Film Stories with Simon Brew

In a huge episode of Film Stories, Simon digs into the story of Daniel Craig's second adventure as James Bond, Quantum Of Solace. Originally set to come out just 18 months or so after 2006's Casino Royale, the speedy turnaround saw one director leave, a writer's strike curtail the script. Daniel Craig picking up a pen, and a handful of weeks to turn around a final cut. Then, for the second part of...

Peter M Hoffman has had a very, very storied career. From working with Alexander Salkind on the original Superman movies, through to Cannon Films and Carolco, it was his tax specialism that saw him rise to prominence in Hollywood. But his story took one hell of a turn, as he discusses in this special episode of Film Stories, and in his new book, Karmic Winds: Reflections From The 'Smartest Guy In...

The road to The Inbetweeners Movie was a fairly swift one. Even while the hit British TV comedy was bringing in big ratings for E4, its creators - Iain Morris and Damon Beesley - were filing away ideas for an eventual movie. When the opportunity came, time was not on its side: filming had to begun just six months before The Inbetweeners Movie was due in cinemas. It turns out too that if you're loo...

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon Brew turns to his attentention to the Apple TV show Slow Horses, which has just returned for its sixth season. The man directing season 6, as he did season 4, is Adam Randall. He chats to Simon about landing the Slow Horses job, making the first film for Netflix UK many years ago, the IMDB movie with Miles Teller that he's linked with but has never heard...

James Cameron knew as he pitched Titanic to 20th Century Fox that it wasn't likely to be as commercial a film as the one he'd just done, True Lies. The budget was set to be lower, the release date was initially set for just a year after the start of filming, and there was to be no song. What happened changed his career and many others. From the unhappy crew member drugging the food table, to press...

Two different creatives share their film stories in this special episode of the podcast! First up, Oscar-winner Susanne Bier talked to Simon the day after the Practical Magic 2 premiere in London. The pair natter about the the film, about the set build, and what Susanne is up to next. And then producer Ken Petrie joins, a man who's had an unusual journey to film producing. Just how do you get from...

1989's Parenthood started life on a long haul flight. Director Ron Howard would tell of how 'testing' it was to do such a journey with kids in tow, and soon, he realised there was a film in it. But it'd be a movie where he, producer Brian Grazer, and writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, would end up mining their personal lives. Plus, it was going to need one hell of an ensemble cast. For the se...

In UK cinemas now is the third film from writer/director Michael Sarnoski, The Death Of Robin Hood. Headlined by Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, it's a hugely ambitious independent movie, with a very different spin on a well-known character. Sarnoski joined Simon Brew for a Film Stories special, chatting about the movie, about filming in Northern Ireland, about the weather, and about shooting on fil...

With Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure already playing in cinemas, plans moved quickly for a sequel. Originally entitled Bill & Ted Go To Hell, the movie that became Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey survived the financial problems of the studio behind it, and brought in a first-time director, with a really tight schedule to turn the film around. In the first part of this episode, Simon tells the story of...

1994's Speed may now be regarded as an action classic, but the original idea was a bus that didn't go above 20mph, in a film called Minimum Speed. Sat for a late summer release in 1994, things changed after a really successful test screening - and Keanu Reeves' haircut! - but it'd gone over a lot of hurdles to get to that point. Plus: where's Speed 3?! In the second half of this episode, director...

Director Adam Shankman shot the joyously entertaining Stop! That! Train! in under three weeks, and it arrives in cinemas this very weekend in the UK. In this special Film Stories interview, he talks to Simon Brew about getting the film made, as well as his time producing the Oscars, the short film that got him started, Hairspray, and an upcoming Christmas movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger too... Le...

James Bond 007 took a grittier turn with 1989's Licence To Kill, an adventure that was the first and only Bond film very specifically written for Timothy Dalton. It was an attempt to turn Bond grittier, and would mark the end of an era for many involved in the saga. Plus, it would end up doing box office battles with some tougher than expected competition. For the second half of this episode, Simo...

Up front, you can find Simon's tour dates at www.filmstories.co.uk/live. Simon Brew has been touring the UK with Film Stories in 2026, and in June 2026, he landed at the lovely Plaza Cinema in Truro. There, for an hour and half, he and Mark Kermode talked movies. And lots of them. In this special recording, you can hear the pair talk about dentistry, John Travola, Event Horizon, The Devils, The Ex...

