Film Stories with Simon Brew

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that proved surprise hits for different reasons. Bram Stoker's Dracula was testing very badly, and had been recut over 30 times. Columbia Pictures thus chose what proved to be a hugely successful promotional strategy. Had its creators been able to crack the third act sooner, The Naked Gun would have arrived in the early 80s. And when...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a film that struggled against stiff competition, and a genuine surprise hit. Tim Burton's Mars Attacks was wrong-footed when the Independence Day trailer landed. But the film's roots went back a very long way. With Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon had been looking for a more commercial film. It took a producer picking up an unsolicited manusc...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Simon is joined by directors Richard Phelan and Will Becher to chat about making Farmageddon: A Shaun The Sheep Movie. The conversation covers Aardman, RoboCop, The Thing, 'editing' a stop frame animated film, and how it felt making their respective directorial debuts. Plus, the sequence that took two people a year to complete... The film is in...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a sequel that needed some fast recasting, and an animated film that needed some fast retooling. When Fox restricted the budget for 1990's Predator 2, both Arnold Schwarzenegger and director John McTiernan were out. And that wasn't the only problem. Pixar's hugely acclaimed Ratatouille, meanwhile, was in such trouble that a new director was nee...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, one big sequel with problems, and a drama that had to wait for its release. Terminator Genisys (2015) was set to kickstart a new trilogy of Terminator films. But then so was Terminator Salvation (2009) before rights issues hit. 2002's In America boasts four lead characters, three of which are based on its screenwriters. And it had a bit of a j...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the thriller that fuelled a split between two companies, and an early digital filming forerunner. 1993's In The Line Of Fire nearly starred Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, but when it did get made, there were 'conversations' over who was responsible for its success. Meanwhile, 2002's 28 Days Later started life when director Danny Boyle brou...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, changes in the Harry Potter franchise, and a cult hit from a reluctant director. 2004's Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004) saw the popular series in need of a mini-course correction, and some notable personnel changes. Allan Moyle, meanwhile, had John Cusack in mind for his 1990 movie Pump Up The Volume. And he wasn't keen to direct...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the return of Judge Dredd to the big screen, and the role that helped land Brendan Fraser The Mummy. 2012's Dredd righted many of the wrongs of the big budget 1995 movie based on the same character. But behind the scenes, there were some notable challenges. Back in 1997, Disney's live action George Of The Jungle helped cement Brendan Fraser as...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a comic book movie drastic course change and a small budget hit with an awful lot of characters. 1995's Batman Forever was set to still star Michael Keaton up until a year before release. Yet Warner Bros wanted - and got - a very different film to 1992's Batman Returns. As for 2014's Pride, this terrific British movie had a big cast and a smal...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a sequel that needed to win an audience back over, and a groundbreaking low budget sci-fi movie. 2017's Alien: Covenant was faced with a choice as to whether to directly follow 2015's Prometheus, or try to be a more direct Alien prequel. It's a conundrum the production would wrestle with. 1992's The Lawnmower Man, meanwhile, was made for a fra...

In a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, Simon is joined by director Randal Kleiser, to talk about 1986's Flight Of The Navigator, and its new Blu-ray reissue.  The chat also covers Grease, the Muppets film that Kleiser never got to make, studio executives, his current projects, White Fang, his Honey I Shrunk The Kids sequel, and a whole lot more... Find Simon on Twitter at @simonbrew...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, the comet movie that had a tight deadline, and the Arnie comedy with an unusual deal behind it. 1998's Deep Impact was to have been directed by Steven Spielberg - but with Armageddon on the horizon, some fast action was needed. Even though the project originated decades before. Much faster to the screen was 1988's Twins, a film that made Arnol...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, an expensive blockbuster, and a modestly costed comedy. 2014's Edge Of Tomorrow was a sizeable gamble for Warner Bros. It went through many writers, had a maverick director, and nearly ended up with Brad Pitt in the lead. Few saw the sizeable success of Joe Pesci-headlined comedy My Cousin Vinny coming, meanwhile. Pesci wasn't first choice, th...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of comedies take centre stage. The much-loved 1999 film Galaxy Quest was originally a much darker, foul-mouthed film. And Harold Ramis was attached to direct. But things changed quite a bit... Role Models changed director too, and found itself in a race against time to its release, with a lot of improvisation, and some Jason Bourne-esqu...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two sequels, one with a far more complete script than the other! 2001's Jurassic Park III arrived a year after originally planned, thanks to a very late decision to abandon the script - after $18m had already been spent on the film. Muppets Most Wanted (2014) meanwhile faced huge logistical problems, courtesy of a decision to make the film in...

In the latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two hit movies that each had scripts in constant flux throughout filming. 1997's Con Air at one stage had a very different White House finale, and the film shoot itself get through an awful lot of water melons. Three Men & A Baby (1987) meanwhile came together very fast - but one of its stars, Steve Guttenberg, quickly found himself risking th...