Film Stories with Simon Brew

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the belated return of Indiana Jones, and a smart British zombie film that faced a fair few challenges. After the huge success of the much-loved Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade at the end of the 1980s, there was an ongoing clamour for a fourth Indiana Jones adventure. But George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford had packed schedules - and...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by a legend of American independent cinema, John Sayles. In a far-reaching conversation, they talk about John's new novel - Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade's Journey - as well as the movie origins of the project. Plus they go back over Sayles' career, the way he managed to get his films made, ownership and copyright, battles with a...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, how James Bond responded to Star Wars, and a comedy that onlookers had all but written off. Moonraker wasn't expected to be the Roger Moore James Bond adventure to follow up The Spy Who Loved Me. But then Star Wars happened, and a co-production deal opened up some funding too. 007 was going to space. More down to earth was comedy sleeper hit Look Wh...

Well, crikey. In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, two things to tell you about. Firstly, this is episode 300: thank you so much for everyone who's helped me get here. Secondly, the special guest for this episode is Hugh Jackman. We were talking in London about his latest film, The Son, but also snuck one or two other things in there as well. He seemed quite taken with it being e...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, how the Die Hard franchise came to a crashing end, and an Elvis Presley biopic finally got over the line. There's not a lot of love out there for A Good Day To Die Hard (2013), and with good reason. But the intent behind it was sound, and the man who landed the director's chair was a clear fan of the series. Producer Gail Berman meanwhile was the pe...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the film that gave Tim Burton his first hit in over half a decade, and a golfing comedy that took a bit of a path to the screen. Director Tim Burton lost around a year of his working life when the planned Superman Lives film with Nicolas Cage collapsed. Which is when a script to Sleepy Hollow - that had been sat in Hollywood development for years -...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by writers and producers Pen Densham and John Watson. Their story covers a lot of short films, working with Sylvester Stallone to reshape the ending of Rocky II, and the writing and producing 1991's Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. That involved a battle of the Robin Hoods too, and they also had Backdraft in production at the same tim...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a sequel that wasn't originally in the plans, and a comedy where more spin-offs were due to follow. After the very, very difficult shoot of The Bourne Identity, the key creatives weren't rushing to return for The Bourne Supremacy. There was little chance of director Doug Liman coming back either - and that meant a turn in a slightly different direct...

Here's a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, that might just be of interest for any filmmaker fighting their way to get a feature made. Jon Wright's new film, Unwelcome, has the backing of Warner Bros, and it's a UK horror film that gets a full national release. It's been quite a journey for Wright to get this far, and he tells the story in this podcast special, which also takes in films...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of hit movies, with a religious edge to each. Filmmaker M Night Shyamalan admitted he came to Signs off the back of the mixed response to his previous film, Unbreakable. He came up with a project initially for an older actor, that blended two key ideas - and the bidding war in Hollywood for the film was a swift one. There was a bidding war to...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, an action film that took time to find its audience, and a Formula 1 movie made as a British independent film. Road House (1989) saw Patrick Swayze battling with a knee that had to be regularly drained, and also saw producer Joel Silver on the hunt for a Die Hard-size hit. Plus: the most expensive scene in this action favourite didn't involve any fig...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two hugely acclaimed and much-loved movies, that each had their challenges. When writer/director Michael Mann first happened upon the story that would become Heat, he wasn't in a position to turn it into a major feature film. But he clearly had some unfinished business with the material. Alexander Payne had planned to make Sideways after his success...

For a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by director Marc Forster for a conversation. They chat about Forster's latest movie, A Man Called Otto, a film that seemed to come together really quickly, but actually has been percolating for some time. They also chat about Forster's decision in his teens to up sticks to America. And there's time too for a story from the making o...

For the final episode of Film Stories in 2022, something a bit special: a welcome back to director Phil Alden Robinson, who joins Simon to tell the story of 2002's Tom Clancy adaptation, The Sum Of All Fears. They talk about how Robinson came to the project, and the challenge when they ended up having to use locations booked for an entirely different film. Plus, dealing with Tom Clancy, the possib...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films from top notch filmmakers take centre stage. 1992's The Last Of The Mohicans, from Michael Mann, wasn't the easiest of productions. From personnel leaving and the threat of strike action, to the months of required training and the difficulty landing the score, it proved quite the challenge. The Coen Brothers' O Brother Where Are Thou? was...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by writer and director Ol Parker, with the pair chatting about his latest film, Ticket To Paradise. They look at how the film came together, and the challenges of making a film led by two major movie stars. Parker also candidly discusses the response to the movie, and the less than stellar critical response to it. He also talks abou...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a dash of the festive spirit as two Christmas-set movies take centre stage. The first Lethal Weapon movie came together in just a few years, sparked by then-twentysomething Shane Black's script. The project was offered to Leonard Nimoy to look at before Richard Donner signed on the dotted line to direct - and it remains a casting masterclass too. Ji...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Oscar-winning film composer Michael Giacchino. Michael's in the awards running again for his score to The Batman, and that's one of the subjects they talk about (the film is widely available now). They also chat about getting started, about juggling multiple projects, making sure you finish work on time, and general nerdy stuff....

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a much-loved box office disappointment, and a film that burned through a lot of directors The late, great Jim Henson earned a success with The Dark Crystal, but he knew he wanted his next film to be a bit lighter, and to have human characters in it too. 25 drafts of the script and story later, Labyrinth went before the cameras - but with a lot of ch...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by director Matthew Warchus and screenwriter Dennis Kelly, with the focus primarily being 2022's Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical. In their conversation, they talk about taking the hugely success musical from stage to screen, and how brutal they had to be as they did so. They chat too the many, many drafts of the script, the songs t...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films from the 1990s that attracted awards attention - one with less controversy than the other. After the way his first film was treated, writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson was adamant things would be different with his second. But who would give a twentysomething filmmaker $15m and creative control for a film on the surface about making adul...

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon chats to Oscar-winning Disney producer Roy Conli, in part about the new animated film, Strange World. Their chat takes them back to Roy's theatrical origins but also the teacher who pushed him to read. On top of that though, they get into the Oscar bet that Roy didn't deliver on, the new bet that hopefully he will, and the ongoing challenge of making fea...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of 1990s summer blockbusters - one of which proved more problematic than the other. Come 1990 and there were three competing Robin Hood projects on the way from Hollywood. But it was 1991's Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves that won the race to the screen. It'd be fair to say it was not an easy journey to get there. Off the back of making GoldenE...

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon chats to writer/director James Gray. The pair met around the time of the release of his film Armageddon Time, and they chat about the complexities of getting such a movie through the studio system. It's a really candid chat this, as Gray explores opening up his family life for a film, and his feelings on the current state of cinema. Plus, isn't it about...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that hardy set the box office alight - although the fallout from one was a lot, lot louder than the other! Ed Wood was a movie Tim Burton decided to make when he walked away from a higher profile project. However, the studio paying for the movie panicked a month before production and tried to box Burton into a deal. He wasn't playing ball,...