The Empire Film Podcast

This week's Empire Podcast sees Tom Hiddleston return once again as our star guest (for what we are guessing is a record — let us know if that's the case, we don't keep records!) to tell Chris Hewitt all about his new movie, Tenzing, and he brings his co-star with him, the Tibetan actor Genden Phuntsok, who plays Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who was there every step of the way with Edmund Hillary as they became the first people to climb Mount Everest in 1953. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and Amon Warmann fo...

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

"Suddenly Empire is standing beside you/talking about Frank Oz for hours on end/Suddenly Empire is here to provide you/Sweet understanding..." of Oz' classic 1986 movie musical Little Shop Of Horrors, which has been given the 40th Anniversary Collectors' Edition treatment (in stores and available online from Monday October 19, fact fans). In this special podcast, in association with Warner Home Video, Chris Hewitt is joined by James Dyer and Little Shop superfan, Helen O'Hara, to talk about the film's long road to cult classic status, its famous original ending, which can now be seen on the Director's Cut...

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

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

Today — October 10 — is a pretty special day for S.S. Rajamouli, the groundbreaking Indian director behind epics like the Baahubali films, Eega, and 2022's Oscar-winning breakout hit, RRR, whose astonishing, vibrant, endlessly inventive action sequences won the hearts of audiences the world over. Why is today special? Well, it's Rajamouli's 53rd birthday. Happy birthday, sir. And why is this year special? Because he's also celebrating an anniversary as a movie director, what with it being 25 years since he first stepped behind the camera on Student No: 1. And we thought we'd celebrate, not by sending him a cake, but John Nugen...

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

It's time, folks. No, not time to watch the magic pumpkin — that's a few weeks away — but instead to glory in the majesty of the BFI London Film Festival, which kicks off today in, erm, London, and will bring all kinds of movies to the capital city. Every year, we devote a special podcast to the LFF, and this year we've really pulled out all the stops, with a fantastic virtual roundtable special in which four directors, all of whom have films at this year's LFF, sit down on Zoom with Chris Hewitt and have a good old natter abou...

The title of this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a delightful phrase that comes from none other than our star guest, Ethan Hawke, who tells Jamie Graham all about his new film, The Weight, and how it was one of the biggest challenges of his storied career. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode that asks the big question: are there any good short Best Picture winners? And then very quickly moves onto the biggest question of them all: why didn't...

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

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is all about birthdays, folks. Partially because Chris Hewitt just had one, but also because this week's listener question asks our Three Colleagues Of Such Lethal Cunning — Chris, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — to discuss the best movies released on their birthdays. The answers will shock and, in one case, depress the hell out of you. Elsewhere, our intrepid trio — joined by this week's workie, Grace — discuss a number of trailers, including The Further Misadventures Of Cliff Booth, and compare audiobook casts for starriness; and review David Ayer's Brad Pitt-and-dog survival thriller, Heart Of...

Which witch is which? And more importantly, which witch is best? That's the big question on the lips of the Empire Podcast team this week, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer discuss their favourite movie witches, and ask if the Blair Witch is even a witch at all (we wouldn't say it to her face, mind). Speaking of witches, Zach Cregger created a truly memorable one last year with Aunt Gladys in Weapons, and now the director is already back with his latest movie, a reimagining of the survival horror video game Resident Evil, and Chris has...

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

With the latest issue of Empire magazine in shops for just another week or so, it's time for Chris Hewitt and Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to slide into the podbooth and dig deep in the latest episode of The Shameless Plug. Join our dynamic duo as they talk about Chris' adventures writing this month's cover feature on the Tom Cruise/Alejandro G. Iñárritu collaboration, Digger; plus his in-depth chat about The Frighteners with that movie's director, Peter Jackson. They also talk about the other goodies to be found within the issue, including features on VisionQuest, Paul Greengrass' Th...

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

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

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

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

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Dave Green's Coyote Vs Acme finally reach cinema screens after a long and perilous journey which saw the film face actual deletion at one point, before common sense prevailed. Green is our guest this week, and he tells Helen O'Hara about the arduous experience he went through, and the film itself, which is a joyous affair. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt returns to the host's chair and is joined by Helen, James Dyer and Amon Warmann to talk about their favourite movies and how often they see them; discuss 'vs...

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

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

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

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees director Matt Johnson return, just a few weeks after he was talking up Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie. This time, he's talking to Amon Warmann about his new movie, Tony, which is a snapshot of a period in the life of a young Anthony Bourdain (played by Dominic Sessa). Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to talk about movie news (Barbie 2 developments, or lack thereof; and rumours of the X-Men cast announcement), review Tony, The End Of Oak...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Taika Waititi, director of Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Zoom in for a cracking chat with Chris Hewitt about that movie's tenth anniversary re-release, his feelings about the loss of the great Sam Neill, the status of his What We Do In The Shadows sequel, New Zealand PSAs, and more. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and John Nugent to answer a listener question about the implications of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's record-breaking box office; discuss the week's movie news, including the Violent Night 2 trailer...

