-hole. Enjoy.

This week sees the first-ever Empire Podcast tour roll into Chris Hewitt's spiritual home, Liverpool. And, in a fun-packed show at FACT in front of a sold-out audience, Chris, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news (including Spidey's return to the MCU), review Joker, Judy, and Good Posture, and take a whole heap of audience Qs. They're also joined by Dolly Wells, actor-turned-director, whose train got into Liverpool just in time for her to talk about her first film behind the camera, the rather wonderful Good Posture. Plus, back in the studio, John Nugent talks to some bloke called Joaquin Phoenix about some movie in which he plays a clown. Sounds like a laugh. Everyone loves clowns. And after last week's sound snafu in York, you'll be delighted to know this one sounds better, although some mic hiss does intrude towards the end. Hopefully it won't spoil your experience too much. Enjoy.

Do you like scary movies? What's your favourite scary movie? Two questions that have dominated conversations since the dawn of cinema, when people were terrified by the sight of a train coming straight at them. And, in this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Absolute Radio's Dave Berry, and Sky Cinema's Alex Zane attempt to answer those questions, and one more for good measure: what is the scariest movie of all time? From Halloween to, erm, Halloween (but not Halloween), our fearless foursome discuss everything from slashers to supernatural horrors, and reveal the movies that make sure they sleep with the lights on. Oh, and there's a fair amount of terrible impressions and loud noises as per. And if, after hearing their choices, you want to check out some of the movies they talk about, the Halloween Collection is available now on Sky Cinema. Enjoy - if you dare!

So, this week's Empire Podcast was meant to be the recording of our latest live show, in front of a wonderful, sold-out audience at CityScreen in York. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, the sound quality of the recording just wasn't good enough. So, instead, Chris Hewitt and James Dyer - just back from York - bundled into the podbooth at Empire Towers to record an emergency pod, along with John Nugent. In it, they discuss several of the audience questions from the night before, review a whole bunch of films including The Last Tree, Ready Or Not, Hotel Mumbai, and The Goldfinch, and discuss the week's movie news. You'll also hear from David Koepp, the screenwriter of Jurassic Park and author of the new thriller, Cold Storage. And we've managed to salvage most of the interview with the wonderful Craig Roberts, writer/director of Eternal Beauty, who was our guest in York. But be warned: the sound quality might indicate why we're loathe to run the whole show. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees the first-ever Empire Podcast tour roll into Edinburgh for a fun-packed show at the venerable venue, the Cameo, as part of the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White as they discuss the week's movie news, review Ad Astra, The Farewell, and The Kitchen, and answer a series of questions from the sell-out audience. Also, local hero Jack Lowden, star of Dunkirk, Fighting With My Family, and Mary Queen Of Scots, drops in to talk about doing a Trainspotting live read, why he considers acting to be a 'sadistic' profession, and wanting to be Del Boy. It's all here in your latest slice of (recorded as) live film-related fun. NB: as it was recorded live, there's a slight hum throughout. Do let us know your feedback on the feedback. And, as ever, enjoy.

This week's episode is a live show which sees the Empire Podteam - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White - embark upon their first-ever tour, starting in the far-flung city of... London. Kings Place, to be precise, just around the corner from the Empire office. Not exactly clocking up the air miles, huh. Recorded as part of the London Podcast Festival, this typically raucous live show sees the quartet review Downton Abbey, For Sama, and Hustlers (complete with eye-watering tale of real live strip clubs), then discuss the week's movie news, before being joined by a brand-new member of the team: director Colin Trevorrow. There might be talk of his brand-new Jurassic World short film, Battle At Big Rock. And he might even stick around for the audience Q&A. We couldn't possibly say either way. Please accept our apologies in advance. Enjoy.

You are cordially invited to this week's Empire Podcast, in which Mr. Ian Freer, of Empire Towers, is granted an audience with Mr. Hugh Bonneville, Miss Laura Carmichael, and Miss Michelle Dockery, stars of the new motion picture extravaganza, Downton Abbey, based on the popular televisual entertainment of the same name. Either side of that, you are invited to listen to the rest of the episode, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and podcast newcomer Jeremy Dylan, a gentleman of Australian origin, discuss several listener questions, varying accents, the week's movie news, and review It Chapter 2 and Rojo. Carriages at 2am. Do, please, enjoy.

A long time ago, in a podbooth far, far away... four brave and hardy souls tackle a question that has long had Rebels and Imperial types scratching their heads: who are the greatest Star Wars characters of all time? In the second instalment of The Greatest, an Empire Podcast limited series brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Sky Cinema's very own Alex Zane, and Absolute Radio's Dave Berry each launch an impassioned defence of their three favourite Star Wars characters. There will be bad impressions. There will be bad jokes. And there will be some choices that you won't see coming. And if, after listening to this, you fancy watching a cheeky Star War, the Star Wars Collection is available on Sky Cinema right now, all the way through to September 15. May the Force be with us all.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast features two very different directors. First up, Chris Hewitt chats to Louis Leterrier about his experiences directing the new 10-episode Netflix series, The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance, and switching from live-action to puppets. They also talk about Leterrier's experiences making The Incredible Hulk, the nature of directorial compromise, and dousing Mark Strong in gallons of fake elephant stuff for Grimsby. Then, Ian Freer has a chat with the great British director, Joanna Hogg, about her new movie, The Souvenir, her time as a film student in London, and directing Eastenders. Meanwhile, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Ian, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for discussion of the news that came from D23, the Breaking Bad movie El Camino, reviews of the week's movies, and try to get their heads around a certain Hollywood director having 20,000 sexual partners. Not all at once, surely? Enjoy.

This! Is! Butler! This week's episode sees one of our favourite recurring guests, Gerard 'Gerry' Butler, pop by the podbooth to tell Chris Hewitt all about his new movie, Angel Has Fallen. Along the way they discuss Nick Nolte, the five stages of movie stardom, and Gerry tells an eyewatering story that has great pedigree, chum. Also this week, Chris talks to Norwegian director Andre Ovredal about Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror flick that's set to make people scream on both sides of the Atlantic. And in the podbooth proper, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to discuss American actors doing English accents, the week's movie news (including Bond 25, the passing of Peter Fonda, and the Spider-shenanigans), and review the latest releases, including Crawl and Pain And Glory. Enjoy.

It's a question as old as time. Perhaps even older. Who is the greatest DC big screen hero: the Caped Crusader, Batman, or the Man Of Steel, Superman? In this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Sky Cinema's very own Alex Zane, and Absolute Radio's Dave Berry venture into the Empire Podcave and hash it out. It's all here over the course of a very fun 60 minutes, from impassioned paeans to Christopher Reeve to rigorous discussion of Batcreditcards. And a host of terrible impressions that may be the Bane of your life. Oh, and at some point, our heroic quartet may even get round to answering the question. If you fancy settling this for yourself, you'll be delighted to know that all the Batman and Superman films discussed here, and tons of films featuring other heroes, are available right now in Sky Cinema's Superheroes Collection. Enjoy.

Former Never Mind The Buzzcocks host Simon Amstell, who used to host Never Mind The Buzzcocks, pops by the podbooth this week for an interview in which his stint on Never Mind The Buzzcocks isn't mentioned once. (Sorry about that, we're aiming for that SEO sweet spot). Instead, he tells Chris Hewitt about how he made his new film, Benjamin, and along the way they attempt the world's first director's commentary entirely from memory. It doesn't go well. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which they talk prime numbers, the newly-announced Empire Podcast tour (tickets on sale now!), discuss the week's movie news, fun movie-related roommates, Henry Golding, and more. Then they review Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Good Boys, and Dora And The Lost City Of Gold. Enjoy 23 times. That's a prime number. Fact.

On this week's show, we invite Gurinder Chadha and Viveik Kalra onto the pod to wax lyrical about The Boss or, more specifically, their new film Blinded By The Light - guaranteed to put a Springsteen in your step. Meanwhile, Chris, James and Helen stand up in defence of some underappreciated classics (love Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium or GTFO) and Chris gives us his reaction to news of the upcoming Event Horizon TV series ("Do you see? DO YOU SEE?!"). Plus we review this week's film releases and, in a podcast first, actually manage to finish when we say we will. Enjoy.

It doesn't happen often, but this week sees the Empire Podbooth doors thrown open to allow the great Nick Frost - star of The Cornetto Trilogy, Paul, Cuban Fury, Fighting With My Family, and now Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans - to pull double duty as both our star guest and a colleague of such lethal cunning. So, this week Nick sits in with Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer as they answer a number of listener questions, discuss Nick's career, find out how not to be starstruck in front of Steven Spielberg, and discuss the week's movie news. Then, when Nick exits stage left, the podteam remain to review Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw, Animals, and The Angry Birds Movie 2. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees James Dyer take a rare break from banging on about TV to sit down for a lovely chat with Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat, stars of the rollicking Dublin-set comedy-drama, Animals. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by James, Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to talk about movie heatwaves, discuss the week's film-related news*, including the Picard trailer and the sad death of the great Rutger Hauer, and review The Current War. Lie back, turn on the fans, whack the headphones up, and enjoy. * Not including discussion of the Marvel Studios panel. That can be found in a podcast special, also available now.

Because (four of) you demanded it, and because we finally found some free time to record it, and because we didn't want to bang on for ages about Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on this week's regular podcast, here is a relatively short podcast in which Team Empire - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis - react to and mull over all the big news from the Marvel Studios panel at last week's San Diego Comic-Con. It's all here: discussion of Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Thor: Love And Thunder, the Disney+ shows, the casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade, bad impressions of Dara O Briain and much, much more. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is all about cats, jellicle and otherwise. Chris Hewitt has a lovely in-depth chat with the wonderful Jon 'Favs' Favreau, who's a cool cat, about his new movie as director, the live-action adaptation of The Lion King, which is about big cats, and there's a little of MCU business thrown in for good measure as well. Because Chris. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to answer a slew of listeners' questions, review The Lion King, Varda By Agnes, and Tell It To The Bees, and discuss the week's movie news, including a Comic-Con preview, speculation about the future of 007, and some trailers. Including the trailer for Tom Hooper's Cats, which they talk about. For a bit. And then a bit more. Because... well. Remember - Jellicles can and Jellicles do! Enjoy.

He's a good egg, that Corin Hardy. He wrapped filming on Gangs Of London, the Gareth Evans-created TV show for which he's directed several episodes, on Thursday, and still found the time and energy to pop into the podbooth for a chat with Chris Hewitt about his... well, actually, Corin doesn't have anything to plug. So, instead, he and Chris talk about life for Corin post-Nun, working on Gangs, and do an impromptu John Carpenter episode of The Ranking. [0:50:33 - 01:20:03] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Ben Travis to talk the Harry Potter studio tour, tie-in novelisations, the new issue of Empire, the week's movie news [0:23:50 - 0:48:46], and review Pavarotti, The Dead Don't Die, Annabelle Come Home, and Stuber [01:20:03]. Enjoy.

We've been big fans of Will Poulter at the Empire Podcast, especially since he agreed to be one of the guests on our very first live show back in 2014. So we're delighted to welcome him back for this week's episode, which sees Ben Travis chat to Will about his new film, Midsommar, and much more besides. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Ben and Helen O'Hara for an episode that takes in The Play That Goes Wrong, great movie weddings, the week's movie news (and there's a lot of it), and reviews of Midsommar, Don't Look Now, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Again. We might review it next week as well. We see this as an absolute win. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down with Himesh Patel, the former Eastender (as in, he was on Eastenders) who stars in this week's Beatle-centric rom-com, Yesterday, and they discover a shared connection. Plus, John Nugent has a chat with the wonderful director, Peter Strickland, about his new movie, In Fabric, in which fashion is, literally, killer. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by James Dyer and Ian Freer to discuss production companies that changed their lives, the re-release of Avengers: Endgame, the week's movie news, and review Spider-Man: Far From Home, Yesterday, and In Fabric. It's all happening on the movie podcast that couldn't cope without The Beatles' songs. Well, maybe Don't Pass Me By. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees Chris Hewitt welcome Swedish actress Noomi Rapace - the original Lisbeth Salander - into the Empire Podbooth for a fun, frank, and often filthy chat about her new movie, The Captor, her surprising taste in music, life as a Londoner, and much more. Also in this episode, John Nugent chats to Josh Cooley, director of Toy Story 4, about giving audiences a huge Buzz. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about their favourite condiments, discuss the week's movie news, review Toy Story 4, Child's Play and Brightburn, and - in a segment already being hailed as 'too long' - imagine every single film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Keanu Reeves in a starring role. Excellent. Madness, and much talk of big ding-dongs, lies within. Enjoy.

