The Empire Film Podcast

And 2020 was going so well... The Empire Podcast makes its triumphant (?) return with the first proper pod of the new year, and it's a barnstormer. We have four guests for the price of two this week, as Helen O'Hara chats to the directors of Uncut Gems (the best Adam Sandler movie since Murder Mystery), Josh and Benny Safdie. Then Ian Freer has a natter with George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman,...

2019. What a year that was, eh? It was the year when Avengers: Endgame became the biggest film of all time. It was the year when Martin Scorsese returned with a bang with The Irishman, and put the cat amongst the pigeons with his comments on Marvel. It was the year when Star Wars ended... for now. It was the year of indie triumphs, glorious documentaries, killer clowns, overseas triumphs, and much...

Anthony Daniels has been playing C-3PO, the most famous protocol droid in the galaxy, for 42 years now, across nine Star Wars films, TV shows, and much, much more. The role has dominated his career, and his life — so much so that he's finally decided to record his experiences in the form of a wonderful new memoir called I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story. In this very special episode of the Empire Podca...

Ho-ho-ho, listeners! This week's Empire Podcast is the last regular pod of the year, and we've pulled out all the stops to bring you four — FOUR! — of Hollywood's biggest names. There's Taika Waititi, writer/director/star of Jojo Rabbit, which opens on January 1, talking to Nick de Semlyen. Then there's Greta Gerwig, writer/director/not star of Little Women, which opens on Boxing Day, talking to H...

Ho-ho-ho, readers! As an early Christmas present from us to you, our dear readers/listeners, here's the episode of the absolutely-on-schedule and not-late-at-all-no-you-shut-up regular series, The Ranking, that you've all been asking for. No, not the Star Wars one. Or the two-part MCU special. Or even the one about 1989. Instead, this is the one where we discuss and rank Santa Claus in the movies!...

If you weren't lucky enough to snag a ticket for our latest live podcast extravaganza, then fret no longer — for here it is. A couple of weeks ago, we held a very special screening of Rocketman, the Elton John musical biopic, at Picturehouse Central in London. Why was it special? Well, because afterwards the film's star, Taron Egerton, and director, Dexter Fletcher, popped in for a chat with our v...

This week's Empire Podcast takes things to the next level. Mainly because Olly Richards sits down with Jake Kasdan, director of Jumanji: The Next Level, to hear how he made the sequel to the 2017 surprise smash, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle. Also, the great Jonathan Pryce — star of The Two Popes — has a chat about that film, and more, with John Nugent. Then, back in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt re...

Move over, Kubrick. Step aside, Malick. It's been 19 years since Edward Norton last directed a movie, but he puts that right this week with Motherless Brooklyn, a detective noir that he also wrote, and produced, and in which he stars. Chris Hewitt sat down with him for this week's pod to talk about that long gap, writing monologues for Alec Baldwin, and looking like James Cameron in Alita: Battle...

This week's Empire Podcast sees a panicked and flustered Chris Hewitt (you'll have to listen to the show to find out why) sit down with Sam Claflin and Aisling Franciosi, the stars of Jennifer Kent's wonderful new film, The Nightingale. They talk about working with Kent, the perils of shooting in Australia, and Claflin talks about becoming one with nature. Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by...

This week's Empire Podcast is packed with Disney royalty, fact fans. First up, Chadwick Boseman takes a break from defending Wakanda to star in cop thriller 21 Bridges, and he talks about that with John Nugent. Then, Ben Travis has a really fun chat with the wickedly talented, one and only Josh Gad and Jonathan Groff about returning as Olaf and Kristoff in Frozen II. Back in the podbooth, Chris He...

This week's podcast is brought to you by the letter 'L' and, fittingly, the directors of both Le Mans '66 and Last Christmas stop by to talk about their respective movies. Of course, all of that pales into insignificance compared to the Maclunkey controversy that played out this week, and our intrepid trio dive beneath the surface of George Lucas' latest bit of Star Wars tinkering in some detail....

Stephen Graham stops by the podbooth this week to discuss all things Scorsese for The Irishman. Not only that but we also talk to Roland Emmerich about Midway, midway through the podcast. Plus, with Chris away on his annual staycation, James and Helen debate the various merits of overlong movies, ruminate on the likelihood that Queen Latifah might kill us all and, ultimately, call upon Chris to qu...

