The Empire Film Podcast

'Nuff said, True Believers! Because (three of) you demanded it, Team Empire managed to grab hold of the Eye Of Agamotto and squeeze out a chunk of time in which to discuss all the talking points thrown up by the second, and final, trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis as they do a deepish dive into the trailer, advance some wild theories for the finished film (and the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), and speculate on whether you-know-who and you-also-know-who might show up. Enjoy.

To herald the arrival on Disney+ of Dopesick, Danny Strong’s drama chronicling the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on America, the Empire Podcast and Pilot TV Podcast crews have, once again, set aside their differences and come together to have a good old natter. In this very special crossover episode, in association with Disney+, Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, and Beth Webb do a deep dive into Dopesick, which tackles the opioid crisis from the points of view of characters connected to the crisis in various ways. They talk about the crisis itself, about the show’s all-star cast (including Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard, Kaitlyn Dever, and Will Poulter), and much, much more. And if that weren’t enough, Beth also sits down with Danny Strong, Kaitlyn Dever and Will Poulter for an in-depth chat about the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy Dopesick, an Empire + Pilot TV podcast special with Disney+.

Another bumper bonanza of film-related film this week, folks! On the interview front, Chris Hewitt has a wide-ranging series of chats, talking first to Paul Andrew Williams, writer/director of the brutal and brilliant thriller Bull; then he recovers just in time from a vicious attempt on his life to have a fun natter with Home Sweet Home Alone stars, Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper, in which Rob reveals just how far he'd go to please Andy Daly; and finally there are previously unheard excerpts from our recent reunion interview with Naked director/star, Mike Leigh and David Thewlis, as their 1992 masterpiece is re-released in cinemas. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis and new addition to the Empire team, Sophie Butcher, for an episode that takes in everything from terrible movie professions to a discussion of the week's movie news (including deep, deep dives into Road House, and the Vin Diesel/Dwayne Johnson brouhaha), and reviews of Red Notice, Home Sweet Home Alone, Mothering Sunday, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut, tick tick... BOOM! Oh, and there's much talk of sexy potatoes. Because of course there is. Enjoy!

This week's Empire Podcast is back in one piece, but that doesn't mean we're shirking on the guests front. First off, Chris Hewitt has a fun chat with Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani, two of the stars of Marvel's newest flick, Eternals, in which Halloween costumes, Salma's dad, and the scary-sounding Marvel Police are discussed. Then, Amon Warmann has an in-person, and very entertaining, chat with Kristen Stewart, the American actress who is tackling one of Britain's greatest icons, Princess Diana, in this week's Spencer. Back in the podbooth, Chris is joined this week by Amon, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer for a chaotic episode which incorporates much talk of biscuits, sees the team answer a listener question about karaoke, discuss the week's movie news, including the trailers for Morbius and Moonfall, and review Eternals (a rare MCU movie which has split the room), Spencer, The Harder They Fall, and Finch. A podcast fit to be enjoyed over a nice cup of tea, and two fingers of Twix. Enjoy.

Part Two of this week's bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt chat to Zack Snyder and Matthias Schweighofer, producer and director/star of this week's Army Of Thieves, the relatively zombie-free prequel to Army Of The Dead, about making those movies and the possibility of Snyder becoming the new Jane Fonda. He also sits down on Zoom with Jonathan Majors, star of The Harder They Fall, for an in-depth chat about that movie, and about playing He Who Remains In Loki. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer (for a while at least), and Ben Travis as they discuss the week's movie news, including the tragic events on the set of the Western, Rust, and the announcement of Dune Part Two. They also review Last Night In Soho, Rebecca Hall's Passing, Army Of Thieves, and Scott Cooper's horror film, Antlers. And, if that wasn't enough, we also bring you Chris' spoilerific interview with Andy Serkis, director of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. But don't worry if you haven't seen the film, we put the interview right at the end, where it'll be waiting for you when you've caught up with Eddie Brock's latest adventure. CATSUP?