Here it is - the full and unexpurgated (well, a little expurgated) recording of the time a couple of weeks ago when Kevin Smith chose to spend his morning off in London, following a successful live Hollywood Babble-On show at The O2, by coming into the Empire Podbooth to have a good old natter with Chris Hewitt and Ben Travis. The first thirteen minutes of this ran on the Empire Podcast a couple of weeks ago, so if you want to get to the new stuff, skip past that. Otherwise, this is nearly 47 minutes of no-holds-barred chat, and typically sweary chat, with Smith, in which he discusses his life, career, his upcoming movie, Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, that Stan Lee cameo in Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame and, of course, the heart attack that so nearly killed him last year. We're glad it didn't. Not just because we had a blast with him as he popped his Empire podcherry, but because the world's a better place for having Kevin Smith in it. We hope you enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the wonderful Asif Kapadia pop by the podbooth to have an in-depth natter with Chris Hewitt about his new documentary, Diego Maradona. No prizes for guessing what it's about - a tumultuous period in the life of one of the most brilliant, but controversial, figures modern sport has ever seen. And if you're wondering if Chris and Asif, two massive Liverpool fans, end up talking about a certain recent Champions League final win, well... yes. But it's early, so non-Reds can skip that bit. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Terri White, James Dyer, and Helen O'Hara for an unexpectedly sexy episode that sees them review Diego Maradona and Men In Black International, discuss the week's movie news, reveal Chris' username on Marvel Puzzle Quest, and ask the biggest question of them all: just who the hell is Bic Pentameter? Enjoy.

James McAvoy is always welcome on the Empire Podcast, and this week he returns to talk to Chris Hewitt about the role he's played most often in his illustrious career: Professor Charles Xavier. It's a role McAvoy is playing for the last time in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and he runs through his Charley X Hall Of Fame in a fun interview. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Nick de Semlyen to talk about watching versions originale in France, discuss the week's movie news, from the Le Mans '66 trailer to further R-Battziness, and review Dark Phoenix and Late Night. Oh, and they have a chat with Nick about his first book, the 80s comedy-centric Wild And Crazy Guys. Enjoy!

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters may feature all kinds of mammoth monsters, but none are as impressive or towering as the great Charles Dance, who has a nice chat with Ben Travis about his new movie, working with Arnie on Last Action Hero, and more. [00.14.50 - 00.32.00] Our second guest this week, Thunder Road star/writer/director Jim Cummings, has a fun and frank chat with Chris Hewitt about working on a bargain budget, recording his script as a podcast (top hint), and sending a cheque to Bruce Springsteen. [00.48.47 - 01.16.47] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss their ideal musical biopic, pore over the week's movie news, and review Booksmart, Thunder Road, and Godzilla: King Of The Monsters in a bumper-sized reviews that takes in all sorts, from toxic fandom to indie box office woes. Oh, and Chris tries to persuade us that Joel Kinnaman is NOT his nemesis. Enjoy!

On this week's episode of the award-losing Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt finds that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher has the Dwight Stuff as they talk all things Elton John. Plus our fearless leader Terri White sits down for a fun chat with Booksmart stars, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to discuss spoiler culture, review Aladdin and Rocketman, discuss R-Battz and the new Chris Nolan film, and then shill like crazy for Champions League final tickets. Well, one member of the team does anyway. No prizes for guessing who. Enjoy.

This week's episode sees the host of the best damn movie podcast in the world sit down... with Kevin Smith. Just a little joke, there. No, we were delighted that the legendary Mr. Smith, in town following a sell-out live edition of Hollywood Babble-On at the O2, no less, found time to drop by our newly-built studio for a chat with Chris Hewitt and Ben Travis. This is just the tip of the iceberg - a longer version of this interview will be up as a special in a couple of days. Then, Chris - a man whose idea of hardcore music is that Crowded House song where Neil Finn uses fuzzy guitar - also talks to Brian Welsh and Lorn Macdonald, star of this week's excellent Beats, a movie about Scottish rave culture in 1994. And back in the podbooth, he sits down with James Dyer and Ben Travis to talk about the week's movie news, review John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, and answer the burning question on absolutely nobody's lips: which Muppet would be the tastiest?

This week's Empire Podcast goes full arthouse, as legendary French director Claire Denis talks to Empire's Editor-In-Chief, Terri White, about her new film, High Life. And then, because nothing can touch the Empire Podcast without being corrupted, there's a bit where they both repeatedly say the word, 'f**kbox'. [00:35:29 - 00:56-09] Then back in the f**kbox - sorry, podbooth - Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, right at the end, John Nugent to discuss their favourite movie memorabilia, talk about how Disney has planned out the next seven years, dig into the new Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer (that's also a mini-Avengers: Endgame spoiler special, so be warned), and review High Life, Arctic, and Pokemon Detective Pikachu. Enjoy!

We haven't seen Nicholas Hoult on the Empire Podcast for a while, so we jumped at the chance to talk Tolkien with him this week, sending Chris Hewitt along for a good old natter about Hoult's new movie, in which he plays the celebrated author, J.R.R. Tolkien. Along the way they talk about Hoult's handwriting, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, and much, much more. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as they decide which animated movie casts they'd like to see in a live-action film, review Long Shot, Tolkien, and Vox Lux, and discuss the week's movie news, including the huge success of Avengers: Endgame, and the sad deaths of John Singleton and Peter Mayhew. Oh, and this week's episode is a tad on the rude side. You have been warned.

We may be in the Endgame now, but don't expect to hear any spoilers from Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of the latest Avengers movie, and this week's Empire Podcast guests. Instead, they sit down for a chat with Chris Hewitt about the rigours of making a movie that's widely expected to be one of the biggest of all time, and their future non-MCU plans. Then, back in the podbooth, Helen O'Hara takes the reins and is joined by James Dyer and Chris, who ran to the studio straight from a plane from LA, as they talk about cancelled movies they'd like to revive, discuss the week's movie news, and review the latest releases. And yes, they're into Endgame now. Enjoy!

Helen is in the driving seat once again on this week's podcast (although Supernatural nipple chat was mercifully kept to a minimum) as we dive into the *last* Empire podcast before the team sees Avengers: Endgame. And to celebrate that fact we not only sit down with everyone's favourite sexy priest, Andrew Scott, to talk about his new film Steel Country, but we also invite director Neil Jordan on board to discuss sex. And also Greta. Nick De Semlyen and James Dyer round out this week's lethally cunning lineup and discuss everything from the latest Hobbs And Shaw trailer to the virtues (or lack thereof) of midnight screenings.

Yesterday saw both the first teaser trailer and the announcement of the title of the ninth, and final, film in the main Star Wars saga. That title was The Rise Of Skywalker, and that teaser was a bit of a belter, reintroducing beloved characters, and posing plenty of big questions. Just as a teaser should. And with Team Empire unable to gather in the podbooth yesterday, we had to wait until today - the morning after the night before - to assemble in Helen O'Hara's living room for an impromptu reaction pod, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen, James White and James Dyer - appearing via hologram from Chicago, where he's attending Star Wars Celebration on behalf of Empire - chew the fat over the teaser's various hints and teases. FYI: James was dialling in digitally, so there's a faint delay when he speaks. Hope it doesn't bother you too much. Enjoy!

In this week's episode of the award-non-minated (that's the technical term for a show that isn't nominated for an award) Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt has a good old natter with the wonderful Irish actor and singer Jessie Buckley, who is on sensational form as a Glaswegian country singer in this week's Wild Rose. Then, either side of that, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to talk semi-nude Jude Law, discuss the week's movie news, review Wild Rose, Hellboy, and Mid90s, and -- because this is Chris' last show this side of Avengers: Endgame -- answer a bunch of your Endgame questions in a quickfire special. Enjoy!

Stanley Kubrick's controversial, thought-provoking, tremendously stylish A Clockwork Orange, now a mere 48 years young, bludgeons its way back into cinemas this weekend. And so Chris Hewitt jumped at the chance to interview its star - the king of the Droogs himself, Malcolm McDowell. In this extended interview, they discuss McDowell's complicated and ever-changing relationship with the film, and with Kubrick himself; why Gene Kelly gave McDowell the cold shoulder; and what it's like to get a real injection up the bum on camera. Hint: painful. Then, they briefly discuss McDowell's Time After Time, before - because Chris can't resist - getting deep into McDowell's lifelong support of Liverpool FC. Poddy well, my brothers and sisters. Poddy well.

On this week's Empire Podcast, we say the magic word - Bangilybang! - and, lo and behold, Zachary Levi, star of this week's DC Comics adaptation, Shazam!, appears. He has a lovely chat with Chris Hewitt about grabbing his second chance at superhero stardom with both hands. Back in the podcave, with Chris waylaid by that nefarious villain, Unforeseen Circumstances, Helen O'Hara leads James Dyer and Ben Travis in a spirited discussion of the week's movie news (Endgame footage! Joker trailer!), review Shazam!, Pet Sematary, and The Sisters Brothers, and assess which small screen star they'd like to see bag a movie career. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast features two bona fide legends of Hollywood, California, both having a chat with that bona fide buffoon of a town not too far away from Holywood, Northern Ireland, Chris Hewitt. First off, Chris travels to Madrid for an audience with Elliot Ness/Wyatt Earp/Jim Garrison/We Could Do This All Day [delete as applicable], Kevin Costner, star of Netflix film, The Highwaymen. Then, back in a London hotel room, Chris comes face to face with the wild, weird, and wacky imagination of the great Tim Burton, director of Dumbo. And back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by the returning Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the death of Supernatural, talk about the week's movie news, review Dumbo and The Highwaymen, and talk about a very serious issue: the sanctioning of buffoonery. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees something of a first for the show. No, it's not coherent - you should know by now that that is but a mere pipe dream. Instead, it's the first time (we think; we may be wrong) that we've featured a translator on the show, as Nick de Semlyen chats to The White Crow's director, Ralph Fiennes, its star, Oleg Ivenko... and Oleg's lovely translator. Then, Chris Hewitt has an in-depth chat about Us and Black Panther with the wonderful Winston Duke, before heading back into the podbooth to have a good old natter about the week's big movie happenings with James Dyer and John Nugent. They discuss James Gunn returning to Guardians 3, Dune casting news (of course), the Disney takeover of Fox, review Us and The White Crow, and go potty for Alan Partridge's Irish doppelgänger, Martin Brennan. Oh, and James pronounces 'psychopathy' in a way that will rock your world. Enjoy.

Since he stopped being the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield has largely taken a step back from the big screen. But he returns this week with David Robert Mitchell's gonzo noir, Under The Silver Lake, and on the latest Empire Podcast he has a nice old natter with Ben Travis about that movie, Scorsese, and Stan Lee. 'Nuff said, True Believers. Then, back in the podbooth, with Chris Hewitt absolutely, positively not available for recording, Helen O'Hara steps ably into the breach, reviewing the week's releases with John Nugent and James Dyer (but let's face it, mainly John Nugent), discussing big news concerning the current Spider-Man, Tom Holland (no, not that one), and tackle a listener question about non-superhero-based comic book movies. Enjoy.

Because (somewhere around a dozen of) you demanded it, here it is: a podcast about a trailer. But not just any trailer. In this very special episode, Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara pop into the podbooth to discuss and dissect the second, and final trailer, for Avengers: Endgame. Along the way they come up with all kinds of harebrained theories about what Joe and Anthony Russo may have in store for us when the movie opens next month, call Thanos all kinds of rude names, and discover the meaning of life. Oh, and Chris shills desperately for a brand-name speaker system. Enjoy.

It's like an episode of Extras on the Empire Podcast this week, as Ricky Gervais - star, writer, director of the new Netflix show, After Life - and Captain Marvel star, Samuel L. Jackson - old Nick Fury himself - pop by to have a good old natter with Chris Hewitt about a great many things, from getting advice from Jerry Seinfeld to why Jackson doesn't tweet about Liverpool FC anymore. Then, in the podbooth itself, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about great movie pets, discuss the week's news, including Idris Elba joining The Suicide Squad, figure out whether Sam Jackson has made more MCU appearances than Robert Downey Jr., and review Captain Marvel and dark Swedish fantasy, Border. Oh, and James mansplains the female experience to Helen, which is nice. Do, please, enjoy.

For this week's pod, the team journeyed North to bonnie Scotland to record live at the Glasgow Film Festival - mainly so we could eat our own bodyweight in Irn-Bru sweets, which one listener was kind enough to provide. We also found the time to sit down with Sir Michael Palin, who reminisced with Chris Hewitt about The Holy Grail, Doon Castle and new documentary Final Ascent. Plus all the usual movie news and nonsense, including Helen's analysis of all things Oscars and only the tiniest bit of Dune tedium from James.

"Stop getting Alan wrong!" That could well be what you shout at a couple of points in this very special Empire Podcast appreciation of all things Alan Partridge, as Alan anoraks (Alanoraks?) Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen and Pilot TV's Boyd Hilton get together for a solid 49 minutes of scorching Alan-based chat... and end up misquoting him on several occasions. The authorities have been informed. But that's not all. Chris also sits down for a chat with Neil and Rob Gibbons, the clever flucking clunts who have, for the last few years, been getting Alan right, as writers (and now directors) of Mid-Morning Matters, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, and his triumphant return to the BBC with This Time with Alan Partridge. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll pierce your foot on a spike -- not our words, Carol, but the words of... oh, no, those are our words, actually. Enjoy.

Due to another incredible scheduling snafu by Chris 'What's a spreadsheet' Hewitt, this week's episode of the Empire Podcast features a veritable cavalcade of star guests. There's a Fighting With My Family double bill, as John Nugent talks to that film's director, Stephen Merchant, and its star, Florence Pugh. Then a very tired Chris meets a very jetlagged Jason Clarke, star of The Aftermath, and they end up talking about David O'Leary. In the podbooth, Chris is joined by Nick de Semlyen and James Dyer to discuss the week's movie news, share their battle tips for surviving an Oscars all-nighter, and review Capernaum, On The Basis Of Sex, and Cold Pursuit. Oh, and discuss creme eggs, and the consumption thereof. Enjoy!

