The Empire Film Podcast

VisionQuest, the latest MCU show to hit Disney+, launches tomorrow with a two-episode salvo which reintroduces us to Paul Bettany's Vision, or the latest version thereof. Last seen inhabiting a new (old) body in WandaVision, VisionQuest is partially concerned with Vision's attempts to emotionally connect with the memories of the android Avenger who once occupied that same body. Oh, and he also has...

Blimey, do we have a bumper edition of The Interviews for you, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down in person with Aaron Sorkin to talk about the writer-director's return to the world of Facebook with The Social Reckoning; on Zoom with Paul Greengrass, the writer-director of period (but oh-so-timely) thriller The Uprising, about the Peasant Revolt of 1381 (and not, as it turns out, a Robin Hood movie)...

Today — October 10 — is a pretty special day for S.S. Rajamouli, the groundbreaking Indian director behind epics like the Baahubali films, Eega, and 2022's Oscar-winning breakout hit, RRR, whose astonishing, vibrant, endlessly inventive action sequences won the hearts of audiences the world over. Why is today special? Well, it's Rajamouli's 53rd birthday. Happy birthday, sir. And why is this...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Andrew Garfield, star of Paul Greengrass' hard-hitting period epic, The Uprising, stop by the podbooth for a fun chat with Chris Hewitt about that new movie, The Social Network, and the time Garfield was told he was going to play Spider-Man. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth not by an A-lister, but by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer as...

It's time, folks. No, not time to watch the magic pumpkin — that's a few weeks away — but instead to glory in the majesty of the BFI London Film Festival, which kicks off today in, erm, London, and will bring all kinds of movies to the capital city. Every year, we devote a special podcast to the LFF, and this year we've really pulled out all the stops, with a fantastic virtual roundtable special i...

The title of this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is a delightful phrase that comes from none other than our star guest, Ethan Hawke, who tells Jamie Graham all about his new film, The Weight, and how it was one of the biggest challenges of his storied career. Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for a fun episode that asks...

This week's episode of The Interviews is all about editors-turned-directors. First, we have an extended interview between Chris Hewitt and David Kittredge, the director behind the excellent documentary, Boorman And The Devil, which chronicles the wild making of John Boorman's legendary-for-all-the-wrong-reasons sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and even rehabilitates the film's reputation somewhat...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is all about birthdays, folks. Partially because Chris Hewitt just had one, but also because this week's listener question asks our Three Colleagues Of Such Lethal Cunning — Chris, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer — to discuss the best movies released on their birthdays. The answers will shock and, in one case, depress the hell out of you. Elsewhere, our intre...

Which witch is which? And more importantly, which witch is best? That's the big question on the lips of the Empire Podcast team this week, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer discuss their favourite movie witches, and ask if the Blair Witch is even a witch at all (we wouldn't say it to her face, mind). Speaking of witches, Zach Cregger created a truly memorable one last year with Aunt Gl...

This week's episode of The Interviews is different class, folks. First up, Chris Hewitt has a lovely Zoom with Jarvis Cocker — yes, THE Jarvis Cocker — as the Pulp frontman and all-round legend talks about the band's new movie, the Garth Jennings-directed Pulp: What Do You Do For An Encore, which is in cinemas for ONE DAY ONLY, Friday September 18 (today, in other words), before heading to MUBI fr...

With the latest issue of Empire magazine in shops for just another week or so, it's time for Chris Hewitt and Empire editor Nick de Semlyen to slide into the podbooth and dig deep in the latest episode of The Shameless Plug. Join our dynamic duo as they talk about Chris' adventures writing this month's cover feature on the Tom Cruise/Alejandro G. Iñárritu collaboration, Digger; plus his in-depth c...

Happy birthday, Star Trek! Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking sci-fi show turned 60 this week, and the Empire Podcast is celebrating in style this week. Helen O'Hara broke a world record, which she tells Chris Hewitt and James Dyer about, before our intrepid trio (our very own Kirk-Spock-Bones?) tackle a listener question about recasting The Next Generation crew. Their solutions may seem illogical....

