The Empire Film Podcast

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down, on Zoom and in person, with a cavalcade of cracking guests. There's Eva Victor, star/writer/director of the excellent Sorry, Baby, who talks about cats, directing themselves, and people who look like yams. [23:05 - 39:05 approx] Then there's Olivia Colman and Jay Roach, star and director of The Roses, the reimagining of the classic comedy, The War Of The Roses, who talk about baseball, guns, and terrible dinner parties. [59:50 - 1:17:03 approx] And, last but not least, Chris genuflects in the general direction of Sir Ben Kingsley, star of The Thursday Murder Club, as they talk about that movie, Sexy Beast, and Trevor Slattery. [1:42:55 - 1:56:29 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and, after a fashion, Ben Travis for a fun episode in which they discuss the greatest movie Chucks (and variations thereof), run their eyes over the week's movie news (and yes, the reveal of the Star Wars: Starfighter cast came too late, dagnammit), and review Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing, Macon Blair's The Toxic Avenger, The Roses, and The Thursday Murder Club. Enjoy!

Join acclaimed actors Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Hiddleston, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as they dive into their latest projects, including Phoenix's role in Eddington and insights into the upcoming Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck. The trio discusses the emotional depth of storytelling and the transformative power of film narratives. Weaving humor into their conversations, they explore personal anecdotes and the healing capacity of cinema, leaving listeners with a unique perspective on the roles films play in our lives.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast will haunt your nightmares, but in a good way, as Chris Hewitt returns to the host chair, just in time to tackle, with Beth Webb and Amon Warmann, a Mount Rushmore question about the best Final Girls in horror movies. Their final choices may shock you, but that's nothing compared to the bit where Chris explains Freddy Krueger to Amon, who has never seen a Nightmare On Elm Street movie. Terrifying stuff. Elsewhere in the show, our intrepid trio also discuss the week's movie news (hello, Marty Supreme trailer!), and review Celine Song's Materialists, Nobody 2, and Together, the horror film in which Dave Franco and Alison Brie literally fuse together. Which wasn't weird at all for the real-life married couple, who also guest on this week's episode, talking to Mike Muncer about that very singular experience. [1:03:58 - 1:15:10 approx] And, finally on the guest front, Harry Stainer sits down with Celine Song to talk about her wonderful new movie, and the nature of love. Heavy, man. [29:02 - 44:40 approx] Enjoy, and sorry about the spooky child-like singing.

Or 42 minutes with Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen. Which would you prefer? Don't answer that. Anyway, that's what you've got with the latest episode of The Shameless Plug, as Chris and Nick sit down to talk about Nick's extraordinary adventures in New Zealand, shadowing James Cameron for two days as he put the finishing touches to this month's cover movie, Avatar: Fire & Ash. Elsewhere, our friends and neighbours talk about some of the other highlights from the September 2025 issue, including Chris' interview with Jeremy Renner, and Alex Godfrey's epic Zoom sit-down with Spinal Tap. Yes, actual Spinal Tap. It's all happening. For those tales, and more from behind the scenes of the world's biggest movie magazine, press play. And if you haven't picked up your copy yet, there's still time in good, evil and virtual newsagents wherever you are. Enjoy.

In space, no-one can hear you pod. Thankfully, we're not on space, we're on Earth, so you will be able to hear this wonderful Empire Podcast special dedicated to Noah Hawley's excellent Alien prequel, Alien Earth, which dropped its first two episodes today on Disney+. Here, you will hear Chris Hewitt sit down with Hawley, the show's creator and showrunner, about his vision for the show, the monsters old and new that he's bringing into this universe, and the lengths his cast members went to get his attention. And you'll also hear from two of those cast members, Timothy Olyphant, who plays the inscrutable synth, Kirsh, and Sydney Chandler, who plays the show's wide-eyed but extremely formidable lead, a hybrid called Wendy. Neither interviews are spoilerific, but you might want to wait until you've seen the first two episodes before giving them a whirl. It's your call. We're not your MU-TH-UR.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Helen O'Hara slip into the host's chair in Chris Hewitt's absence, and use her endless reservoir of patience to corral James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Ben Travis in a discussion of the best second movies by notable directors (and yes, we know that we didn't mention [INSERT BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS CHOICE HERE]). That was inspired by the arrival of Weapons, the second film from Zach Cregger, and in the reviews section our quartet lose their minds over that, and also look at Freakier Friday, My Oxford Year, and The Pick-Up. Oh, and they talk about trailers, trailer, and more trailers in the movie news section. Guest-wise, Chris pops up on Zoom to have a lovely natter with Guy Pearce, who shows off his musical prowess, reveals the one accent that eludes him, and talks about brilliant new Australian prison drama, Charles Williams' Inside (which is out on Monday, August 11, on digital platforms); [20:12 - 37:51 approx] and Ben has a lovely spoiler-free chat with Weapons star, and the MCU's secret weapon, Benedict Wong. [1:02:05 - 1:17:58 approx] Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast adds insults to injury, as the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Alex Godfrey, and Ben Travis — share their favourite movie insults. And, yes, misquote at least one of them horribly. Also, nothing on this earth will prepare you for Alex Godfrey's Pazuzu impression. We can only apologise in advance. Elsewhere, the team also discuss the week's movie news, plug the new issue of Empire, and review Happy Gilmore 2, The Naked Gun, and Bring Her Back, while Chris is joined in The Guest Zone by The Naked Gun director, and one-third of The Lonely Island, Akiva Schaffer [20:11 - 39:53 approx], and Superman director James Gunn, who shares some spoilerific thoughts in an extended excerpt from our Superman spoiler special. [01:33:30 - 01:42:47 approx]

In a dynamic conversation, director Matt Shakman shares insights on crafting 'Fantastic Four: First Steps,' focusing on family dynamics in superhero storytelling. Sam Rockwell, the charming voice behind Mr. Wolf in 'The Bad Guys 2,' discusses his animated role and the process of voicing characters. The duo explores the blurred lines between heroes and villains, while also diving into recent movie news, examining trends in superhero cinema and the future of franchises. Their engaging banter brings humor and depth, leaving listeners eager for more!

Do not adjust your speakers, or your headphones. Yes, Ralph Ineson's voice really is that deep and sonorous. And in this week's Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt sits down with the actor who plays the planet-eating entity, Galactus, in next week's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and talks about how his voice is his passport. [1:04:38 - 1:20:16 approx] Elsewhere, Chris also has an engrossing chat with Repo Man and Walker director Alex Cox about his days hosting BBC 2's much-missed cinematic gateway, Moviedrome. [30:44 - 44:01 approx] And then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and John Nugent to discuss Rachel Zegler in Evita at the London Palladium, chat about the week's movie news, review Friendship, Smurfs, and Four Letters Of Love and, in a lengthier than usual listener question section, programme their ultimate music festival of fictional movie bands. Oh, and Chris coins a nickname for a highly-respected and beloved director. Enjoy.

Discover the creative journey behind a striking light-up cover inspired by Tron Ares! The hosts delve into crafting captivating cover lines and share hilarious anecdotes from the magazine world. Explore innovative designs that merge action cinema with print, and look forward to star-studded interviews featuring talents like Sharon Stone and Bob Odenkirk. Plus, hear about exciting new films including Celine Song's 'Materialist' and a Netflix adaptation of 'Thursday Murder Club.' Their witty banter keeps the insights entertaining!