Empire's 30th birthday celebrations continue unabated with this very special podcast documentary - or, if you will, podumentary - exploring the biggest film of all time: James Cameron's Avatar. Host Chris Hewitt dips into the Empire archives, and also sits down for a brand-new chat with Cameron, the film's writer-producer-editor-director, to tell the story of how Cameron's groundbreaking visit to Pandora came to be. It's packed with info about Cameron's Eureka! moment, how he nearly chose to direct what would become Alita: Battle Angel instead, and some very interesting revelations about casting the film's hero, Jake Sully. Enjoy.

Holy delayed podcast, Batman! Yes, it's finally here - the Batman edition of The Ranking, the podcast/magazine crossover in which four Empire writers - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Dan Jolin, and Olly Richards - argue the toss over a series of movies. In this case, it's the Batfilms. All the Batfilms. Yes, even the rubbish ones. So settle in for an hour of feverish Batdebate that features Helen and Dan arguing about the politics of The Dark Knight Rises, fewer impressions of Bane than you might expect, and the final, Empirical Batman Top 10. It just might surprise you. This pod needs an enema!

After the lunacy of last week's live episode, the Empire Podcast settles down this week, with an actual knight, and R&B royalty. First, Ben Travis has an audience with the wondrous Mary J. Blige, chatting about her new Netflix show, The Umbrella Academy, and much, much more. Then Chris Hewitt chats to not one, but two Merlins, as The Kid Who Would Be King stars, Sir Patrick Stewart and Angus Imrie, drop by the podbooth. We feel we should warn you - there is more discussion of @SirPatStew nudity in this than your average podcast interview. Either side of those, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen, and James Dyer for much discussion of the week's movie news. They also run their eye over The Kid Who Would Be King and A Private War, and finally answer the question that has been gripping us all for years: who is the best Hollywood Chris - Hemsworth, Evans, Pratt, or Pine? The answer might surprise you. It won't.

Actor. Writer. Director. Producer. Joel Edgerton is the very definition of a multi-hyphenate, in front of and behind the camera. He performs all four duties admirably on Boy Erased, which opens in the UK this week. A drama starring Lucas Hedges as a young man sent to a gay conversion therapy centre by his Baptist parents (Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman), where he struggles with the strict methods of Edgerton's counsellor, it's a fine follow-up to the Australian's directorial debut, The Gift. When he came to London recently, we sent John Nugent along to have a bit of a natter with him, about Boy Erased and many, many other things. Enjoy.

Can it really be seven years since four giggling idiots walked into a studio in London, and decided to inflict their godawful opinions about movies upon unsuspecting members of the public? Apparently it can, for this is the 350th episode of the Empire Podcast. And to celebrate it in style, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Empire's Editor-in-Chief, Terri White, were joined by a sell-out crowd at Kings Place in London earlier this week for a raucous live podcast. There will be movie reviews. There will be a bit where Terri hides under a desk. There will be discussion of the week's big movie news. There will be (lots of) swearing. And there will be more listener questions than you can shake a stick at. But that's not all. The podteam are also joined by special guests, The Kid Who Would Be King director Joe Cornish, and Zawe Ashton, star of Wanderlust, Fresh Meat, and the Netflix Original Film, Velvet Buzzsaw. Get ready to have a bangily-banging time. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast is the kind of bumper edition you might need to book a flight in order to have time to listen to it all. We have three - count 'em, THREE - incredible guests. First, Helen O'Hara talks to Alita herself, Rosa Salazar, the star of Alita: Battle Angel. Then, Ben Travis talks with Dean DeBlois, director of all three How To Train Your Dragon movies, as he brings the trilogy to a close with The Hidden World. Finally, waiting at the very end of the pod as a lovely reward, Nick de Semlyen has a long but rather wonderful interview with freshly-minted Oscar nominee, Richard E. Grant. Back in the podbooth, host Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen and James Dyer to talk their favourite Monty Python sketches, wade through tons of movie news (Batman! Zombies! Batzombies?), and review Green Book, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and Can You Ever Forgive Me? And don't forget - next week sees our 350th episode. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Enjoy!

This week, Oscar-winning actor Nicole Kidman drops by the pod booth to class up the joint and tell us about her latest chameleonic tour-de-force Destroyer. Plus, Charlie Brooker joins us to talk about the brain-melting branching narrative of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Plus, there's news on the Empire Podcast's latest foray out of the comforts of the booth...

We're huge fans of Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, A Star Is Born, here at Empire Podcast Towers. So much so we gave it five stars when it opened in cinemas late last year. So, when we heard that the star/director/producer/co-writer/caterer of the now-Oscar-nominated emotionally devastating love story was in town, Chris Hewitt went along to have a good old natter with Cooper about the challenges he faced as a director, key moments in the movie [INSERT SPOILER WARNING HERE], and cracking Jackson Maine's signature voice. Then, because we're good like that, we decided to bring you a little bonus content, as Chris sits down in the podbooth with Empire's biggest A Star Is Born fans, Ben Travis and Editor-In-Chief, Terri White, to delve deeply into the film. Warning: there is some fairly frank discussion of mental health issues, so be aware of that. Otherwise, it's business as usual. We hope you enjoy.

For years, Adam McKay was dedicated to making us laugh with brilliant, surreal, gloriously daft comedies like Anchorman, Step Brothers, and The Other Guys. Lately, he's turned his attention to making us laugh, and also scream in horror at the state of the world, with the Oscar-winning The Big Short and next week's Vice, in which Christian Bale plays former US Vice-President, Dick Cheney. In this week's podcast, McKay chats to Chris Hewitt about that film, about his new approach, and his very real brush with death. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Empire Editor-in-Chief Terri White, and James Dyer to tackle a question about the 2019 movie news story they'd like to see, discuss the news stories that broke this week, from Missions Impossible to the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, and then review Glass, Mary Queen of Scots, and Beautiful Boy. And, in true Adam McKay fashion, there may be one or two LOUD NOISES. Enjoy.

Well, this is another nice mess. Stan & Ollie, Jon S. Baird's film about a UK tour undertaken by Laurel & Hardy towards the end of their careers, opens this week. So Chris Hewitt has a nice chat with Baird about that, shameless namedropping and more, and in the bargain they come up with the podcast's strangest spin-off episode to date. Then Chris has a chat with the film's Stan, BAFTA-nominated Steve Coogan, about impressions, double acts, Partridge, Tripping with Rob Brydon, Holmes & Watson, and more. It's a ruddy blast. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by pod-regulars Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, and new producer Jane, for an episode that features some tweaks we hope you'll like, and a huge dollop of the usual film-related fun as they discuss mobile phones in cinemas, the week's movie news, and review the big releases, including Colette and The Front Runner. Enjoy.

2019 may be only a few days old, but the Empire Podcast does not rest. So we're back back back for the first pod of the year, which sees Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Empire's Man In LA, James 'Jaime Blanco' White, dive back into the podbooth to discuss their Christmas breaks, chat about the movie news (what there is of it), and review The Favourite, Holmes & Watson, and Welcome To Marwen. Speaking of Welcome To Marwen, that film's director, Robert Zemeckis, and star, Steve Carell, have a lovely chat about that film and more, and our Olly Richards was on hand to witness it and occasionally interject. Do please enjoy this podcast, brought to you in association with Adam Sandler's Pixels. Apparently. Happy New Year!

So, 2018. That was the year that was. And in this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt is joined by James Dyer, Helen O'Hara and, on a shared microphone because there are no airs and graces round these parts, Empire's Editor-In-Chief, Terri White, to chew the fat about the cinematic year. From cameos of the year to scenes of the year, they leave very few stones unturned, before counting down their personal Top 10s. And all while trying desperately - nay, heroically - not to wang on relentlessly about Avengers: Infinity War. So join them for 90 minutes of occasionally sweary film-related fun, and see in 2019 in style. Happy New Year, listeners - thanks for making this the best year yet for the pod.

Anyone who's listened to the Empire Podcast on an even semi-casual basis would know that Helen O'Hara and Chris Hewitt are big fans of Hamilton (particularly Helen). So, when the chance arose to have the creator/star of that already-legendary Broadway musical, Lin-Manuel Miranda, on the pod in his new guise as star of the delightful Mary Poppins Returns, they said, in unison, 'we are not going to be throwing away our shot, that's for sure'. So he's our first guest of the last regular pod of 2018. Trip a little light fantastic with us, why don't you? Then, Chris is joined by Ben Wheatley, director of Happy New Year, Colin Burstead, for a fun, slightly demob-happy chat. And in the podbooth, with everyone else off for Christmas, Chris is joined for the main pod by one colleague of such lethal cunning: birthday boy, James Dyer. Together, they preview 2019, review some films, discuss some movie news, and somehow manage not to set the whole thing on fire. Merry Christmas, listeners!

"Excuse me, has anyone got a bottle of orange juice?" The legends that are the League Of Gentlemen are back back back, freed from the confines of Royston Vasey and unleashed into the real world with their new live DVD, The League Of Gentlemen Live Again. And Chris Hewitt couldn't resist the chance to get them into the podbooth to ask all four of them - Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, and Jeremy Dyson - about their touring arrangements, and the correct pronunciation of Claes Bang. Elsewhere, we can't get rid of Peter Jackson. Not content with his own special a few weeks ago, he's back, with writer Philippa Boyens, to talk with Ben Travis about that movie wot he produced, Mortal Engines. Meanwhile, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Ben, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk meringue wreaths, hedgehogs on steroids, the odd bit of film news, and cast their eyes over Roma, Aquaman, and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Enjoy.

Dread it. Run from it. The Empire Podcast's deeply nerdy audio breakdown of the brand new teaser for the fourth Avengers movie arrives all the same. Join Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara as they pore over the brand new teaser trailer for the movie we can now officially call Avengers: Endgame, conjure up more bonkers theories and possibly baseless speculation than you can shake a Time Stone at, and ask the big questions. What are those things called on Hawkeye's arms? Does Thanos hate dogs? And just what in the name of all that is holy happened to Steve Rogers' beard? In case you hadn't already guessed, this is a deep dive into the trailer, and not for the fainthearted or MCU sceptics. For everyone else, listening to this is as easy as clicking your fingers. Enjoy.

Before you ask, yes, this week's Empire Podcast was recorded five minutes before the Avengers trailer dropped. No, we didn't have time to go back in and record anything. Yes, we're upset. Yes, there will be a special podcast, up later today. No, we don't know how [REDACTED] gets out of [ALSO REDACTED]. So, to this week's episode, then, in which Chris Hewitt sits down for an audience with the great Andy Serkis, star and director of Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle. They talk about the film's long journey to completion, how it wound up on Netflix, and what Serkis took from the great directors with whom he's worked. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to answer a question about Christmas presents, discuss the week's movie news (no Avengers, natch), and review the likes of Sorry To Bother You and The Old Man And The Gun. It's bangily-banging.

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday, dear Empire, happy birthday to us! Yes, Empire is turning 30. And to celebrate, we're launching a year-long (well, thirteen month-long) celebration of some of our favourite filmmakers. And that activity isn't restricted to the magazine. We're going all in on the podcast as well. Which brings us neatly to Taika Waititi. The man who directed Eagle Vs Shark, Boy, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, What We Do In The Shadows, and Thor Ragnarok is one of the most distinctive and original voices working today. And when he came into London recently to deliver a lecture on screenwriting at BAFTA, Chris Hewitt jumped at the chance to sit down with the great man and get granular on his screenplay form. How did he get started? What is his technique? How does he find writing alone? The answers to all these questions, and more, lie within. So pop on a paper hat, light the candles on the cake, and enjoy this very special birthday bash.

Alfonso Cuaron is one of the finest, and most versatile, directors working today, able to leap effortlessly from huge tentpoles like Gravity and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, to smaller, more intimate movies like Y Tu Mama Tambien and Children Of Men (although that one was also pretty huge). He explores a more personal canvas in Roma, out now in selected cinemas and available from next week on Netflix, and on this week's podcast he chats to Ian Freer about that movie, becoming his own DP, the 1970 World Cup, and how Guillermo del Toro convinced him to give Potter a try. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen and professional joke ruiner James Dyer to answer a listener's question about kids TV shows, tackle the week's movie news, plug the heck out of the new issue of Empire, and review Ralph Breaks The Internet and Creed II. Oh, and eat some Twiglets.

You can probably count the number of actors whose iconic roles you can count on the fingers of two hands on the fingers of, erm, one hand. Kurt Russell is one of those actors. After all, he's played Elvis Presley, Snake Plissken, R.J. Macready, Jack Burton, Tango-or-Cash, Stuntman Mike, Ego The Living Planet, and Wyatt Earp across the breadth of an incredible career that's spanned nearly six decades. And now he's added Santa Claus to the list, with his fun turn as Father Christmas in The Christmas Chronicles. It makes sense - a man with a beard like that just had to play Santa one day. In this very special interview, Chris Hewitt sits down with Russell to talk about playing Santa, and his wider career, with particular emphasis on the works of one John Carpenter. Enjoy. The Christmas Chronicles is out now on Netflix.

In the latest, and absolutely not late, no you shut up, episode of The Ranking, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen try to discuss the movies of one of the biggest (literally and figuratively) movie stars of all time: Arnold Schwarzenegger. The only obstacle in their path: Arnold superfan, James Dyer, who might not let them get a word in edgeways. Join us for an hour of top Arnie anecdotes (or Arn-ecdotes), as the podteam crush their enemies, see them driven before them, and hear the lamentations of the women, before settling on the empirical (or Empirical) top ten Schwarzenegger movies. Now that's Arn-tertainment.

