Film Stories with Simon Brew

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two movies that hit at the box office - but it didn't stop one of them being regarded a commercial disappointment. 2006's Mission: Impossible III went though a range of directors before Tom Cruise settled on giving JJ Abrams his feature directorial debut. But that decision brought with it delays, and the film's aftermath would see Cruise's deal with...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a franchise-starting hit, and a modest thriller with an impressive roster of personnel. The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now written large into movie history - but it's often forgotten just what a risk the first Iron Man movie was. And also, that it was arguably Marvel's most tight-fisted production too. Pacific Heights was more modes...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two big hit movies - but both of them took at least a decade to make it to the screen. In the case of I Am Legend, the latest take on the story was all ready to go in 1997 with Ridley Scott directing and Arnold Schwarzenegger starring: but not everything went to plan there. And there'd be other attempts that failed before we got the version we got....

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon chats to Jan De Bont about his extensive movie career. They chat about his work as cinematographer on movies as varied as Die Hard, Flatliners, The Hunt For Red October and Black Rain. They chat too about De Bont nearly having his face fully ripped off by a wild animal while shooting Roar. And then there's his work as a director, specifically Speed and T...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a massive film that didn't cost too much, and a box office disappointment that did. 1999's The Sixth Sense would prove to be an absolute box office sensation: but heck. Disney wasn't happy about making it. The executive who gave the film the greenlight would ultimately lose his job, and Disney would sell off most distribution rights before it was re...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that went through some tough physical production. Mind you, Quentin Tarantino's second western, The Hateful Eight, nearly didn't get as far as production. A script leak, a law suit, Tarantino dropping the project? That was all before filming began, and the idea of shooting on location in freezing cold conditions suddenly seemed a bit... ta...

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon chats to Hollywood producer Will Packer. It's a good long chat, so they get to chew over Beast, ladder holding in Hollywood, getting non-franchise films off the ground, and the odd ways people pitch projects to Packer! Beast is in cinemas in the UK on August 26th 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that benefitted from surges in popularity for their leading actors. The action movie Broken Arrow would ultimately end up in the hands of director John Woo, his second Hollywood feature. John Travolta led the cast. And oddly, it all came together in the way it did thanks to Free Willy 2. Julia Roberts had already shot Pretty Woman and Flat...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, David Fincher's last movie for over five years, and the challenge in bringing a much-loved man to the big screen. Gillian Flynn's novel Gone Girl was an absolute publishing sensation. But even before it was released, Reese Witherspoon had snapped it up. Gillian Flynn meanwhile was able to strike an unusual deal for her book, that left her in charge...

In a Film Stories special episode, Oscar-nominated director John Madden reflects with Simon on the release of his latest film, Operation Mincemeat. The pair look at its changing release plans, and its eventual success. Plus the perils of bringing a true story to the screen. They also touch on the release of Madden's 2016 film Miss Sloane, and go back to investigate the casting of his breakthrough...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that delayed production to get their star of choice on board. The Living Daylights - the 15th James Bond film - ended up with around 18 months start to finish to get made. And it was complicated by the fact that the search for a new 007 wasn't going entirely to plan. With Crazy Rich Asians, the core of behind the camera creatives would hav...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of sequels that both did well at the box office, but faced other problems. Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer should have been fan gold, and was planned to set up a couple more movies. But the Fantastic Four sequel found itself looking a little out of time - and even promoting it, the cracks were showing. Jaws 3-D meanwhile nearly ende...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a high budget sequel, and Kevin Costner's first box office disappointment. The original Speed movie was lean, relatively modestly costed and a big, surprise hit. Speed 2 was pretty much the opposite - and its story ended up being reverse-engineered from a dream its director had. Revenge meanwhile brought together director Tony Scott and star Kevin C...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a deeper look at a sequel that took a while to happen, and a film that spawned no shortage of sequels itself. The wheels of Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) started moving nearly a year before the 2009 reboot of the franchise hit the big screen. Yet it'd have to wait, not least for a definite yet from director JJ Abrams. And there'd be a bit of a post...

This episode contains spoilers. In a Film Stories special episode, director Scott Derrickson joins Simon to chat about his new film, The Black Phone. They talk about adapting and changing the source short story, one or two moments within the film itself, right through to overseeing the release of the film. Note that the discussion does veer into spoiler territory, hence we're releasing this after...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of comedy sequels, that each managed to financially outperform their predecessors. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) proved to be a masterclass in how to market a movie. But even ahead of production, all concerned were determined to make it a much bigger film that the original.  Things weren't quite as straightforward on 2001's Ame...

In a Film Stories special episode, director Dexter Fletcher returns to the podcast. He chats to Simon about his latest project, the Paramount+ series The Offer, about the making of The Godfather (it's streaming on Paramount+ now). They also find time to chat about projects as varied as Sherlock Holmes 3, Wild Bill, The Saint, Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and his upcoming film Ghosted. And we try a...

In the 250th episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, an all-time science fiction classic, and a very difficult comedy sequel.  1987's RoboCop needs little introduction. Yet the ultra-violent crime-battler was the result of two diffierent film ideas being brought into one. And a bit of a battle with the American ratings board was involved too. Jim Carrey was contractually obliged to make 1995's Ac...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a Martin Scorsese film that took years to come together, and a career-altering Kevin Smith movie. The Irishman was a long talked about reunion of Scorsese and Robert De Niro - but it was always set to be expensive, long, and not family-friendly. Just who would want to pay the bill? Finding a financier was much easier where Kevin Smith's Zack And Mir...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Colin Trevorrow, the director of the newly-released Jurassic World Dominion. They talk about the coming together of the film, of how it changed since it was originally conceived, and the inclusion of a small shop in London. Plus, they reflect on Trevorrow's career since his superb debut, Safety Not Guaranteed, and how the ecosyst...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a British sensation and the reunion of the Top Gun team. Trainspotting came together quickly, as director Danny Boyle and his team built on the success of 1995's Shallow Grave. Small problem? Even as the script was being written, the rights to the source book hadn't been secured. With Days Of Thunder, it looks simple: bring the star, producer and di...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two box office successes, one far more acclaimed than the other. Prisoners was the English-language breakthrough film for director Denis Villeneuve. But by the time he got the script, several filmmakers had already come and gone. Indecent Proposal had no such director trouble, meanwhile. Instead, it had one lead star who wanted to quit, and another...

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Joseph Kosinski, the director of the already-acclaimed belated follow-up, Top Gun: Maverick. The pair talk about the film's journey to the screen and the challenges involved in its making.  Plus, they touch on David Fincher's impact on Kosinski's career, and the temptation to tinker with the movie during lockdown... Hosted on Aca...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, two films that did decent box office, but had other problems. Terminator Salvation ended up in the hands of two producers who got a stroke of luck. However, things began to turn sour as the costs mounted up. King Ralph meanwhile was a comedy that was filming in the UK - but had to do some careful stepping around the British Royal Family. Stories of...

In this episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, a pair of hit family movies with very different stories behind them. It took a little while for writer/director Paul King to confirm he was returning for Paddington 2. And for the sequel, there was a big idea that didn't fit into the first movie, plus a much-loved sequence that nearly got the chop. Mrs Doubtfire meanwhile was a film that saw its sta...