The Empire Film Podcast

"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, FX's 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!