It's a question as old as time. Or as old as 1988. Is Die Hard, that Bruce Willis action classic, a Christmas movie, or just a movie that happens to be set at Christmas? In this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, Empire's Chris Hewitt and James Dyer are joined by Sky Cinema's Alex Zane and Absolute Radio's Dave Berry to settle a debate that has raged for decades, once and for all. And once they put that little matter to bed, they discuss the film itself in great detail. It's all here - enough Die Hard knowledge to shake the Nakatomi Plaza to its foundations, along with a host of terrible Alan Rickman impressions. And if that whets your whistle, you can watch Die Hard exclusively on Sky Cinema from December 1. Welcome to the party, pal!

The last time Taron Egerton rocked up on the Empire Podcast, he didn't realise that it would be in front of a live audience of 400 people. Sorry about that, Taron. This time around, it's a much more intimate setting as he talks Robin Hood, Rocketman, and the future of Kingsman with Ben Travis. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Ben and fellow colleagues of lethal cunning, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, to discuss the week's movie news, from more Cats casting to the sad passing of William Goldman, review The Christmas Chronicles, Robin Hood, and The Girl In The Spider's Web, and answer a listener's question. Oh, and they get to answer a few questions of their own as a very special mystery guest drops in all the way from his HQ.

"This is my first British podcast," Jane Fonda tells Helen O'Hara towards the end of their funny and candid chat in this week's episode, which just goes to show that even a living legend notches up new experiences all the time. We're proud, and honoured, to be Fonda's first, as she chats about 9 To 5, which is re-released in cinemas this week, Grace & Frankie, political activism and more. Then Helen (with a little help from Chris Hewitt) has a chat with Outlaw King's Aaron Taylor-Johnson, during which the man who once played John Lennon claims he can't play a musical instrument. Didn't stop Ringo, Aaron. Back in the podbooth, Chris and Helen are joined by James Dyer to answer a question about Clint Eastwood, pay tribute to the late Stan Lee in a special section, and review Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald and Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria. Trust us - there's nary a wasted minute.

Ever since she burst onto the scene with a star-making turn in An Education, Carey Mulligan has been one of our favourite actresses. Always interesting to watch, she imbues whatever she does, whether it's working with the Coen Brothers on Inside Llewyn Davis, Baz Luhrmann on The Great Gatsby, or Paul Dano on his directorial debut, this week's Wildlife, with intelligence and an admirable willingness to embrace character flaws. She hasn't won an Oscar yet, but it's surely only a matter of time - and perhaps it will be for Wildlife, in which she is magnificent as a wife and mother who begins to rediscover her more carefree side, which alters her relationship with her teenage son. The movie opened here in the UK on Friday, so we thought it was the perfect time to bring you this small but perfectly formed interview, conducted by our John Nugent, which is perfect for your commute.

Chris Pine goes all Scottish in this week's Outlaw King, the story of Robert The Bruce, and in this week's episode he, and the film's director, David Mackenzie, talk to Helen O'Hara about making their film in the shadow of Braveheart, and more. Also, Tim Blake Nelson talks to John Nugent about working with the Coen Brothers on The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, almost two decades after first hooking up with them (professionally speaking, of course) on O Brother, Where Art Thou? Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Helen and Ben Travis for a jam-packed edition in which they discuss the films of the newly-minted Dame Emma Thompson, tackle the week's news including a spoilerific look at developments in The Walking Dead (00:37:31 - 00:42:49), and review seemingly EVERY FILM EVER MADE, including Steve McQueen's Widows and Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old. Have at it!

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have starred in a beloved TV show, and an equally beloved series of films, together. They've written films together. They've produced films together, including this week's horror-comedy, Slaughterhouse Rulez. But it's all been leading to this: the pinnacle of their career, the summit of their friendship, the zenith of their journey as human beings: the Empire Podbooth, where they have a very funny but, we will warn you now, very adults-only chat with Chris Hewitt about a wide array of topics including the name of their new company, Stolen Picture, the rigours of producing movies, and who they'd like to see on the face of the new £50 note. The answer will shock you. Meanwhile, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, fresh off another marathon, and Nick de Semlyen, to go over the week's movie news; review Peterloo and The Nutcracker And The Four Realms; and answer a question about remakes.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught on a podcast, no escape from reality. Yes, this week sees the release of Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Rami Malek, the man who plays Mr. Fahrenheit, aka Freddie Mercury, pops into the podbooth to talk about that with Chris Hewitt. Then, Panos Cosmatos, the director of Nic Cage fever dream revenge thriller Mandy, has an intense and involved chat with Ben Travis that covers everything from grief to staging a chainsaw battle. NB: the sound quality on the Cosmatos interview isn't what we would ideally want, but it's worth listening to. Then, in the podbooth it's tears all round as Chris, Helen O'Hara and John Nugent are joined by Empire's outgoing Art Editor, Olly Gibbs, for his first and last appearance on the pod. Olly fields listener questions in his Empire exit interview, helps the team dissect the week's movie news and review Bohemian Rhapsody and Matthew Holness' Possum, and is serenaded by our surprise guest, Randy Newman

This week's Empire Podcast is very much a tale of two interviews. First, actual living legend Jamie Lee Curtis talks to Chris Hewitt about returning to the Halloween franchise, and the role of Laurie Strode, for what feels like a fresh start. In a serious, even intense, interview, they touch upon the impact of the #MeToo movement upon the new film, about surviving trauma, and the emotional resonance of returning to the role. Then, podcast favourite Gerard Butler pops by the podbooth to talk about his new film, submarine thriller Hunter Killer, and ends up talking about how Novak Djokovic is perhaps the only person on Earth who can get him to yell, "THIS! IS! SPARTA!" Back in the booth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Dan Jolin for a freewheeling episode in which they talk about classic modern comedies, eviscerate Cats the musical, drop in the odd history lesson, and get the reviews and news sections back-to-front. Oh, and Bob Dylan pops by for a rendition of the pod

In this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen are joined by one of our favourite directors. Yes, it's Sir Peter Of Jackson, who drops by the podbooth to talk about his fantastic documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old, which uses cutting-edge technology to shed a new light on the First World War. As well as an in-depth chat about the techniques Jackson used to restore archive footage, and his fascination with WWI in general, Chris and Nick also find time to get geeky about Jackson's early, gory films like Meet The Feebles and Bad Taste. If you're looking for Lord Of The Rings chat, you might find that another time. But if you're looking to hear a master craftsman talk about his master craft for half an hour, you've come to the right place. Enjoy, you fools!

The Empire Podcast gets serious this week, as the great Paul Greengrass - director of 22 July, a new Netflix film about the horrific mass murder committed by Anders Breivik in Norway in 2011 - talks to Chris Hewitt about the rise of the far right, and the role democracy has to play in combating it. [22:15 - 43:46] Then Ben Travis talks to First Man director Damien Chazelle about the challenges of making a film about the attempt to get Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts on the moon back in 1969. [01:05:46 - 01:27:25] Back in the podbooth, it's a two-person job as Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara to answer a bunch of listener questions, tackle the week's movie news (James Gunn causing tongues to wag), review Bad Times At The El Royale, 22 July, and First Man, sing Memories, and talk at length about Chris' metallic abs. OK, so maybe the Empire Podcast doesn't get completely serious this week...

This week's longer-and-let's-face-it-probably-more-incoherent-than-usual episode of the Empire Podcast sees that lovable rascal and former Hobbit, Dominic Monaghan, sit in with Chris Hewitt, Ben Travis, and James Dyer for most of the episode. During which time they talk about movie cliffhangers, discuss the week's film news, talk about Jose Mourinho, his love of Star Wars, tattoos, Lord Of The Rings, Wagon Wheels, The Beatles, and much, much more. It's a lot of fun. Our door is always open, Dom. The podcast proper, which also sees a dwindling podteam review A Star Is Born and Venom, begins at 00:43:23, in case Wagon Wheels aren't your jam. Even the jammy ones. Then, Chris talks to Henry Thomas, former child actor (he was in some film about an extra-terrestrial, we think) turned star of Mike Flanagan's terrifying Netflix series, The Haunting Of Hill House, and a good time was had by both. We hope you'll join us. AND NEVER LEAVE. (01:39:35 - 01:57:52)

We've got witchcraft of all kinds on our mind in the Empire podbooth this week. Our guests, Teresa Palmer and Matthew Goode, are the stars of Sky's A Discovery Of Witches, and they're a ruddy delight as they have a natter with Ben Travis. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt hosts Ben, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer as they talk a ton of trailers, review Skate Kitchen, Black 47 and Night School, go off on more tangents than a Rube Goldberg machine, and discuss the thorniest subject of them all: which Hogwarts house would they belong to? And that's magic. You'll like it. Not a lot, but you'll like it.

It's a tale of two directors on the Empire Podcast this week, as Eli Roth pops by to talk to his Drunk British Slob from Hostel Part II, Chris Hewitt, about The House With A Clock In Its Walls, working with Bruce Willis, and persuading Hollywood to see past his hardcore horror past. Then Chris chats to A Simple Favour director, Paul Feig, about moving into comedy thriller territory, being the best dressed man in show business, working with Emma Thompson, and not working with Melissa McCarthy. Oh, and Chris tries to bolster his IMDb credits, but to no avail. Meanwhile, in the podbooth, that Hewitt fella is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss aquatic creatures, the Captain Marvel trailer, Bond 25, review the week's releases, tackle de-ageing in Hollywood, and Helen tells the world's most convoluted joke. Enjoy!

From talking representation in modern cinema, to discussing Jim Broadbent's bum, you can't say that this week's Empire Podcast doesn't cover all the bases. Or whatever they say in cricket. In the podbooth, Chris Hewitt is joined by Terri White, Ben Travis, and Nev Pierce to talk about a great many things, from Henry Cavill's possible departure from the DCEU to Terri's desire to open a pub. They also tackle a listener's question, and there's an extended reviews section in which they tackle Crazy Rich Asians, The Predator, and King Of Thieves. And any budding filmmakers should listen to Nev talk about how he is forging a career as a director. Then, Chris talks to Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu, and King Of Thieves duo Michael Caine and Ray Winstone about a wide range of subjects. Includes: Chris trying, and failing, to pluck up the courage to do a Michael Caine impression in front of Actual Michael Caine, and the single greatest name drop in Empire Podcast history. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast was recorded live at Kings Place, London, as part of the London Podcast Festival. If you've ever been to our live shows before, you'll know what that means. If you haven't, this (slightly) edited version is a fine snapshot of what we're like when we're live. Namely, even swearier than usual, dafter than usual, and more juvenile than usual. If that's your bag, then listen on as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Empire's Editor-In-Chief, Terri White discuss the week's movie news, get very silly about the battle of the Chrises, play Empire Podcast Bingo with the audience, try to pay sincere tribute to the late, great Burt Reynolds, review the week's releases, including American Animals and Final Score, and take audience questions. Oh, and Corin Hardy - director of The Nun - pops by for a chat with Chris, and he brings a very spooky special guest with him. Enjoy the show, and do please accept our apologies in advance.

In the latest episode of The Ranking, which is absolutely on time and in no way massively late (no, YOU shut up), a crack team of massive Star Trek fans who know what they're talking about, and Chris Hewitt, join together to definitively rank the Star Trek films in order. Join James Dyer, Helen O'Hara, Dan Jolin and that Hewitt eejit as they discuss the merits of the original crew, the Next Gen movies, the JJ Abrams not-a-reboot-actually and its sequels, drop a load of bad impressions, and genuinely argue and bicker with each other. Features more James Dyer condescension than had been previously thought possible. And, at the end, we list the empirical Star Trek top 10. It may shock you. (It won't.)

Leigh Whannell is the actor-turned-screenwriter-turned director behind the likes of Saw (the early, good ones), the Insidious movies, and this week's hard-boiled slice of sci-fi, Upgrade, in which a paralysed Logan Marshall-Green bonds with an operating system that allows him to take bloody revenge on the men who attacked him. And, as it turns out, Whannell is also a dream of an interviewee, sitting down with Chris Hewitt for this extended chat about the journey of Upgrade from script to screen, his feelings on technology, and the comparisons between his film and the upcoming Venom. He's also very, very funny, deploying a number of impressions, including a Steve Buscemi so good we're expecting him to be cast in an Adam Sandler comedy any day now. Oh, and while this isn't an Upgrade spoiler special, you might want to see that film before listening to this in case we give anything away. Enjoy.

If this week's Empire Podcast were any more jam-packed, you could pop a label on it and call it a jar of Hartley's. We are joined by not one, not two, not three, but FOUR guests this week. First up is Chloe Grace Moretz, the former Hit-Girl herself, who talks to Chris Hewitt about her new movie, The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, falling in and out of love with acting, and being a DJ. [00:11:55 - 00:31:02] Then Chris talks to the man mountain that is Dave Bautista [00:52:09 - 01:07:05] about his new movie, football-based thriller Final Score, and introduces him (figuratively, not literally) to Trent Alexander-Arnold. And last but not least, Chris and Nick de Semlyen natter to American Animals director Bart Layton and his star, Irish actor Barry Keoghan. [01:08:14 - 01:28:35] Meanwhile, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to 'answer' a listener's question, dissect the week's movie news, and review Upgrade and Cold War. Jammy gits.

