The Empire Film Podcast

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is one of those jam-packed ones in which we specialise. Guest-wise, Chris Hewitt is blessed with the presence of our old chum, Brett Goldstein, who talks beards, bums, and baring his soul in new romantic drama, All Of You; [18:37 - 36:33 approx] and Chris also has a lovely chat with Emma Thompson as she enters her action hero era in Dead Of Winter. [1:01:07 - 1:16:03 approx] And if that weren't enough, Alex Godfrey talks Leonardo DiCaprio and car chases with One Battle After Another director, Paul Thomas Anderson. [1:40:45 - 1:57:06 approx] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined, after a week away, by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss which dystopian gameshow they would do best in, cast their eyes over the week's movie news, including a bunch of trailers, and review all three of the films listed above (with a little help from Alex). Enjoy.

With Chris off on the fairway, taking his first proper holiday in approximately 20 years, its up to Helen O’Hara and James Dyer — the newly appointed Archbishop of Nerdbury — to hold down the fort, ably assisted by Empire news editor and former Pilot TV stalwart Beth Webb. Between the three of them, they do their level best not to refer to Cillian Murphy and Tim Mielants’ latest film as Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve, which is for the best as both actor and director join us on this week’s show, as does Sean Penn who chats to Alex about One Battle After Another. As well as Steve, we also review A Big Bold Beautiful Journey and The Lost Bus, but all all film chat is summarily derailed by this week’s listener question, which opens the floodgates for an outpouring of nostalgia as we worship at the altar of ‘80s children’s TV, including a certain pink and white stuffed cat.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast might just go ahead, make your day, as Chris Hewitt (having recovered from a colleague-inflicted mischief) invites Helen O'Hara and James Dyer into the podbooth for a discussion of the best films directed by Clint Eastwood. Amazingly, The Rookie is given short shrift. Then, our intrepid trio take a look at the week's movie news, including the surprising return of Michael Caine, and review The Long Walk, Spinal Tap II: The Grand Finale, and Downton Abbey: The End Continues. Or is it Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale? Either way, it's a big episode for Downton fans, as Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech bid farewell to the cultural juggernaut in the best way possible, by talking to Boyd Hilton. [1:04:33 - 1:16:31 approx] And Chris has a wonderful time talking tennis and more with Islands star Sam Riley, making a triumphant return to the podcast. [27:44 - 43:45 approx] Oh, and Noel Coward pops in for a little song, which is nice. Enjoy.

The Shameless Plug — the show in which Chris Hewitt sits down with Empire editor, Nick de Semlyen, to shamelessly plug the new issue of Empire magazine — is back back back, folks, and comes with a lovely slice of Brisket. Not the meat, mind you, but Glen Powell's dog, who somehow wound up on Chris' lap during one of his forays to the set of Edgar Wright's The Running Man, in which Powell stars, and which is this month's cover feature. To hear more about that canine encounter, and Chris (and Nick's) observations of the film's sets, and our madcap The Running Mag idea, listen on. But there's plenty more here, as Chris and Nick do a deep dive into the issue, get bogged down in bad maths, and take some advice from Mick Scoresby. If you can't get out of it, get into it! Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast asks perhaps the biggest question ever tackled on this show: who would win in a fight between the Gleesons and the Skarsgårds? Join Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann, as they tackle that scenario and more. Is the world truly ready for the Coppola clan kicking bottom? Elsewhere, our intrepid quartet discuss the week's movie news (Star Wars! Superman! Lara Croft!), including a discussion of the trailer for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple that discusses spoilers for 28 Years Later. So, if you wish to skip, that runs from 53:44 - 58:00 approx. Oh, and they also review Spike Lee's reunion with Denzel Washington, Highest 2 Lowest, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Ethan Coen's Honey Don't, and Orlando Bloom's searing boxing drama, The Cut. In fact, Orlando is one of our guests this week, joining The Cut's director Sean Ellis to chat with Chris on Zoom about the extreme lengths, physical and otherwise, he went to for the film. [1:08:37 - 1:25:12

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down, on Zoom and in person, with a cavalcade of cracking guests. There's Eva Victor, star/writer/director of the excellent Sorry, Baby, who talks about cats, directing themselves, and people who look like yams. [23:05 - 39:05 approx] Then there's Olivia Colman and Jay Roach, star and director of The Roses, the reimagining of the classic comedy, The War Of The Roses, who talk about baseball, guns, and terrible dinner parties. [59:50 - 1:17:03 approx] And, last but not least, Chris genuflects in the general direction of Sir Ben Kingsley, star of The Thursday Murder Club, as they talk about that movie, Sexy Beast, and Trevor Slattery. [1:42:55 - 1:56:29 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and, after a fashion, Ben Travis for a fun episode in which they discuss the greatest movie Chucks (and variations thereof), run their eyes over the week's movie news (and yes, the reveal of the Star Wars: Starfighter cast came too late,

