The Empire Film Podcast

Here it is, folks. A landmark episode deserves an epic running time. Welcome to the 500th episode of the Empire Podcast, recorded in front of a live audience at Kings Place, London, on Saturday, February 5, and featuring our most astonishing line-up of guests yet. There's Tom Holland (no, not that one), talking about Uncharted and spoiling the hell out of Spider-Man: No Way Home (seriously, maybe only listen to this pod after you've seen that film)! The Souvenir Part II director Joanna Hogg and her star, Bafta-nominated Harris Dickinson! Roy Kent himself, Ted Lasso star, Brett Goldstein, talking about fashion, swearwords, and blaming our Chris Hewitt for the pandemic! West Side Story's Maria, aka Rachel Zegler, on befriending Spielberg! Loki director Kate Herron with the inside scoop on Owen Wilson's moustache! And the captain of the Jackass gang, Johnny Knoxville, on what can only be described as Dongzilla! Phew! It's so packed that all the interviews are smushed together in one huge section that runs from 00:33:23 to 02:14.50. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt welcomes not one, not two, not three but FOUR colleagues of such lethal cunning -- Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis -- for the mother of all Empire Podcasts, as they talk movie news (Scream! Fast 10! Baftas! Den Of Thieves 2!), review Moonfall, The Souvenir Part II, Belle, Jackass Forever, and The Eyes Of Tammy Faye, and answer a ton of audience questions. It's been weeks in the planning, and is our gift to you, our loyal listeners. Thank you for all your support over the last ten years. Here's to the next 500. Enjoy.

The legendary Donnie Yen has been kicking all kinds of butt for decades now, in movies like Hero, Ip Man, Blade II, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His latest movie, Raging Fire (the last directed by Benny Chan) is out now on DVD, Blu-ray and digital, and to mark the occasion, Amon Warmann sat down with Donnie Yen for an engrossing in-depth chat. Which we present to you in full. Enjoy!

Episodes of The Ranking are like buses. Not in the 'you wait ages for one, and then three turn up at once' sense (although we do acknowledge that episodes of this fine spin-off from Empire magazine, in which four Empire writers argue the toss about a series of films and come up with a definitive cough cough top ten, have not exactly been on the regular). More in the 'you get on one, and all you find is four people talking about Stanley Kubrick' sense. And if that's not your experience of buses, then you have our pity. You can't get on a bus round here without someone banging on about Barry Lyndon. Anyway, as our gift to you, to make up for the absence of Episode 500 from the feed today (what with Episode 500 not having been recorded yet), here is an actual episode of The Ranking, in which Ian Freer, Neil Alcock, Beth Webb, and Alex Godfrey clamber aboard the number 19 and talk about the career of one of the greatest directors of all time with their eyes wide shut and their mouths wide open. Enjoy.

Edgar Wright's latest movie, the pulse-pounding, melon-melting, time-twisting psychological thriller, Last Night In Soho, is out now on all the formats you can think of (and some you can't), so you can watch it in the comfort of your own home. So now is the perfect time to bring you lucky lot the first hour of the epic TWO AND A HALF HOUR spoiler special interview that we recorded with Wright and his co-writer, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, when they came into the podbooth late last year. In this exceedingly candid chat with Chris Hewitt, Wright and Wilson-Cairns talk about how the Hot Fuzz research process led to one of the darkest lines in the film; how Terence Stamp inspired a permanent plaque in The Toucan; where the idea for the film came from; and going for dinner with Billie Piper. For details of our spoiler specials subscription service, go to empire.supportingcast.fm

Reacher may say nothing, but thankfully Alan Ritchson -- the actor who steps into the shoes of Lee Child's man-mountain master detective, Jack Reacher, on a new Prime Video series called REACHER that launches on February 4 -- says plenty. He talks to Chris Hewitt this week, and tells him all about his audition for Reacher, acing Reacher's physicality, and what inspiration he drew from Child. Chris also has a natter this week with Romola Garai, the British actress who makes her directorial debut with the ultra-creepy horror film, Amulet. They talk about how Garai made the transition behind the camera, working with creature FX, and much more. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a jam-packed episode in which they discuss the week's movie news (including a new Wallace & Gromit movie), review Amulet, Sing 2, Pedro Almodovar's Parallel Mothers, and Munich: The Edge Of War. Plus, the listeners' question this week will almost certainly see us get sued by the BBC. Not least for hesitation, repetition and deviation. Enjoy.