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

And so Empire has said goodbye to Comic-Con 2026, after an absolutely jam-packed few days that saw our Chris Hewitt race around the San Diego Convention Centre, taking in panels and press lines galore, speaking to some of the biggest and brightest around, and eating horrifically. Like, it's a wonder he's still alive horrifically. But he made it to the end and, in this reaction show recorded on a terrace at the Hilton Bayfront mere minutes after the Avengers: Doomsday/Marvel Studios presentation and press line, Chris sits down with Empire colleague Dan Jolin to talk about Dan's unusual reason...

On this week's Empire Podcast, Helen O'Hara slides into the host's chair in the Comic-Con-related absence of Chris Hewitt, and together, she, James Dyer and Amon Warmann come up with some of the greatest dog movies, suggest classic myths that could be turned into movies, swap outlandish theories about Avengers: Doomsday, talk about the movie news that broke before Comic-Con, and review The Dink, 72 Hours, and Deep Water. Guest-wise, for the first time in a while we have two in one episode, with Chris talking (via AirPods, thanks to technical difficulties) to The Dink star and all-round legend, Mary...

Here's a fun treat for anyone interested in comedy, movies, improv and more: when Chris Hewitt was in LA the other week, not only did he talk to John Woo for a one-hour special that can be found in this very podcast feed, but he also sat down with Scott Aukerman, host of his favourite podcast, Comedy Bang! Bang! With Aukerman, Paul F. Tompkins and Andy Daly coming to the UK and Ireland this week for the latest leg of their Groundbeefing Tour, that was all the excuse Chris needed to talk to Scott for an hour-plus deep dive...

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

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has finally landed in cinemas around the world, and to mark the occasion, we've turned the latest episode of The Interviews into an Odyssey special, as Chris Hewitt talks to two of the key pairings from Nolan's epic adaptation of the Homer poem. First up, you'll hear from Himesh Patel and John Leguizamo, who play Eurylochus and Eumaeus, two characters who are close to Odysseus, the warrior whose journey home after The Trojan War is beset by the kind of bad luck that would have you begging for a bus replacement service. And then you'll...

This week's episode of The Empire Podcast sees one of the most revered Chrises in the movie business finally sit down with the director of The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, Oppenheimer and now The Odyssey. Yes, our Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat with Christopher Nolan, as the latter's Odyssey odyssey finally comes to an end. [47:24 - 1:09:28] Either side of that, Chris (Hewitt) is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey to pay a heartfelt tribute to the great Sam Neill, who passed away this week at the age of 78; make their selections for...

Here's a hard boiled treat that will feel like a bullet in the head initially. It may even make you want to take your face off. But hold tight, for there will always be a better tomorrow. Yes, it's a very special interview with the legendary action director, John Woo, who invited our Chris Hewitt, a lifelong fan of Woo's movies, into his LA offices last week for an hour-long talk, principally about Woo's groundbreaking, exhilarating work in Hong Kong on the likes of Hard Boiled, The Killer, Bullet In The Head, and A Better Tomorrow and its sequel...

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

Praise be to Muad'Dib! Thank the heavens for Duuuuuuuuuuuuune Part Three! Because, frankly, without the launch this week of the trailer for Denis Villeneuve's latest, and last, venture into Frank Herbert's sandy world, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer (for they are in charge this week, in Chris Hewitt's absence) would have had very little to talk about in terms of movie news on this week's episode. Thankfully it came along in the nick of time, and they bang on about it accordingly. Elsewhere, they had lots to talk about as they discuss contentious Empire reviews and movie worlds they'd...

The latest episode of The Interviews is another belter, folks. And is, accidentally, double act-themed. First, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom for a fun chat with Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the directors of one of the year's biggest and best films, Project Hail Mary, as the Ryan Gosling-Rocky The Alien movie lands on Prime Video. It's not a spoiler chat, but they talk about some of the film's key sequences (so be mindful if you somehow haven't seen it), its immense success, and what they're doing next. [1:23 - 20:13 approx] Then, Harry Stainer sits down with another notable...

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

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

This week's Empire Podcast might see Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara write their own ticket, folks, as they come up with an idea for Toy Story 6 that should, if there's any justice, be in production by the end of the weekend. Pixar, call us! That comes in the movie news section, where there is also much discussion of trailers and the prospect of a new Jim Carrey Grinch sequel. Either side of those, the gang — Chris, Helen, Amon Warmann, James Dyer, and this week's workie, Juliet Duff, who pops in for a cameo from time to time — talk about the m...

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

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