Iain Morris is the co-creator of The Inbetweeners, director of raucous Brit-com The Festival (in cinemas now), and now a temporary member of the Empire Podteam. In this week's episode he joins Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer to discuss the week's movie news (mainly Danny Boyle leaving Bond 25), and the sexiest moment in the MCU. He also talks about The Festival, Joe Thomas' bum, and throws in a Crowded House anecdote that may be the single most shameless example of namedropping in Empire Podcast history. Elsewhere, Chris talks to Guy Pearce, star of the new Netflix show, The Innocents, and they get quite specific about accents, and wax lyrical about L.A. Confidential. Rollo Tomasi would be so proud.

We asked you to vote for the greatest Star Wars characters of all time, and you didn't let us down. This month's issue of Empire features an epic countdown of those characters, from beloved Original Trilogy stalwarts, to newer, fresher blood, with the odd cartoon character thrown in for good measure. And in this very special episode of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Nick de Semlyen get together in the podbooth to take the scenic route through the list, unleashing an array of awful impressions, and asking the big questions: what do those buttons on Darth Vader's chest do? Is Qui-Gon Jinn the worst Jedi of all time? And just who the hell is Cad Bane? And don't forget - to read all about it, once you've listened to this, the current issue of Empire is on sale now, in all good and evil newsagents. May the Schwartz be with you.

Antoine Fuqua has worked with Denzel Washington four times, more than any other director. And on this week's episode, he talks to Chris Hewitt about reteaming with the Oscar-winning legend for The Equalizer 2, their first outing on Training Day, and his hopes that Denzel might star in his Scarface remake. Elsewhere, the frank and very funny Fuqua talks about bouncing back in Hollywood after King Arthur, and about the social conscience that runs through his films as an African-American director. That starts at 00:39:54 and runs to 01:12:22. Then, Chris is joined in the regular-regular podbooth by James Dyer and Nick de Semlyen for a frankly chaotic podcast that sees them review The Equalizer 2 and Christopher Robin, tackle a listener's question about ageing action heroes (with the emphasis heavily on tackle), and discuss the week's movie news. Oh, and crowbar in more terrible impressions per second than any previous Empire Podcast. Enjoy...?

The wonderful Hayley Atwell - Dame Peggy Carter herself - returns to the Empire Podcast this week, ostensibly to talk to Chris Hewitt about her new film, next week's Christopher Robin. Instead, it ended up being a relentlessly daft chat, including Chris and Hayley's pitch for a return of Peggy Carter from beyond the grave (are you listening, Kevin Feige?), and the latest round of our irregular feature, the IMDbunker. Nothing can prepare you for the impact of Hayley Atwell's ventriloquism act. Back in the podbooth, Helen O'Hara slides effortlessly into the host's chair and, along with James Dyer, Dan Jolin and Ben Travis, tackles a listener question about movie first aid techniques, dissects the week's movie news, including a very unpopular Oscars announcement, and reviews The Meg. We're gonna need a bigger pod.

This week's episode of the award-winning-but-mostly-award-losing Empire Podcast could easily have been retitled Giggling Idiots Go! To The Movies, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and our Editor-In-Chief Terri White (or is it Terri White?) convene in the podbooth for an hour of utter nonsense. There will be discussion of the week's big movie news. There will be reviews of Ant-Man And The Wasp, The Escape, and Teen Titans Go! To The Movies. There will even be an attempt to answer a listener's question. But there will also be daft impressions, much giggling, and Chris gets his innuendo-o-meter out and tries to get to grips with it. Elsewhere, due to an unfortunate last-minute guest cancellation, we decided instead to bring you an early preview of next week's second part of our epic Mission: Impossible - Fallout spoiler special with director Christopher McQuarrie. This one's just a mere 15 minutes. Next week will be... longer than that. Enjoy!

Mission: Impossible - Fallout's Vanessa Kirby swings by the podbooth this week in an interview only five hours and fifty eight minutes shorter than Chris' upcoming spoiler special chat with director Christopher McQuarrie. Elsewhere, Chris, James, Helen and Nick tackle the third act firing of Chekhov's (James) Gunn, delve into the bountiful delights of this year's Comic-Con and take a terrifying step into the world of Frasier fan fiction. Enter at your own risk.

Two more guests check into Hotel Empire Podcast this week. Let's hope they don't do that thing people do on Four In A Bed, where they run their finger along the wardrobe to check for dust. No telling what people might find in the darkest corners of the podbooth... First up is Jeremy Irvine, who talks to Ben Travis about playing (and singing as) a young Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. That starts at 23:56 and finishes at 46:16. Then Drew Pearce, co-writer of Iron Man 3 and creator of Trevor Slattery, pops in to talk about his directorial debut, the all-star thriller, Hotel Artemis. It's an epic chat with Chris Hewitt that starts at 1:01:51 and runs all the way to 1:41:07. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the booth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to ramble on about the week's news, review Hotel Artemis and Mamma Mia! 2, and answer a question from BB-8 himself, Brian Herring. Enjoy!

We're flying high on the Empire Podcast this week, as Incredibles 2 director, and all-round animation legend, Brad Bird pops in to the podbooth to talk to Jonny Pile and Chris Hewitt. They discuss returning to animation, working with Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and more besides. It starts at 22:48 and finishes at 47:33. Then Ethan Hawke, one of our favourite recurring guests, pops in to talk faith, his new movie First Reformed, and working inside and outside the Hollywood system. He's chatting to Ben Travis, and that runs from 01:11:31 to 01:34:16. Back in the podbooth, Chris is then joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for the usual rambling dissection of the week's movie news (Joker alert!), plus reviews of both Bird and Hawke's films. They also discuss James' recent conversion to football, talk about the most beautiful places that they've seen films, and reveal the terrifying creation that is... RoboPod. Part human. Part podcast host. All cretin.

On this week's podcast, Margaery Tyrell herself Natalie Dormer joins John Nugent in the pod booth to talk about her new neo-noir thriller In Darkness. Plus, Rob Brydon treats Ian Freer to a personal rendtion of his best impressions, and explains the rules of synchronised swimming from his new comedy Swimming With Men. Elsewhere in podland, with Chris Hewitt back in The Old Country, James Dyer takes the reins with his usual levels of gentle understatement and sunny optimism, ably flanked by the ever-cunning Helen O'Hara and Nick De Semlyen.

On this week's Empire Podcast, Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin make it to dry land to chat with John Nugent about their real-life disaster movie Adrift. Plus, multi-hyphenates Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson speak to James Dyer about the cult low-budget horror The Endless, which you'll be pleased to know, despite that title, has a running time of just 111 minutes. And back in the pod booth, a heavily jet-lagged Chris Hewitt doggedly bangily-bangs his way through the week's movie news and reviews with help from Ben Travis and Nick De Semlyen.

He's battled Bond. Collected Infinity Stones. Stood in a line-up with the Usual Suspects. And now Benicio Del Toro, Oscar-winning legend and star of Sicario 2: Soldado, is gracing this week's Empire Podcast. He talks to Ian Freer about returning to play the hitman, Alejandro, his Bond and Star Wars experiences, and more. Then, in the podbooth, a dearth of colleagues of such lethal cunning means it's a two-person pod this week, with Helen O'Hara hosting James Dyer as they talk about that proposed 'fan' remake of The Last Jedi, kick around the week's movie news, and review Freak Show and In The Fade. So, sit back, relax and enjoy this belated podcast (we delayed it because the Benicio Del Toro interview didn't happen until this Saturday afternoon), which may be the first one in our history to feature someone in Los Angeles linking to themselves in London. All will be revealed...

There's a rumour going around that this episode of The Ranking is so late because Chris Hewitt forgot about it. That's an evil and pernicious rumour that we don't wish to dignify with acknowledgement. Anyway, here it is at long last: four Empire writers, locked away in a meeting room in Empire HQ (hence the echo), talking through the filmography of the great Sir Ridley Scott, with one goal: come up with a definitive top ten. So, join Chris, Nick de Semlyen, Dan Jolin, and James Dyer as they argue the toss about Alien, deploy controversial theories vis a vis Kingdom Of Heaven and Gladiator, talk about going clubbing with Russell Crowe, and much, much more, including the world's worst - and, let's face it, possibly only - impression of the man we love to call Ridders. Don't think of this as a late episode. Think of it as a director's cut, and a director's cut arrives precisely when it means to.

He was the first person to betray Indiana Jones. He had the power of the sun in the palm of his hand. And he holds the record for having the most Lego mini-figs made in his image. He is, of course, the great Alfred Molina, and he's our guest this week, popping into the podbooth to chat with Chris Hewitt about Raiders, about Sam Raimi, and about Molina's new play, a revival of John Logan's Red. It starts at 49:36 and ends at 1:23:22, fact fans. Then, Chris heads into the podbooth proper and is joined by Nick de Semlyen and Jonny Pile for an even-more-rambling-than-usual discussion that takes in the worst movie dinosaurs, a brief cameo from a geek queen, an exploding banana, reviews of Hereditary and Ocean's 8, a shameless plug for the new issue of Empire, a live watch-along of the trailer for Corin Hardy's The Nun, and an episode of R U Talkin' R U Talkin' R U Talkin' R.E.M. Re: Me Re: Me Re: Me? Good ep? Great ep.

How could you not love the man who is Gollum, Supreme Leader Snoke, Caesar, Ulysses Klaue, and an all-round great big bloody brilliant bloke? So we're delighted that Andy Serkis is our guest this week, talking to Chris Hewitt about Black Panther (out on DVD and Blu-ray next week) about that film, and more besides. It's a bit spoilerific, so don't watch unless you know that [REDACTED] [REDACTED] in [REALLY REDACTED]. Interview begins at 56:03, ends at 1:17:37. Elsewhere, Chris ventures into the podbooth with Helen O'Hara and Jonny Pile for a fun episode that takes in their views of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, runs the roost over the 292 trailers that debuted last week, and takes on a serious hue for this week's listener question, tackling the harassment which appears to have driven Kelly Marie Tran away from social media. Oh, and all that, plus the debut of a brand-new podcast, R U Talkin' R U Talkin' R.E.M. Re: Me Re: Me? We spoil you lot.

Martin Freeman has come a long way since he was universally known as Tim-From-The-Office. Since then, he's been Watson-From-Sherlock, Ross-From-Black-Panther, and Bilbo-From-Bag-End. And in this week's Netflix movie Cargo, he can be found dodging zombies in the Australian outback. John Nugent spoke to him about that, and much more besides. Back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt returns and has brought two special guests with him: jetlag and a mystery speaker whose identity we won't reveal. And, along with Helen O'Hara, Nick de Semlyen and a late-comer in James Dyer, they dissect the week's movie news, including Sonic The Hedgehog, Top Gun 2, and Solo's box office, cast their eyes over new releases, and 'answer' a question from a listener. Siri says 'enjoy'.

Here be dragons. And Hamilton references. And Supernatural chat. Yes, Chris Hewitt is away for this week's Empire Podcast, and geek queen Helen O'Hara is in charge in the podbooth. It's a top crop of guests this week, with Alden Ehrenreich talking to James Dyer and Nick de Semlyen about taking on the role of the galaxy's greatest scoundrel, controlling the Millennium Falcon, talking to Wookiees, and his history with the Winchester brothers. Then Michael Cera (call him George Michael) and Alia Shawkat (call her Maeby) popped by the studio to talk Arrested Development Season 5, disguises, that Twin Peaks cameo, and a secret celebrity tennis club. Back in the main studio, Helen is joined by James and Ben to talk this week's movie news - from John Wick 3's latest cast additions (Derek from The Good Place!), to Damon Lindelof's biblical Watchmen statement - and review The Breadwinner, Edie, and some Star Wars story featuring a classic character in a solo adventure. No idea what that o

The Empire Podcast studio - sorry, podbooth - is a sacred place. We don't throw our doors open to just anybody, you know. They have to be a) funny b) interesting and, most importantly, c) available and willing to lower their standards for an hour or so. Amanda Abbington, star of Sherlock and Netflix's new thriller, Safe, is all of those things, and so this week becomes only the fourth celebrity co-host in our history. Yes, Amanda (follow her on Twitter as @CHIMPSINSOCKS) was brave enough to sit in a room with Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer and discuss the week's movie news, talk about her work on Safe, endure yet another Peter Dinklage in Infinity War impression, and tackle the big question: have you ever walked out of a film? Her answers will shock you. And amuse you. Mainly amuse you. So sit back, relax, and enjoy as three giggling idiots welcome a professional into their ranks to show them how it's done.

On this week's bumper, slightly-more-bonkers-than-usual Empire Podcast, we welcome two of our favourite British character actors, and then grill them relentlessly about things they said in the past. First, Clive Owen pops in to talk to Chris Hewitt about his latest film, Anon, his aversion to first days, his memories of Croupier, and their shared love of Liverpool FC. (Yes, it's one of those.) But Chris also subjects Clive to a very fun, and revelatory, edition of the IMDbunker. Enjoy. Then Chris stays in the podbooth to interview Eddie Marsan, star of Entebbe and Deadpool 2, about his long path to success, and makes him take a new version of an interview Eddie gave to Empire 20 years ago. The main pod, meanwhile, sees Chris, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Nick de Semlyen talk geeky ringtones, discuss the week's movie news, review new releases including Revenge. And Paul Giamatti drops by unexpectedly. What larks!