This week's Empire Podcast is a rare two-hander as Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara hold the fort in the podbooth as the only two colleagues of such lethal cunning. They answer listeners' questions, bemoan the availability of old films ('old' here also being subjective), discuss the week's movie news, and review Doctor Sleep, The King, Dolemite Is My Name, and more. On the guest front, it's another b...

Ho-ho-ho! Yes, listeners, it's that time of year again, when the nation turns its thoughts to Christmas Day, and the biggest question of them all: just what the elf do we watch on Christmas Day? Well, in this very special podcast, in association with Sky Cinema, the Empire Podcast crew — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Absolute Radio's Dave Berry and Sky Cinema's very own Alex Zane — have your back. T...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam return, semi-triumphant, to the podbooth following their mini-tour of the UK (well, most of the UK — sorry, Wales). Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and John Nugent are the three colleagues of such lethal cunning this week, discussing movie franchises that start with the weakest instalment, the week's movie news, and reviewing Terminator: Dark...

2019 has been The Year Of The Boss. Cinematically speaking, at least. Bruce Springsteen may have just turned 70, but he's as creatively restless and dynamic as ever, as evidenced by his new film, Western Stars, which works as both a sublime performance of his new album, and a beautiful, profound insight into its songs and the man who wrote them. The film marks Springsteen's directorial debut, alon...

It's here. At long last, the final trailer for JJ Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker — the ninth and final film in the Skywalker Saga — has arrived, and naturally it got the internet's tongues a-wagging. And, because you demanded it, here's the Empire Podcast's near-hour-long reaction to a trailer that's just over two minutes long. So, join Chris Hewitt, James Dyer, Helen O'Hara, and Ben Tra...

This week's episode sees Chris Hewitt and Helen O'Hara make a (very arguably) triumphant homecoming, as the Empire Podcast mini-tour rocks up for its final show as part of the Cinemagic Film Festival in Belfast. And they bring two Wee English Fellas — James Dyer and Ben Travis — with them for a fun-filled show in which they discuss the week's movie news (Batman! Murder Mystery 2! The Dolittle trai...

David Arnold and Michael Giacchino are two of the best composers in the business, with the likes of Casino Royale, Up, Hot Fuzz, Star Trek, Lost, Sherlock, and much more. They're in London to prepare for a special show at the Royal Albert Hall called Settling The Score, in which the two old friends will duke it out, rap-battle style. Only if a rap battle had a huge orchestra, and a little man wavi...

This week's Empire Podcast ably fills the gap in your lives that you didn't even know was there: the experience of listening to a film director speed-carving a pumpkin on a podcast. Yes, this episode sees the Empire Podtour juggernaut roll into Brighton, where Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White discuss the week's movie news (Marty vs the MCU), review American Woman, Gemini Man...

We love the BFI London Film Festival round here at Empire Towers. So, with this year's festival still in full swing, we were delighted to host our first ever Empire Podcast roundtable, in which Chris Hewitt talks to three actors who each have films showing at the festival. In this engrossing, frank, and often hilarious chat, Ben Mendelsohn (star of The King and Babyteeth), Morfydd Clark (star of E...

This week sees the first-ever Empire Podcast tour roll into Chris Hewitt's spiritual home, Liverpool. And, in a fun-packed show at FACT in front of a sold-out audience, Chris, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer discuss the week's movie news (including Spidey's return to the MCU), review Joker, Judy, and Good Posture, and take a whole heap of audience Qs. They're also joined by Dolly Wells, actor-turned-d...

Do you like scary movies? What's your favourite scary movie? Two questions that have dominated conversations since the dawn of cinema, when people were terrified by the sight of a train coming straight at them. And, in this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, brought to you by Sky Cinema, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Absolute Radio's Dave Berry, and Sky Cinema's Alex Zane attempt to answer...

So, this week's Empire Podcast was meant to be the recording of our latest live show, in front of a wonderful, sold-out audience at CityScreen in York. However, due to circumstances beyond our control, the sound quality of the recording just wasn't good enough. So, instead, Chris Hewitt and James Dyer - just back from York - bundled into the podbooth at Empire Towers to record an emergency pod, al...

This week's episode sees the first-ever Empire Podcast tour roll into Edinburgh for a fun-packed show at the venerable venue, the Cameo, as part of the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival. Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Terri White as they discuss the week's movie news, review Ad Astra, The Farewell, and The Kitchen, and answer a series of questions from the sell-out audien...