The Empire Film Podcast

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.