In one of those bumper-sized guest-filled jamborees in which we specialise, this week's Empire Podcast sees John Nugent sit down on Zoom to interview Eddington star, Joaquin Phoenix... or does Joaquin Phoenix interview John Nugent? All will be revealed. [18:52 - 35:59 approx] Elsewhere, Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat about The Life of Chuck with co-stars Tom Hiddleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor, in which they try desperately not to give anything away about Mike Flanagan's Stephen King adaptation; [59:45 - 1:18:06 approx] and he also has a chaotic Zoom with the stars of the excellent Eenie Meanie, Samara Weaving and Karl Glusman. [1:45:11 - 1:56:04 approx] Either side of that little lot, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and Harry Stainer to talk about the movies that bring them joy in times of darkness; discuss the week's movie news, in which they say a sad but fond farewell to the legendary Terence Stamp; and review Eddington, The Life Of Chuck, Eenie Meanie, and Sorry, Baby. Oh, and Harry comes up

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast will haunt your nightmares, but in a good way, as Chris Hewitt returns to the host chair, just in time to tackle, with Beth Webb and Amon Warmann, a Mount Rushmore question about the best Final Girls in horror movies. Their final choices may shock you, but that's nothing compared to the bit where Chris explains Freddy Krueger to Amon, who has never seen a Nightmare On Elm Street movie. Terrifying stuff. Elsewhere in the show, our intrepid trio also discuss the week's movie news (hello, Marty Supreme trailer!), and review Celine Song's Materialists, Nobody 2, and Together, the horror film in which Dave Franco and Alison Brie literally fuse together. Which wasn't weird at all for the real-life married couple, who also guest on this week's episode, talking to Mike Muncer about that very singular experience. [1:03:58 - 1:15:10 approx] And, finally on the guest front, Harry Stainer sits down with Celine Song to talk about her wonderful new movie, and the nature of love. He

Or 42 minutes with Chris Hewitt and Nick de Semlyen. Which would you prefer? Don't answer that. Anyway, that's what you've got with the latest episode of The Shameless Plug, as Chris and Nick sit down to talk about Nick's extraordinary adventures in New Zealand, shadowing James Cameron for two days as he put the finishing touches to this month's cover movie, Avatar: Fire & Ash. Elsewhere, our friends and neighbours talk about some of the other highlights from the September 2025 issue, including Chris' interview with Jeremy Renner, and Alex Godfrey's epic Zoom sit-down with Spinal Tap. Yes, actual Spinal Tap. It's all happening. For those tales, and more from behind the scenes of the world's biggest movie magazine, press play. And if you haven't picked up your copy yet, there's still time in good, evil and virtual newsagents wherever you are. Enjoy.

In space, no-one can hear you pod. Thankfully, we're not on space, we're on Earth, so you will be able to hear this wonderful Empire Podcast special dedicated to Noah Hawley's excellent Alien prequel, Alien Earth, which dropped its first two episodes today on Disney+. Here, you will hear Chris Hewitt sit down with Hawley, the show's creator and showrunner, about his vision for the show, the monsters old and new that he's bringing into this universe, and the lengths his cast members went to get his attention. And you'll also hear from two of those cast members, Timothy Olyphant, who plays the inscrutable synth, Kirsh, and Sydney Chandler, who plays the show's wide-eyed but extremely formidable lead, a hybrid called Wendy. Neither interviews are spoilerific, but you might want to wait until you've seen the first two episodes before giving them a whirl. It's your call. We're not your MU-TH-UR.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Helen O'Hara slip into the host's chair in Chris Hewitt's absence, and use her endless reservoir of patience to corral James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Ben Travis in a discussion of the best second movies by notable directors (and yes, we know that we didn't mention [INSERT BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS CHOICE HERE]). That was inspired by the arrival of Weapons, the second film from Zach Cregger, and in the reviews section our quartet lose their minds over that, and also look at Freakier Friday, My Oxford Year, and The Pick-Up. Oh, and they talk about trailers, trailer, and more trailers in the movie news section. Guest-wise, Chris pops up on Zoom to have a lovely natter with Guy Pearce, who shows off his musical prowess, reveals the one accent that eludes him, and talks about brilliant new Australian prison drama, Charles Williams' Inside (which is out on Monday, August 11, on digital platforms); [20:12 - 37:51 approx] and Ben has a lovely spoiler-free chat with Weapons star,