Brian De Palma's 1993 movie Carlito's Way was not a box office success. De Palma managed to predict the critical reaction to the film, reacted to studio notes saying it was too long by making it longer, and had to retool the finale action sequence very late in the day. Even getting it to filming was a challenge - and the option to the source books would be taken out ten different times before Carl...

Kevin Costner gambled hard on making a three hour western, a third of which wasn't in the English language. He turned down roles in The Hunt For Red October and Presumed Innocent to take the risk of making Dances With Wolves. And while history tells it as a masterstroke, in the months leading up to the release, it looked anything but. In this episode, Simon digs into the story of the film, the fac...

I hear you, folks! Do more Marvel films? Gotcha! Let's go back to 1986, and Howard The Duck, the stunning-ish George Lucas-produced film of the subversive comic book character. Howard The Duck would become notable on its release, but its production alone would have been worth the stories. Malfunctioning ducks, cigars, tonal conversations, George Lucas' chosen director passing on the film, and a fa...

2000's Gladiator might be regarded as a classic now, but heck, did it have some bumps on its way to the screen. A script that was a long way from finished. A leading man, er, 'not too thrilled' with the fact said screenplay was constantly in flux. The death of Oliver Reed before the end of filming. And the worries of a studio that happened to be making its biggest-ever film. The story is told in t...

Just as Tom Cruise embarked on his run of Mission: Impossible and Top Gun sequels, he slipped in one of bolder choices too: an R-rated crime caper, based on a true story. Originally called Mena before being retitled American Made, the shoot saw the writer, director and star of the film living in the same house. It also saw wildly ambitious flying sequences, a tragic accident, a challenge when sell...

Sam Campbell - he of Taskmaster and Last One Laughing - has made a comedy series about films. In Make That Movie, he and his crew face a filmmaking challenge each episode. All six episodes are streaming now on 4. Sam joins Simon Brew for a conversation about the show, but it doesn't take long for it to go off track. Banana, VHS tapes, old films,a samurai sword? It's quite the chat... Learn more ab...

Outside of the very well known rules, there's a whole load of other stuff about 1999's Fight Club. There's the director who turned the book down, freely admitting they didn't get it. There's the moment when the budget was suddenly going to soar. There's the bit where the studio boss knew he was going to hit trouble for greenlighting the film (and boy, did he). And then there was a studio left with...

Over 30 years since its original release, Strictly Ballroom - the debut feature from Baz Luhrmann - is back in cinemas with a 4K remaster. In a Film Stories special, Simon chats to its star - Paul Mercurio - about the making of the film, and looking back on it now. Plus! Paul talks homebrew, cooking, and making Garry Marshall's S&M comedy, Exit To Eden... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

The original Jurassic Park movie was set to land a few years earlier than it did. Announce in 1990, director Steven Spielberg would move on to making Hook while some of the art team were moved to Death Becomes Her. The reason for the delays? How on earth do you bring dinosaurs to life. Even when that was cracked, though, there was a moment during the shoot when real life peril outweighed dino dang...

The idea wasn't a bad one. With the cost of X-Men movies spiralling, 20th Century Fox was interested in a lower cost, slightly more niche film in the saga. One that could perhaps appeal to a teen audience, that wouldn't put quite the strain on the old finances. Josh Boone - off the back of The Fault In Our Stars - was brought in to write and direct, a dream project for him. But the dream would soo...

Alicia MacDonald first feature film as director, Finding Emily, turns out to be a Working Title-backed romantic comedy, the kind that used to fill British cinema charts. Albeit with a twist! In this Film Stories special, she talks to Simon Brew about launching her first feature, the years on her way up when she found herself alongside Mike Leigh, and in a room while Alan Rickman watched her type....

Director Thea Sharrock is the guest for this special edition of the Film Stories podcast. She joins Simon to chat about her new film, Ladies First, which stars Rosamund Pike and Sacha Baron Cohen. Plus! There's time too for conversation about Wicked Little Letters, The One And Only Ivan, directing Equus on Broadway, and the state of the chairs in the posh London hotel she happens to be sitting in....