We believe in America. And we also believe in Francis Ford Coppola's seminal classic, The Godfather, which turns 50 this year. In fact, we believe in it so much that we've only gone and put it on the cover of the brand-new issue of Empire (on sale now!), along with an exclusive interview with Coppola himself, as well as many of his key cast members. And, accordingly, we've decided to do a podcast in which we talk about The Godfather, and why it's still one of the greatest films of all time. So join Chris Hewitt, Nick de Semlyen, and Ian Freer for 45 minutes of chat about the film's amazing characters, visual style, themes, death scenes, and other memorable moments. And there are absolutely no terrible impressions of Marlon Brando. Well, ok, there's maybe the odd one or two or dozen. Enjoy!

2022 is only a few weeks old, but this week alone sees the release of two films that are almost certain to be up there come year's end: Guillermo del Toro's atmospheric noir, Nightmare Alley, and Kenneth Branagh's wonderfully warm childhood tale, Belfast. And we're delighted to be joined on this week's episode by del Toro, who chats with Chris Hewitt about doom, black-and-white, and Bradley Cooper's eyes; and Belfast star Jamie Dornan, who goes full Norn Iron with Helen O'Hara. Who, despite her protestations to the contrary, does thicken her accent for that interview, so she does. Then, in the podbooth, Chris and Helen are joined by James Dyer for an episode in which they talk about the legacy sequels they'd like to see, discuss the week's movie news, including the Moon Knight trailer and talk of a third Equalizer film, review Nightmare Alley, Belfast, A Journal For Jordan, and Mass, reveal more exciting details about our upcoming 500th episode, and can't tell the difference between their waking life... and dreams. Enjoy.

This week, the Empire Podcast opens The Book Of The Book Of Boba Fett, as Chris Hewitt has a fun chat with Fennec Shand herself, the wonderful Ming-Na Wen. They talk about stanning Han Solo, smuggling artefacts off set, and interior design. And Chris also has an interesting and engrossing Zoom chat with George MacKay (or is it Georges MacKay?), the English actor who stars in the Netflix WWII thriller, Munich: The Edge Of War. Either side of those interviews, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they tackle a number of listener questions, discuss the week's movie news, including the sad passing of Sidney Poitier, and review the new Scream, The Tragedy Of Macbeth, Andrea Arnold's Cow, and Memoria. And Chris tells it like it is about Adolf Hitler. Enjoy.

We're back! After a brief break for the Christmas and New Year holidays (during which we somehow managed to produce a whole bunch of podcasts anyway, but let's not quibble), the Empire Podcast is back, and seeing in 2022 with a bang. Our very first guest of the new year is a cracker, as Amon Warmann sits down on Zoom with Lupita Nyong'o, star of The 355, while later Chris Hewitt has a natter with Bert & Bertie, the directing team behind episodes 3-5 of the excellent Disney+ show, Hawkeye. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris and Amon join forces with James Dyer and, belatedly, Helen O'Hara to talk about the movies they watched over the Christmas break (the answer may shock you), the movie-related presents they received (the answer may bore you); discuss the movie news; review The 355, Licorice Pizza, The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain, and Boiling Point; and get into a big old humdinger of a debate about... well, we won't spoil it. You'll have to listen to find out. Enjoy! And Happy New Year!

Here's a lovely little treat to bring 2021 to a close (or see 2022 in with a bang): a lengthy interview special in which Chris Hewitt sits down (in an actual hotel room; this was actually our first in-person interview since the pandemic began) with the legendary Quentin Tarantino for an in-depth chat about Tarantino's decision to turn Once Upon A Time In Hollywood into a novel, his creative process, his relationship with his characters, his future plans, and much, much more. So, sit down, set aside an hour and change, and enjoy.