Just like Denis Villeneuve's Dune, this week's Empire Podcast is so epic that we've had to split it into two parts. In this first instalment, you'll get two of the FIVE guest interviews we have lined up this week, as Chris Hewitt talks to Last Night In Soho writer/director, Edgar Wright, and his co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns, about their working practices, food poisoning, and Sandie Shaw. And then Helen O'Hara hits a mighty power chord and chats to the legendary Huey Lewis about the new Back To The Future musical, American Psycho, and his recent struggles with his hearing. Then, in the podbooth, Chris and Helen are joined by James Dyer and Ben Travis for the return of an old favourite and, because Halloween is around the corner, they also take a number of spooky listeners' questions, sparking off discussions of the podteam's own supernatural experiences, or lack thereof. Enjooooooooooooy (that's meant to be a scary ghost).

The spice must flow on this week's Empire Podcast. The spice of chat, that is! We have three belting interviews lined up for you lucky lot this week, as Chris Hewitt talks to The Guilty star Jake Gyllenhaal in which one of them threatens to go topless; Dune's Lady Jessica herself, Rebecca Ferguson, during which she and Chris hatch a new get-rich-quick scheme; and James Marsden, star of The Boss Baby 2. And, as the original big screen Cyclops, naturally the interview ends with Chris showing Marsden a picture of Cyclops with an... unusual mask. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for an epic episode in which they tackle several questions at once, including one that covers the great Eternals Post-Credits Sting Spoilers Controversy. They also discuss the week's movie news (this was recorded on Wednesday, ahead of the tragic events on the set of Rust), and review new releases The French Dispatch, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Harder They Fall. Oh, and a little film called Dune. Surprisingly, the James-and-Helensplaining is kept to a minimum on this one. That's what spoiler specials are for. In the meantime, enjoy.

Now that the first season of What If...?, the animated MCU show that told alternate tales from across the Multiverse, has finished its run on Disney+, it's time for Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Ben Travis, and Amon Warmann to enter the virtual podbooth and have a good old natter about their favourite moments from the series. But that's not all — we also have the show's head writer, A.C. Bradley, and director Bryan Andrews, on hand to fill in the motivations and meanings behind some of the series' most iconic moments. So listen in to find out if they truly do hate Tony Stark, what the Empire team are looking for from season 2, and just what happens when the Hulk explodes. Oh, and you will believe a man can be named after two of the world's great rivers! Enjoy.

Yes, folks, we know that this week's Empire Podcast is a long 'un, but in fairness it's still three minutes shorter than No Time To Die, and is so packed with podcast goodness that we barely know where to begin. On the interview front, there are cracking conversations as Chris Hewitt sits down with the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis to talk about returning as Laurie Strode in Halloween Kills. You may be surprised to hear that this one gets pretty serious, and pretty emotional. Which is not the case with Chris' interview with Todd Haynes, the wonderful director of new documentary, The Velvet Underground. He talks to Chris about doing the Velvets justice, becoming friends with John Cale, his musical prowess, and his attraction to making films with 'velvet' in the title. But we're especially stoked this week to be joined in the podbooth, for the first time since this infernal pandemic started, by an actual guest. Jim Cummings, the star/co-writer and co-director of The Beta Test (and one of the stars of Halloween Kills) swings by for the first hour, answers some listener questions, discusses his approach to filmmaking, and generally has a giggle. Then, once he's gone, Chris, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news, including the new trailers for Scream, Home Sweet Home Alone, and The Beatles: Get Back, and in a bumper reviews section they dig deep into Venom: Let There Be Carnage, The Last Duel, The Beta Test, Halloween Kills, Ron's Gone Wrong, and The Velvet Underground. Now do you see why we took nearly three hours? Enjoy, in instalments if you have to.

The BFI London Film Festival is happening AS YOU READ THIS, folks. And, as proud media partners, we at Empire were delighted to present this week's gala world premiere of Craig Roberts' The Phantom Of The Open, a heartwarming and hilarious tale of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a keen amateur golfer who gatecrashed the British Open in 1976 with spectacular results. And we didn't want to leave it there, so in this special episode Chris Hewitt catches up on Zoom (just a few hours ahead of the premiere, in fact) with Roberts and Simon Farnaby, who adapted the screenplay from a book he co-wrote with Scott Murray, for a rip-roaring chat about golf, movies, life, Wonka, and everything else. Get in the hole! (Which is golf for 'enjoy'.)