For this week's Empire Podcast, Ben Travis travelled all the way to Rome to have a hot foursome with Daniel Brühl, Dakota Fanning, and Luke Evans, the stars of new Netflix TV show, The Alienist. And we don't mean foursome in the sense that you're thinking of. No, Ben stayed well away from the golf course, and instead had a good old natter with the trio about the show, about shooting in Budapest, and statues of Columbo. Figures. Sadly, Ben's microphone wasn't working, but it's a fun interview that you can (sort of) hear from 44:21 - 1:01:45. Then, back in Blighty and the podbooth, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news, the nutritional value of Captain America's hair, and the law of averages. Two major shockers: someone does a bad impression, and it isn't Chris; and SOMEONE DIES. Sort of. Well, we needed to do something to bump up the ratings.

Tom Hiddleston has been an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for almost a decade now, making a magical mark as Loki, Prince Of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful king of Jotunheim, and horny thorn in Thor's side. He plays the character for the fifth time in Avengers: Infinity War, and sat down with Chris Hewitt for this very special interview about his life as one of the MCU's most popular characters. He talks about finding the right look, and voice, for Loki, the changes that the character has experienced, working with Taika Waititi on Thor Ragnarok, and sheds some light on an alternate fate for the occasional villain in Thor: The Dark World. He also takes the time to answer a couple of questions from Loki fans, including the ever-popular Lego Loki. Enjoy.

This week sees the debut of a small indie film that the Empire Podteam haven't been looking forward to. Honest, guv. That film is Avengers: Infinity War, and this week's podcast sees the film's directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, talk to Chris Hewitt about working on that film, and about what they have planned post-Marvel with their very own studio, Agbo. Then Chris retreats to the safety of the podbooth, and is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun-filled pod that takes in their best and worst movie premiere experiences, casts an eye over the week's movie news, compares the Venom trailer to a Christmas present, and finally reviews British indie Beast and American indie Avengers: Infinity War. Be warned: there are huge levels of squee in this podcast. Thanos demands your squeeness.

This week, one of our favourite actors - David Morrissey - returns to the podbooth to talk to James Dyer (and not Chris Hewitt, as advertised on the pod; there was a scheduling snafu) about his new show, The City And The City, playing Gordon Brown, and more. He also has advice for Chris re: his Tuesday night clash between the Liverpool-Roma game and the Avengers: Infinity War screening. Then, Chris and James are joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara as they discuss which quiet place they'd retreat to in the wake of an attack by nasty sound monsters; chew over the week's movie and TV news; and cast a vaguely shambolic eye over the week's new releases. Do, please, enjoy. Hey, did you know the Call Me By Your Name song hasn't been on the pod for three episodes now? You know the one. "Call me by your name! Call me! Call me! Call me by your name, oh yeah!" That one.

British action star, and regular podcast listener, Scott Adkins visits the podbooth this week to talk about his new film, Accident Man, as well as idolising Jean-Claude Van Damme and accidentally kicking Benedict Cumberbatch. (1:04:10-1:32:31) Our second guest is Brad Peyton, director of this week's monster mash-up Rampage, who talks to Chris about working with The Rock, playing poker, not being an asshole, and an early contender for line of the year. (24:08-44:49) Then, Chris retreats into the podbooth with Ben Travis, James Dyer, and the returning, albeit croaky, Helen O'Hara, to review Rampage, talk about giant animals, and revisit an all-time classic line from Shark Attack 3. This week's pod is dedicated to our friend Sarah Dunn: www.gofundme.com/sarah-dunn

The latest episode of The Ranking - our show that ties in with the magazine (hashtag brand synergy) and sees four Empire writers argue the toss on a filmmaker's CV - is here. And this time we're delving deep into the work of a man who's orchestrated more tracking shots than you've had hot dinners: Brian 'Bri Bri' De Palma. Discussing his progression from early promise to his virtuoso Hitchcockian phase and then the more commercial fare of the Eighties and Nineties (but without focusing on the not-so-great output of recent years), Chris Hewitt, Ian Freer, Nick de Semlyen and Jonathan Pile discuss the ins and outs, ups and downs of a great, if somewhat erratic career. And, for the first time, you'll be able to hear the top ten being counted down in this podcast. Enough squabbling, let's vote! (Stop trying to make 'enough squabbling, let's vote!' happen, Chris.)

We've gone bonus content mad on the Empire Podcast this week! Every day this week, we'll bring you a brand new pod, culminating in Friday's mothership. And we kick things off with this very fun, and compact, commute-sized conversation with two of the key figures behind last year's biggest movie - Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And, just in case you weren't already sure, those figures are Rian Johnson, the film's writer/director, and Mark Hamill, the man who has played Luke Skywalker for 41 years. They talk to Chris Hewitt about all manner of things, from the first time they met to their respective mancaves, and how they deal with fame. Enjoy.

On this week's Empire Podcast, we're filled with joy as Anya Taylor-Joy pops by our offices to talk to Chris Hewitt about her new film Thoroughbreds, dealing with tricksy accents, the much-delayed The New Mutants, and the moment when she found out that Split was a stealth sequel to Unbreakable. It's a fun, and lengthy, chat that starts at 27.44 and runs all the way to 55.56. Elsewhere, Chris derives a different kind of joy from John Krasinski's A Quiet Place, which he declares his film of the year thus far in the reviews section. He's joined for the main pod by James Dyer and Ben Travis, who discuss just what it is that makes the act of cinemagoing so special, review Thoroughbreds and Ghost Stories, natter about the week's movie news, and talk about Empire's new sister magazine, Pilot TV. Oh, and that song isn't aired this week, you'll be delighted to know. This is a safe place. A quiet place.

Paddy Considine was our very first guest on our very first podcast, way back in 2012. Since then, we've been like ships in the night. But we fix that this week, with Paddy popping into the podbooth for an epic chat with Chris Hewitt about his new movie, Journeyman, and all manner of things. (50:46-1:17:54) Elsewhere, Chris talks to Blockers star Leslie Mann (17.06-32.49), teaches her about Pacific Rim: Uprising, learns a lot about vocal fry, and then somehow - being the blithering nincompoop he is - manages to spit on her from distance. Then, he's joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and Ben Travis to discuss the week's movie news, review Ready Player One and more, and answer the burning question: what movie-related business would they open when this all goes horribly wrong? Oh, and the world's worst earworm may get another outing. Could be worse; Chris could be gobbing on you.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the man anointed as Empire's Legend Of Our Lifetime... talk to Steven Spielberg. Here all week. Try the fish. Yes, at long last we spiel with The Berg, as Steven Spielberg - former Empire editor, and director of one or two classic movies - chats to Chris Hewitt in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday's Rakuten TV Empire Awards, where Spielberg was given the above honour. From discussion of Ready Player One to The Beatles, it was a blast. Elsewhere, Chris talks to Simon Pegg, star of Ready Player One, about all things Spielberg. And then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis to review Unsane, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and A Wrinkle In Time. They also tackle the week's news and answer a question about sequels. Enjoy!

Because (some of) you demanded it! Today saw the debut of the second (and probably final) trailer for Avengers: Infinity War, the superhero team-up to out-cape them all. And, as it hit the internet just too late for us to bang on about it on the regular podcast, we decided to seize the opportunity to bang on about it in a very special trailer breakdown podcast. This one follows hot on the heels of the trailer breakdown podcast we did for the first Avengers: Infinity War trailer last year, but there was arguably even more for Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara, our resident MCU-philes, to get their teeth into this time around. So join them in the warmth and comfort of Chris' mancave as they talk, and talk, and talk about all things Avengery, from Thanos' masterplan, to character interactions, and that confrontation between Steve Rogers and Josh Brolin's giant purple space plumber. Not a fan of the MCU? Might be best to skip this one...

This week's Empire Podcast is a bumper affair, jam-packed with more big names than the Avengers: Infinity War trailer. Well, almost. First up, Call Me By Your Name stars Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet - or Timothy Chalet, as autocorrect insists on calling him - popped into a London hotel room at the end of January to talk about their Oscar-winning love story with Chris Hewitt. And while they do talk about the film, there's also a fair amount of silliness, ranging from discussion of Chalamet's mobster nickname to the possibility of setting Call Me By Your Name 2 in space. Oh, and there's a Sean Connery-off for good measure. Be warned: bad language abounds. The second grouping is much more serious and focused, you'll be delighted to know, as Ben Travis has a chat with Garth Davis and Rooney Mara, director and star respectively of Mary Magdalene. Then, Chris, Ben and John Nugent convene in the podbooth to discuss the week's movie news (the Avengers: Infinity War trailer wi

The second episode of The Ranking, our new ongoing cross-platform series (hashtag brandsynergy hashtag sharedgoals hashtag TeamEmpire), sees four Empire writers lock themselves in an increasingly stuffy meeting room to argue the toss over one of the greatest film directors of all time: Martin Scorsese. It's all here: talkin' Taxi Driver, raging about Raging Bull, and finding there's not a lot to say about Silence. As far back as they can remember, Chris Hewitt, Empire's Editor-In-Chief Terri White, and contributing editors Ian Freer and Dan Jolin always wanted to be voting on the empirical Marty Top 10. And if you want to know what that top 10 looks like, pick up the April 2018 issue of Empire, on sale now at all good and evil newsagents.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast was, unlike our Oscars 2018 podcast special, recorded on a full night's sleep, but is no less delirious. So apologies in advance, as Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen and James Dyer decide who their Desert Island Director would be, discuss the week's movie news, and review You Were Never Really Here, Gringo, and Mom And Dad. Plus, they debut the catchiest song of the year so far, and discuss just what Thanos wants with those stones... Elsewhere, Chris welcomes the brilliant British actor David Oyelowo back to the podcast, to talk about comedy screaming in Gringo, and how the landscape has changed in Hollywood for black actors, particularly post-Black Panther. And Helen O'Hara may be off in Iceland, but she's still present on the pod, engaging in conversation with the great Scottish director, Lynne Ramsay, about You Were Never Really Here. Do you need to know anything more? Go on, get listening!

The Oscars are over for another year. Yes, the 90th edition of the Academy Awards took place last night in the glamorous heart of Hollywood and so Empire responded in kind, by recording a sleep-deprived, seriously sweary podcast, detailing our verdict on the ceremony itself, and the winners and not-winners. No glamorous heart of Hollywood for us. This was recorded round the kitchen table of our very own host, Chris Hewitt, and he was talking to Ben Travis and James Dyer, who took The Shape Of Water's Best Picture win with the grace and magnanimity for which he is renowned. So, if you want to hear three giggling idiots struggle to complete sentences and form thoughts - even more so than usual - this is the podcast for you.

This week's Empire Podcast sees a filmmaking Lawrence, famous for an association with The Hunger Games franchise, drop by for a chat about their new movie, Russian spy thriller Red Sparrow. Yes, it's director Francis Lawrence, who chats to Ben Travis about all manner of things, from Russian accents to torture implements. What, did you think we meant another filmmaking Lawrence, famous for an association with The Hunger Games? Weird. Elsewhere, Helen O'Hara braves the snow and the wind and the snowy wind to host this week's episode, discussing the week's big film news (Wonder Woman 2! The Oscars! Tarantino!) with Ben and James Dyer, and reviewing the big releases. Oh, and a giggling idiot calls in for a brief chat. It's cold outside, so pull up that weird fireplace movie they have on Netflix, huddle over your phone's dying battery for heat, and listen to the soothing strains of the Empire Podcast. You know it makes sense.

The Ranking is a new monthly edition of the Empire Podcast that ties in with a regular feature in the magazine. The concept is simple: every month, we pick a director/writer/actor, or a franchise, and four Empire writers lock themselves in a room and argue the toss, with the aim of emerging with the definitive Top 10. This edition sees Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen, James Dyer, and Simon Crook (making his pod-debut) discuss the big screen impact of Stephen King, whose incredibly popular novels and short stories have inspired directors like Frank Darabont, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, Rob Reiner, George A. Romero, Bryan Singer, and one Mr. Stanley Kubrick, to turn them into movies. So there's plenty of discussion of the best of King adaptations, the worst of King adaptations (hello, The Dark Tower), and how the panel got into the great man's writing in the first place. Next up: Martin Scorsese!

