The Empire Film Podcast

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.