Film Stories with Simon Brew

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, producer Jason Blum makes a return appearance to chat about The Craft: Legacy and more. How did the project come to be? Why do actors make good directors? And why was The Gift so important to Blumhouse? This and more, in this latest Film Stories special. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. You c...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, making a football film with actors who can't play football, and a blockbuster movie co-starring someone who'd not acted before. Escape To Victory saw Sylvester Stallone learning to be a goalkeeper and a chunk of Ipswich Town Football Club learning to be actors. With the director of The African Queen watching on. The Bodyguard saw Whitney Houston...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Simon chats with Barnaby Thompson, director of Pixie, and producer of films such as Spice World, Wayne's World 2 and Kevin & Perry Go Large. They chat how Pixie came together, how he came to produce films for Saturday Night Live, and how he nearly directed the Spice Girls movie. Plus a whole lot more... Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a fantasy adventure with sequels planned, and a horror thriller that proved a surprise hit. Krull was set to be followed by at least one sequel, and the expensive production took over much of Pinewood Studios. It'd be a very difficult film to make. As for Flatliners, the film found itself in a bidding war between producers working for the same st...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Simon chats with director Pete Docter about his new film Soul. And about being the new boss of Pixar too. They chat about the challenges of the film, and maintaining a working culture via remote working. Plus how to bring the invisible to the screen. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. You can f...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the sci-fi film that put Danny Boyle off making sci-fi films, and a sequel that straight away needed a new director. Sunshine came into director Danny Boyle's life over a drink in a London pub - and he'd find himself making a $20m sci-fi film in a tight London studio as a result. With Final Destination 2, New Line was looking for a quicker turnar...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the hit remake that started life as a much cheaper project, and a different vehicle for Jason Statham. The Mummy went through many directors, getting gradually more and more expensive as it did so. Its effects would prove a bit of a challenge too. The Bank Job seemed to be a film destined not to be made when Miramax backed out of the project. Man...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, how Paramount gambled heavily on a Michael Crichton book, and Warner Bros dug deep for an unusual blockbuster. Congo started as a project dreamed up in the 1970s as a vehicle for Sean Connery. By the time it made it to the screen, its author would be having nothing to do with it. For Conspiracy Theory, Julia Roberts took a lot of persuading to do...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a film designed to be something of a surprise, and a comedy that a major studio abandoned. JJ Abrams joined forces with Steven Spielberg for Super 8, and the plan was to launch the trailer at least as a complete surprise. A successful plan too. With Good Morning, Vietnam, there were doubts that Robin Williams could lead a movie of its ilk - and a...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Simon goes through the prolonged gestation of Bill & Ted Face The Music - and then brings in its director, Dean Parisot, to pick up the story. They talk of the challenges of realising the film, keeping its tone right, bad weather, the Halesowen branch of Asda, and releasing the movie. Plus the pressure of getting this one right... This episode...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the asteroid movie in a race against time, and the Stephen King adaptation with a casting nightmare. Three similar films were in the race when Disney greenlit Armageddon - but it committed to spending over $100m on the film without a script in place. Actor after actor turned down Misery meanwhile, a film that took over half a year to nail down it...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a film finally released nearly three years after filming, and a comedy that was a comeback of sorts for Steve Martin The New Mutants was caught up in reshoots talks, a company takeover, and a rumour that the whole film was going to scrapped and started again. Bowfinger was an easier shoot, although it was a film that came about in Steve Martin's...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a huge sequel and what was supposed to be the start of a franchise. The Lost World Jurassic Park was Steven Spielberg's first film as director following Schindler's List - but his interest in making it would slowly wane. In the case of Salt, it went through several directors with Tom Cruise for a long time linked with starring. And then the scrip...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, writer, producer and director Don Hahn is our very special guest. Having produced Disney classics such as The Lion King and Beauty & The Beast, Hahn has directed two excellent documentaries about that era: Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) and Howard (2018). And he tells Simon the stories behind them in an extensive chat. Find Simon on Twitter at @...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, how the 20th James Bond film pushed things a little too far, and a western with British origins. Die Another Day was the first 007 movie to heavily lean on CG, and one big sequence hadn't even been conceived when filming began. Sharon Stone had movie star clout when The Quick And The Dead got greenlit - and she used it to secure Sam Raimi as dire...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Scorsese and De Niro's third film together in the 90s, and how Kevin Smith took on the Hollywood system. Casino wasn't originally going to be the film Martin Scorsese made in the mid-90s - and he found himself up against problems when its source novel came out after the film. With Red State, writer and director Kevin Smith decided to challenge th...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a Spielberg summer blockbuster and a bit of a hit out of nowhere. War Of The Worlds wasn't even greenlit until eleven months before its release - and filming wouldn't start for three more months after that.  The Mask had more time on its side, and by the time it came to its release, it turned out it had the world's biggest new movie star in its e...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a sequel that went through a fair few ideas, and a comedy that heavily stumbled at the box office. Die Hard With A Vengeance saw big changes behind the scenes - and a struggle to find an ending that works. As for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, it turned into a film that had as much footage to work through as a documentary that had shot for a...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two hit movies with two very different stories behind them. Warner Bros traded Forrest Gump to get its hands on Executive Decision. But things were a little tense on set, not least with Steven Seagal. As for Men In Black 3? Well, yikes. A film that cost a quarter of a billion dollars to make, with a three month shutdown in the midst of filming. I...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two hit comedies made at different ends of the 1990s. Death Becomes Her was expensive, technically demanding and ultimately visually groundbreaking - and it'd be the film that brought Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn together, after they passed on Thelma & Louise. The Wedding Singer, meanwhile, would alter notably because of two women: Drew Barrymore...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, director Peter Cattaneo chats about his latest film, now heading to disc, Military Wives. He and Simon chat about releasing it the week before cinemas closed, losing a week of production, and also Cattaneo's earlier movies, Lucky Break and The Full Monty. Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew, and the podcast can be found at @filmstoriespod. You...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, how a spoof movie eerily echoed newspapers headlines, and a drama that fell a little through the cracks. Hot Shots! was written months before real life conflict echoed some of its plot - and production had a few challenges too. As for the Kevin Costner-headlined Thirteen Days, it's a film whose reputation has grown, but several studios and even m...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the last James Cameron/Arnold Schwarzenegger collaboration, and a beloved film that went through major difficulties. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to True Lies off the back of the box office disappointment Last Action Hero - and James Cameron needed to make a film to justify a huge deal his company had signed. As for Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Fact...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a much-loved 90s superhero film, and a comedy that took nearly a decade to get to the screen. The Rocketeer was a big hope in 1991. It was switched to come out under the Disney label, and there were sequel plans too. And then its release happened. As for Blockers, how a first-time movie director got the job - and how the film evolved into somethi...

In the new episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Disney's odd attempt to create a superhero, and a troubled X-Men movie. Condorman was a big gamble for Disney in the early 80s, as it tried to follow in the path of Superman. Things didn't go to plan. Nor did they with the third X-Men film, that lost a couple of directors, had to ink new deals with all its cast - and then faced a script leak. Sto...