For the past few years, Lennie James has been battling zombies as Morgan on The Walking Dead. He's about to jump ship to the spin-off show, Fear The Walking Dead, but somehow he's found the time to create, write, produce and star in new 6-part Sky TV series, Save Me, about a Londoner who, after finding himself accused of his daughter's abduction, vows to track down the real culprit. And we were delighted to welcome Lennie and his Save Me director, Nick Murphy (@nickmurftweets) into the podbooth this week, where they had a wide-ranging chat with Chris Hewitt about the push/pull dynamic between a show's creator and a show's director; Lennie's desire to appear on The Simpsons; and, as big football fans, the recent draw between Liverpool and Spurs. It's all happening. Elsewhere, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Dan Jolin. There, they review I, Tonya and Finding Your Feet, discuss the week's movie news, including the BAFTAs (later in the show), the success of Black

You might not believe it, largely because we know we don't look a day over 290, but the Empire Podcast turned 300 this week. Yes, we've somehow clocked up 300 episodes of movie news, interviews and nonsense since we started way back in 2012 and to 'celebrate', we took to the stage at Kings Place, London, for a cracking evening. And 400 of you came along as well, which was nice, considering that it was Valentine's Day. How romantic. So, sit back, relax and enjoy as the podteam - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Terri White - tackle the week's movie news, review Black Panther, The Shape Of Water, and Lady Bird, and subject themselves to a Paxman-style grilling at the hands of the audience. And if you've had your fill of giggling idiots, don't worry - we were graced by two of our country's finest acting talents, as Ruth Wilson popped along to talk to Terri about Dark River, Luther, The Lone Ranger, sheep shearing, Yorkshire accents and the #TimesUp movement. First, thou

This week's Empire Podcast is an unexpectedly classy joint, as Chris Hewitt talks to British acting royalty, the Oscar-winning double whammy of Sir Colin Of Firth and Dame Rachel Of Weisz, about their new movie, The Mercy, which tells the tragic story of Donald Crowhurst's ill-fated attempt to sail the world solo in 1969. And they also talk about their acting nightmares - literally and metaphorically. Back in the podbooth, Chris and James Dyer welcome pod debutant Ben Travis, review Black Panther and that new secret Cloverfield movie that dropped without warning the other day like a U2 album come to life, and discuss the week's movie news, including the Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer. Oh, and they definitively answer the burning question of the week: is Aliens, a film in which Lance Henriksen is only the fourth-scariest thing, a horror movie? It's a toughie.

Daniel Day-Lewis may be retiring, set fair for a life of Countdown and Four In A Bed marathons, but his Phantom Thread director, the great Paul Thomas Anderson, is decidedly not. Much to our delight, as he's this week's guest, having a chat with John Nugent about the film's soundtrack, how Day-Lewis came up with the name 'Reynolds Woodcock', and much, much more. Back in the podbooth, we go from Phantom Thread to phantom menaces as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer mull over the week's movie news, review Phantom Thread and WWI drama Journey's End, discuss their home cinema set-ups, and audition for Hamilton. Oh, and James reveals the story of the time he was responsible for Holborn Station being shut down. Standard, really.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Lee Unkrich, Pixar legend, World's Biggest The Shining Fan, and all-round decent cove, drop by the podbooth to talk to John Nugent about his new movie, Coco, which will do unspeakable things to your tear ducts. Elsewhere, John joins Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for a freewheeling episode that includes Chris' first-hand account of what it was like to be present at the Chevy Chase-Mike Read Q&A that has already passed into legend (the night, not Chris' account); reviews of The Post, Coco, and The Commuter; and plenty of discussion of the week's movie news, featuring an elevator pitch from James for Gambit that simply has to be heard to be believed. Oh, and Randy Newman drops by again, much to everyone's horror. Do have a listen. We'd be ever so delighted.

This week's Empire Podcast sees us welcome two of our favourite directors into our podcompany. First up, Joe Wright — hands down one of our favourite English directors called Wright, and maybe even in the top two — talks to Nick de Semlyen about his latest movie, Darkest Hour, which sees Gary Oldman give a barnstorming performance as Winston Churchill, and the career that might have been, as an illusionist. Now that's magic. Then Chris Hewitt sits down for a chat with Martin McDonagh, the writer-director behind the caustic and challenging Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and tries to pass McDonagh's test: do not ask a question that he's heard before. Will he succeed? Find out by listening. And full disclosure: because Chris is an idiot, he forgot to bring microphones to a podcast interview, which is why the sound levels may be a little askew on this one. But it's well worth a listen. Elsewhere, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, who discuss thi

The first Empire Podcast of 2018 — Happy New Year, you lot! — boldly goes where no podcast has gone before, as Chris Hewitt discovers Star Trek Discovery with two of its hilarious, eloquent leads, Jason Isaacs and Sonequa Martin-Green. We're going to launch a new catchphrase, right here, right now: Hello to Sonequa Martin-Green! Take that, Kermode! Elsewhere, Chris chats to Andrea Riseborough about her experiences shooting Crocodile, one of the key episodes in the new season of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror. And then he's joined in the podcast booth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer, to compare their holiday experiences, talk about The Last Jedi's box office, review All The Money In The World and Hostiles, and launch all-out war on the lovely people at Den Of Geek. Asda car park, 2pm. No touching the face.

2017, eh? What a palaver. But it's been a belter of a year cinematically speaking, and so — in a change from our regular podcast programming — the Empire Podcast team (Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Nick de Semlyen) locked themselves in the podbooth for ages and chewed the fat over the year that's just about to leave us. It's a show of two halves, with the first part dedicated to answering listeners' questions, and the second segment counting down Empire's Top 20 films of the year. And we hope you'll agree that, whether you love Paddington 2, La La Land, or Get Out, it's the best way you can spend 88 minutes this side of Al Pacino. And thanks for listening to the show this year, folks. Happy New Year from all the team at Empire.

Ho-ho-Hugh! We're pretty much finished for Christmas, but before we gorge on mince pies and Die Hard, we decided to pop an pod-treat in your Christmas pod-stocking: a 20-minute chat with the Australian triple-threat and friend-of-the-pod Hugh Jackman. He talks to us about making The Greatest Showman and saying goodbye to Logan.

On the last Empire Podcast of 2017, the podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer — are rambling even more than usual as they discuss the Disney takeover of Fox, answer your Christmas movie questions, review Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and have a big old barney over Aaron Sorkin. To paraphrase a great man we used to know in San Diego back in the '70s, that escalated quickly. And we see out the year in style with our wonderful star guest, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle's Karen Gillan. Find out which accent her Guardians Of The Galaxy character, Nebula, was supposed to have! Gasp, as she reveals the subtitle of the fourth Avengers movie (in jest, before you start writing your thinkpieces)! And ponder her love of Kubrick, ending in a promise we'd love to help her fulfil one day. Do you want to hear an Empire Podcast dedicated solely to Karen Gillan and the Empire team waxing lyrical about Stanley Kubrick? Of course you do. This is the last regular podcast of the year, but

This week's Empire Podcast is really going all in on all things Franco. James and Dave, the brothers who star in (and, in James' case, directs) The Disaster Artist, the story behind the making of legendarily awful movie The Room, drop by for a chat about that with John Nugent. Then James Dyer talks to WWE legend-turned-actor, John Cena, about being strong like cartoon bull in new animated movie Ferdinand — and wouldn't you know it, a Franco of a different kind crops up in conversation there too. We're nothing if not highbrow on the Empire Podcast. Elsewhere, the podcast team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer — tackle the week's movie news, including Bryan Singer's departure from Bohemian Rhapsody and Quentin Tarantino's possible Star Trek movie; dissect the week's big releases, including Stronger and Takashi Miike's 100th film, Blade Of The Immortal; and definitively answer the question that's been driving the internet nuts: is Die Hard a Christmas film? The answer may shoc

This week's slightly-shorter-than-usual Empire Podcast sees the return of one of our favourite podguests, as Dan Stevens, our once and future spirit animal, pops back in to talk Dickens with Helen O'Hara. Not randomly, you see — he's playing Charles Dickens in The Man Who Invented Christmas. Elsewhere, with Helen swanning around in Malta, it's double trouble in the podbooth as Chris Hewitt and James Dyer talk about great movie scenes set in laundrettes (that doesn't wash with them), review the week's big releases, and unearth the unsettling revelation that James hasn't seen a single episode of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. This is total BS. Oh, and there's also a detailed breakdown of the new issue of Empire, which we'd all like you to go out and buy. Once you've listened to the podcast, of course.

Unless you've been hiding out in the middle of Knowhere, you'll have noticed a little teaser trailer dropped today, for an equally little film called Avengers: Infinity War. Filled with plenty of images designed to fuel discussion and speculation — just how does The Vision do that? Where does Steve Rogers get his beard oil? Why didn't Spider-Man have spider-sense in his solo movie? — it prompted us to do just that. So our resident MCU experts, Helen O'Hara and Chris Hewitt, got together and ended up going through the trailer shot by shot, for your listening pleasure. And yes, they managed to talk for half an hour about a trailer that doesn't even last for three minutes. Head this way for hashtag compelling content as they bring their MCU knowledge to bear, speculate wildly, and call Thanos, the big bad of the MCU, a 'bumface'. He won't be happy.

On this week's Empire Podcast, Lee Child — the man behind all 22 Jack Reacher books — drops by for another appearance, and once again drops a hot scoop: the name of the 23rd Reacher book. Thanks, Lee — cheque's in the post. Elsewhere, Red Oaks and Submarine star Craig Roberts challenges Chris Hewitt to a coffee-fuelled Pro Evo-off, while the podcast team — Chris, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer — get to grips with the week's big releases and multiple Shafts. Strap yourselves in, innuendo fans — it's going to be a bumpy ride.

This week, Henry Cavill talks to us about Justice League, which he is definitely not in, no siree. Nope. Plus, we chat to the stars of Mudbound, Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell, about Oscar hopes and birthday buddies.

On this week's podcast, we chat to the Oscar-nominated star of Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool Annette Bening, and the Oscar-winning writer-director behind Manchester By The Sea and the BBC's adaptation of Howard's End, Kenneth Lonergan. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

An extensive, shambolic and hilarious interview with the stars and creators of the cult Brit sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf – plus, four of Empire's smeggiest smegheads have a long chat about why they love the show. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

For whom the Bells toll! It's an inadvertent Bell Special on the podcast this week, as we welcome Jamie Bell and Tobin Bell (no relation) to ring the chimes of their new films, 6 Days and Jigsaw, respectively. On next week's podcast: Kristen Bell, Lake Bell, Toby Kebbell, Isabelle Huppert, Toby Kebell, and the ghost of Alexander Graham Bell. Maybe. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

Ah…now eventually, you do plan to have Jeff Goldblum on your… on your Jeff Goldblum Interview Special, right? Hello?… Hello? Yes?

Another guest bonanza! Interviews with Vince Vaughn and S. Craig Zahler, the respective star and director of Brawl In Cell Block 99; and Her Majesty Claire Foy, the star of Breathe and The Crown – plus, Sam Bain, the writer/co-creator of Peep Show, joins us in the studio as a guest host. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

A triple-bill of guests! First up, former boy wizard turned proper actor Daniel Radcliffe talks surviving the jungle in Jungle; then, Jason Isaacs talks surviving the death of Stalin in The Death Of Stalin; and finally, Gerard Butler talks surviving a geostorm in – well, you get the idea, Geostorm. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast

A 40-minute conversation with one of the world's greatest living filmmakers about his new Netflix series Mindhunter, plus news on his future projects. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast

This week, the Scandinavian star of The Snowman drops by talk about knitted jumpers and frosty murders – plus, the director of The Meyerowitz Stories drops by to talk about director t-shirts and Adam Sandler's serious side.

It's a Blade Runner 2049-themed episode this week, as we are joined by directors past and present from the world of replicants, whom we question with the scrutiny of a Voight-Kampff test. Plus, the two-handed pod team ponder which movie John would win in a fight.

On this week's ever-so-slightly late edition of the award-winning-and-losing Empire Podcast, we chain director Mike Flanagan to a metaphorical bed and ask him to tell us all about his Stephen King adaptation, Gerald's Game, which is now available on Netflix. Plus, the podteam - Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Terri White - wax lyrical about the week's big movie news, review Goodbye Christopher Robin, Daphne and Gerald's Game, and review their own favourite non-Empire podcasts. That's lot of bangily-bang for your bangily-buck.

This week, we say hello to prolific Brit director Michael Winterbottom – and say a sad goodbye to our arthouse guru. More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

This week, we're joined by the star and director of Kingsman: The Golden Circle – and a few hundred lovely Empire readers – as we record our podcast live on stage, from the London Podcast Festival in the extremely shiny King's Place. Thanks to everyone who came along! More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

Episode 279 of the Empire Podcast sees us travel to the Yorkshire home of God's Own Country director, Francis Lee, while the former Ramsay Bolton, Iwan Rheon, pops into the podbooth. Plus, the Empire Podcast team discuss the sudden vacancy at the helm of Star Wars Episode IX, discuss much-missed directors, and review Stephen King's It.

This week, the inestimably brilliant Bill Nighy drops by to talk The Limehouse Golem; plus Adam Wingard talks Death Note and Godzilla vs King Kong. More from the Empire Podcast: www.empireonline.com/podcast Bill NighyAdam WingardEmpire Podcast

Come with us if you want to pod! For our first retro spoiler special, we dive back into James Cameron's classic Terminator sequel – plus, an extensive chat with the T-1000 himself, Robert Patrick.

This week, the star of Detroit (and Empire Podcast #100 guest)Will Poulter drops by to talk about Detroit and trainers; and Doug Liman talks American Made and housesharing with Tom Cruise. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

He's back! We have a long and fascinating chat with the recently un-retired filmmaker behind Ocean's 11 and this week's Logan Lucky. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

On this week’s pod: we got The Tooch! More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

On this week's pod, a former Vice President and Nobel laureate, and a former dragon tamer and Ghost Story-teller. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

This week, Charles Xavier and Walter White pop by the pod booth for a chat. Plus, with Chris and Helen away, a new hope... More from the Empire podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast

This week, we chat to His Holiness Stan Lee, and Kumail Nanjiani, star of the superb new romcom The Big Sick. 'Nuff said. More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

Beamed direct from San Diego Comic-Con 2017, this week's slightly later-than-usual podcast features the man behind Ghostbusters, the team behind Marvel's Inhumans, and three very tired Empire writers. Excelsior! More from the Empire podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

On this week’s pod, the producer behind Blumhouse Productions, and the director and producer of Pixar’s Cars 3. Plus, the team discuss which sequels have ruined their original movies. More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

Andy Serkis plays every member of the pod team this week, with Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts also popping by. (Or is he actually Andy Serkis?)