It's another jam-packed edition of The Interviews this week, folks. First, Chris Hewitt sits down with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight as he tackles another project about complicated brothers, the documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back In Anger, which chronicles the return and reconciliation of Liam & Noel Gallagher. We hear Damon Albarn loves it. Then Alex Godfrey has a lovely chat on Zoom w...

The latest episode of The Interviews is a barnstormer, folks, in which the legendary Willem Dafoe talks to Alex Godfrey about his new movie, Late Fame, running a farm, and not celebrating birthdays; Chris Hewitt has a wild chat with Stop! That! Train! stars, Jujubee and Ginger Minj; and we bring you an excerpt from Harry Stainer's spoilerific chat with Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma director...

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt have a lovely natter with The Death Of Robin Hood star, Jodie Comer, and her director, Michael Sarnoski. Everything we do (we do it for them). Then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey, to discuss their favourite Tim Curry moments, look at the week's movie news, and review a whole bunch of films including The Dea...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Dave Green's Coyote Vs Acme finally reach cinema screens after a long and perilous journey which saw the film face actual deletion at one point, before common sense prevailed. Green is our guest this week, and he tells Helen O'Hara about the arduous experience he went through, and the film itself, which is a joyous affair. Either side of that, Chris H...

Ack ack ack! Can Tim Burton's gleefully anarchic Mars Attacks! really be 30 years old? It seems so, for those lovely folks at Warner Home Video have released a 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition across a number of formats, and we've teamed up with them to celebrate this most delightfully Burton of movies by cramming Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer into the podbooth and getting them to...

The Interviews returns this week with a jam-packed show, as Chris Hewitt sits down at Comic-Con in San Diego with, after a delayed start, Mason Thames (and yes, we have learned how to pronounce his surname) and Lee Kirk (ditto), star and director respectively of Nimrods: A Green Day Comedy about music, movies, and heart. Then Chris pops onto Zoom to have a natter with Adam Shankman, director of ZA...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Jane Schoenbrun, director of Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma, chat to Harry Stainer on Zoom about their new movie, creating a new horror icon, and their own filmmaking journey. Either side of that, Helen O'Hara is joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and Jamie Graham to take a bunch of listener questions, discuss the week's movie news including t...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees director Matt Johnson return, just a few weeks after he was talking up Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie. This time, he's talking to Amon Warmann about his new movie, Tony, which is a snapshot of a period in the life of a young Anthony Bourdain (played by Dominic Sessa). Either side of that, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara an...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Taika Waititi, director of Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Zoom in for a cracking chat with Chris Hewitt about that movie's tenth anniversary re-release, his feelings about the loss of the great Sam Neill, the status of his What We Do In The Shadows sequel, New Zealand PSAs, and more. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt — freshly returned from Comic-Con and San Diego — sit down for a lovely chat with Spider-Man: Brand New Day director, Destin Daniel Cretton. Either side of that, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis to discuss their favourite Spider-movies, look back at Comic-Con and a whole bunch of trailers, and...

And so Empire has said goodbye to Comic-Con 2026, after an absolutely jam-packed few days that saw our Chris Hewitt race around the San Diego Convention Centre, taking in panels and press lines galore, speaking to some of the biggest and brightest around, and eating horrifically. Like, it's a wonder he's still alive horrifically. But he made it to the end and, in this reaction show recorded on a t...

On this week's Empire Podcast, Helen O'Hara slides into the host's chair in the Comic-Con-related absence of Chris Hewitt, and together, she, James Dyer and Amon Warmann come up with some of the greatest dog movies, suggest classic myths that could be turned into movies, swap outlandish theories about Avengers: Doomsday, talk about the movie news that broke before Comic-Con, and review The Dink, 7...

Here's a fun treat for anyone interested in comedy, movies, improv and more: when Chris Hewitt was in LA the other week, not only did he talk to John Woo for a one-hour special that can be found in this very podcast feed, but he also sat down with Scott Aukerman, host of his favourite podcast, Comedy Bang! Bang! With Aukerman, Paul F. Tompkins and Andy Daly coming to the UK and Ireland this week f...