We welcome Spidey-Man Tom Holland and Okja-Woman Lily Collins into the booth this week. (Did we get Tom Holland to rank the Tom Hollands in order of best Tom Holland? Of course we did.)

The director of Jurassic World, Star Wars Episode IX and this week's The Book Of Henry drops by to talk bad reviews, hanging out with Spielberg, and how tall Snoke is. More from the Empire podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

To mark Empire's 100 Greatest Movies poll, we gather three podders into the pod booth for an hour-long conversation special. See the full 100 Greatest Movies list here: http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movies/ More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

This week, we try to think of 10 Things We Hate About Julia Stiles, but we can't, because she's so nice. So we don't. More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

We've been very clear: this week's podcast offers strong and stable interviews with Michael Sheen and Rachel Weisz. It's the certainty the country needs. More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

It's a guest bonanza this week, as we welcome the star and director of Sundance hit Beatriz At Dinner, plus the star of Netflix show Glow and a podcasting legend. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empironline.com/podcast

This week, the director of McLaren, No Way Out and Cocktail drops by the pod booth. Plus, the team discuss which internet memes could make a good movie. wow! such podcast! very empire! More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

In tribute to the legendary Sir Roger Moore, who sadly passed away today, we are reposting this 40-minute interview special from 2012. Raise a vodka martini to a great man. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/podcast/

This week, we pull the sword of journalistic rigour from the stone of award-nominated podcasting to speak to Charlie Hunnam, star of King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.www.empireonline.com/podcast

This week's guest has always been the McBridesmaid, never the McBride...until now. More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

This week, Boosh/Yonderland alumni Barratt and Farnaby drop by to talk new British comedy Mindhorn. Plus: Helen’s back! Hooray! More from the Empire Podcast: http://empireonline.com/podcast

This week, we welcome a British God to talk about American Gods. Plus the team ponder which fictional planet they would like to live on. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/podcast

A special hour-long interview with a genuine Hollywood legend. Expect anecdotes about Elia Kazan, Stanley Kubrick, David Lean, Ronald Reagan, and Elvis Presley. Not to be missed. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, the genius actor (and Genius actor) Geoffrey Rush pops by the pod booth. Plus, the team discuss the movie scenes that consistently make them laugh. ​ More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, Gemma Arterton drops by to talk about Their Finest, as we discuss our finest laser scenes in movies.

This week, we take the rubber dinghy rapids to a city of tiny lights via a galaxy far, far away with Riz Ahmed. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast

Whaddsa matter – Empire Podcast got you pushing too many pencils? More from the Empire Podcast: www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we invite fast-talking Free Fire star Armie Hammer into the booth. We also contemplate whether recasting a leading role has ever been successful. More from the Empire Podcast: www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we invite Dan Stevens and Bill Condon to Be Our Guest. Plus, in honour of St. Paddy's Day, we discuss the worst Oirish accents on screen, so we do. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

Tom Hiddleston takes time away from fending off the advances of giant apes to visit the Empire podbooth, plus we rank the X-Men movies in order of the best Wolverine haricuts. Just because. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, the dulcet tones of a bona fide knight of the realm pops by to talk Logan. Plus, we discuss this year's Oscars. Sure there's nothing to talk about there. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

The director of A Cure For Wellness prescribes us a Cure For Podness. Plus, we discuss which film composer we'd love to soundtrack our lives. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

For our milestone 250th episode, we're LIVE at the Prince Charles Cinema in London's Leicester Square, with friend-of-the-pod Chris McQuarrie, a sold-out crowd of pod-fans, and the biggest 'bangily-bang' yet. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

On this week's podcast, the man behind Fences, and the man behind the figurines of The Lego Batman.

That's what I love about these podcast guests, man. I get older, they stay the same age... More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

You know what they say – you can take the boy out of Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch... More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, James McAvoy talks about playing 23 different people in one film – and Sing director Garth Jennings joins us for the entire podcast recording.

This week, Michelle-by-the-pod-booth talks Manchester-By-The-Sea. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

For the first podcast of 2017, we play a game called "Haaaaaave you met Neil?" More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

With 2016 drawing to a close, it's time for that most sacred of annual winter traditions: the Empire Podcast Review Of The Year. Note: this podcast was recorded in mid-December, before this month's tragic news. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

For the final regular pod of the year...it's Fassassin's Creedbender time! More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

On this week's pod: a famously softly-spoken man, and a famously less-softly-spoken man. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we hack into the mainframe to bring you an interview with Snowden director Oliver Stone. Plus, the team discuss whether "woke bae" is the same as "Wookiee bae". More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we welcome two actors with questionable facial hair in their respective movies. Eckhart: thick and bristly. Teller: thin and wispy. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we go Back To The Future and make Contact with Robert Zemeckis to see What Lies Beneath his latest movie, Allied. Something Something Death Becomes Her.

This week, two actors from the United Kingdom talk about the film, A United Kingdom. Plus: everything's still fine! Really! All fine! More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

Kylo Ren himself, Adam Driver, pops by the pod booth this week to talk about playing a driver in Paterson. Plus, we pretend that everything is fine. Just fine. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

We welcome Derek Cianfrance into the pod booth this week to talk about his Michael Fassbender/Alicia Vikander tear-jerker, The Light Between Oceans. In double tear-inducing news, we also say goodbye to one of our own.

This week, we welcome two actors, each with interesting and challenging CVs, and each with interesting and challenging-to-spell names. Plus, we discuss our favourite scream queens. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we welcome Cobie Smulders, star of How I Met Your Mother and this week's Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. Plus, we discuss which movie would have the biggest electricity bill. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

Felicity Jones flies in from a galaxy far, far away this week to talk all things Inferno (and yes, a bit of Rogue One). George Takei also beams in for a colourful, Star Trek-centric chat. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast

This week, we welcome Luke Evans back into the pod booth (for the third time!) and American Honey director Andrea Arnold (for the first time!). More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

A special 30-minute interview special with everyone’s favourite boy wizard, Daniel Radcliffe. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we welcome the godfather of goth himself Tim Burton into the pod booth; plus, War On Everyone's Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña join us for an incredibly anarchic 'interview.' More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

Tom Bennett, Mike Colter, and a sold-out audience join us for a very special live podcast, direct from Empire Live at The O2 in London. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/

This week, we ask Sam Neill several questions about Event Horizon, and if there’s time, some of his other films too (like this week's stunning Hunt For The Wilderpeople). Plus, Colin Firth – potential father of Bridget Jones's baby and the star of this week's Bridget Jones's Baby – pops by the pod booth. More from the Empire Podcast: http://www.empireonline.com/tags/empire-podcast/ Read our Hunt For The Wilderpeople review: http://www.empireonline.com/movies/hunt-wilderpeople/review/ Read our Bridget Jones’s Baby review: http://www.empireonline.com/movies/bridget-jones-baby/review/ http://www.empireonline.com / http://www.empirelive.com/

This week, we chat to the fantastic Viggo Mortensen. Plus, Noel Clarke joins us in the pod booth as we record the actual podcast!

This week sees Jamie Dornan pop by the pod booth to talk about his numerous upcoming projects, with the team also paying tribute to the inimitable Gene Wilder.

Todd Phillips – the man behind The Hangover, Old School and this week's War Dogs – is our guest this week. Plus, we huddle round the pod booth to discuss our favourite campfire movie scenes.

In honour of our 50 Greatest Movie Villains magazine feature, we discuss the ultimate bad guys and gals of cinema. (Listen to the end for evil cackling.)

A true legend steps into the Empire pod booth this week. That's right, the Oscar-winning Almodóvar stopped by to talk about Julieta. The team also discuss the best sports-turned-movie-stars, and find an odd way to hand Bradley Cooper that prestigious EGOT.

Baz Luhrmann joins us in the pod booth this week to talk about his new Netflix show The Get Down. Plus, we discuss the best beach scenes in movies.

Margot Robbie stops by the pod booth this week to talk all things Suicide Squad, The Big Short's bathtub scene, and Infernos nightclub in Clapham (seriously).

This week, we welcome two directors and a producer into the pod booth to talk about their amnesia-based films (Jason Bourne and Finding Dory, respectively).

This week's podcast speaks to not one, not two (or three or four) but FIVE members of the Star Trek Beyond cast, who beamed into our podcast to mind-meld with our intrepid team. Live long and podcast!

This week's slightly delayed pod comes direct from Star Wars Celebration Europe. Plus, we welcome Big Friendly Actor Mark Rylance into the pod booth.

To celebrate the franchise's momentous anniversary, four of our biggest Trek fans discuss their favourite characters, episodes, films, and much, much more. Live long and prosper, everyone.

Roland Emmerich stops by the pod booth for a spoilerific chat about all things Independence Day: Resurgence. BEWARE: SPOILERS WITHIN (obviously...).

This week, there can be only one guest.

The Neon Demon's Nicolas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning drop by to tell us about being both booed at cheered at Cannes. Plus, we bid a sad farewell to one of Empire's longest-serving stalwarts.

Bangily bang, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and um, screaming. (Jeff Goldblum is on the podcast!)

The podcast team gather together to discuss the 50 greatest sci-fi moments ever, as selected in the July 2016 issue of Empire magazine. Agree? Disagree? Let us know!

Duncan Jones drops by the pod booth for a spoilerific half-hour discussion on all things Azeroth. Make sure you've seen Warcraft before listening!

This week, Patrick Wilson and James Wan chat about working together for the fourth time on The Conjuring 2. Plus, guest host Helen O'Hara talks about Hamilton – obviously.

Salma Hayek drops by the pod booth this week to tell a tale of Tale Of Tales. Plus, we discuss the bulging new muscles of J.K. Simmons.

Our very own Chris Hewitt moderated an audience Q&A with supreme writing/directing/producing team Shane Black and Joel Silver after a very special screening of The Nice Guys.

We're listening... That's right, Frasier himself, Kelsey Grammer pops in to talk about his illustrious career and new film, Breaking The Bank.

This week's podcast is brought to you by the letter 'J', with directors James Bobin and Jodie Foster in to talk about Alice Through The Looking Glass and Money Monster, respectively.

This week, director John Carney drops by the pod booth to talk Sing Street, Once and Begin Again. Plus, we debate the most comfortable superhero costumes.

This week, Ewan McGregor talks Our Kind Of Traitor and Trainspotting 2; and Richard Linklater talks Everybody Wants Some!! and exclamation marks.

Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg are all on this week's podcast. Two very English gentleman, and one American gentleman with a very good English accent.

The current Steve Rogers and former Bruce Banner battle it out in the pod booth this week. The team also settle that lifelong question: is Die Hard better than Citizen Kane?

This week, we pop round Ian McKellen's house for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Plus, Don Cheadle tells us about the decade-long process behind Miles Ahead.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Jon Favreau and Rebecca Ferguson adorn the pod booth. We also discuss the best films featuring and/or directed by special guests on Friends (clap clap clap clap clap).

Acting/directing legend Kevin Costner drops by the pod booth to talk about his new thriller Criminal. Plus, we talk about garages in films.

This week, we give you the skinny on our brand new X-Men: Apocalypse issue and talk Adam Driver and Michael Shannon with Midnight Special director, Jeff Nichols. With Phil de Semlyen in the hosting seat, we also discuss the best films about moving house.

On this week's podcast, Dexter Fletcher talks about his heartwarming new film Eddie The Eagle. Plus, we review Batman v Superman.

This week, we welcome classically-trained actor Jeremy Irons into the pod booth to talk about his triumvirate of new films. Plus, we debate which directors have had a "Nolan's Run".

This week, Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson talk about their strictly-adults-only animation Anomalisa. Plus, The Witch’s Anya Taylor-Joy talks to us about goats.

This week, the Coen brothers – the greatest siblings since the De Semylen brothers – stop by the pod booth to talk Hail, Caesar! Plus, Andrew Lincoln tries not to spoil The Walking Dead.

On the bumper 200th episode of the Empire Podcast, we're live in front of a Prince Charles Cinema audience, with special surprise guests Jason "Hello to" Isaacs and Ben Wheatley.

Aaron Paul and Anthony Mackie, stars of new thriller Triple 9, join us in the pod booth for a particularly gritty and macho interview. Plus, we discuss the Empire Awards nominations.

For sheer A-list star power, this week's podcast rivals most TV chat shows. A stonking FOUR guests join us in the pod booth: Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson talk Zoolander 2; Stephen Fry talks BAFTAs; and Ryan Reynolds talks Deadpool.

This week, Jack Black talks monsters with Goosebumps, and Matt Smith talks zombies with Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Mark Ruffalo drops by the pod booth to talk Spotlight, Columbo rumours and Oscar goodie bags, and we discuss movies with no people in them.

On the Empire Podcast this week, we are joined by director Adam McKay to talk about Oscar hopeful, The Big Short. That's right: the man who brought us Anchorman entered the pod booth.

This week, we welcome the star and director of survivalist drama The Revenant; discuss the recently-announced Oscar nominations; and pay tribute to the sadly departed Alan Rickman and David Bowie.