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast adds insults to injury, as the team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Alex Godfrey, and Ben Travis — share their favourite movie insults. And, yes, misquote at least one of them horribly. Also, nothing on this earth will prepare you for Alex Godfrey's Pazuzu impression. We can only apologise in advance. Elsewhere, the team also discuss the week's movie news, plug the new issue of Empire, and review Happy Gilmore 2, The Naked Gun, and Bring Her Back, while Chris is joined in The Guest Zone by The Naked Gun director, and one-third of The Lonely Island, Akiva Schaffer [20:11 - 39:53 approx], and Superman director James Gunn, who shares some spoilerific thoughts in an extended excerpt from our Superman spoiler special. [01:33:30 - 01:42:47 approx]

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is all kinds of fantastic. Guest-wise, Chris Hewitt sits down (in person, and on Zoom) with Matt Shakman, director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to discuss the FF's debut in the MCU [24:33 - 40:07 approx]; and Sam Rockwell, the cool cat who's Mr. Wolf in The Bad Guys 2. [1:07:02 - 1:19:28 approx] Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and, now and again, James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss actors who've played iconic heroes and villains, run their eyes over the week's movie news (including the state of the summer box office), and review both of the aforementioned movies. Oh, and what the hell is Movie News Mews? And where is it? Enjoy.

Do not adjust your speakers, or your headphones. Yes, Ralph Ineson's voice really is that deep and sonorous. And in this week's Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt sits down with the actor who plays the planet-eating entity, Galactus, in next week's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and talks about how his voice is his passport. [1:04:38 - 1:20:16 approx] Elsewhere, Chris also has an engrossing chat with Repo Man and Walker director Alex Cox about his days hosting BBC 2's much-missed cinematic gateway, Moviedrome. [30:44 - 44:01 approx] And then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and John Nugent to discuss Rachel Zegler in Evita at the London Palladium, chat about the week's movie news, review Friendship, Smurfs, and Four Letters Of Love and, in a lengthier than usual listener question section, programme their ultimate music festival of fictional movie bands. Oh, and Chris coins a nickname for a highly-respected and beloved director. Enjoy.

This month's episode of The Shameless Plug sees Chris Hewitt sit down with Empire editor, Nick de Semlyen, for a deep dive into the latest issue of Empire magazine, which just happens to have a limited edition light-up cover to commemorate our latest cover movie, Tron Ares. Together, our dynamic duo discuss the art of the cover line, their favourite envelope-pushing covers from Empires past, and the contents of the issue. Nick talks about writing a feature on The Naked Gun, Chris discusses his experiences of writing about Nobody 2, and they both chat about whether 'Shazza' is a good nickname for anyone called Sharon. As Chris Evans (who's in one of the features, fact fans) once said, there's a lot of great stuff inside the issue. Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is dominated by bald baddies. Namely, a group discussion of the hairless horrors who have been tormenting do-gooders in all kinds of movies throughout the years. But also, our very own James Dyer, whose unexplained absence from the podbooth has Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and Alex Godfrey speculating wildly, and threatening to send out search parties. Will James turn up? And if he does, how will he react to a conversation about bald villains? What will he have to say about the week's movie news? And what are his thoughts on James Gunn's Superman, which is the main topic of conversation in the reviews section. And speaking of Superman, Chris Hewitt sits down with the new Man Of Steel, David Corenswet, for a fun and fascinating chat. [23:41 - 42:04 approx] But that's not all — ahead of the full debut of our F1 spoiler special next week, we whet your whistle with an excerpt from our interview with that film's director, Joseph Kosinski. [56:39 - 1:07:27 approx] Is it a bi

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down for a pre-lunch chat about dinosaurs and sandwiches with Jurassic World Rebirth stars, Mahershala Ali and Rupert Friend, [25:28 - 36:36 approx] while Mike Muncer goes deep with the legendary David Cronenberg, as the Canadian director marks the release of one of his most personal films yet, The Shrouds. [1:02:07 - 1:18:07 approx] Oh, and there's an excerpt from our epic spoiler special chat with M3GAN 2.0 director, Gerard Johnstone (the full thing will be available to spoiler special subscribers next week). [1:44:33 - 1:56:03] Either side of that little lot, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Dan Jolin as they celebrate Independence Day by talking about the most evil British movie villains. Plus, they chat about the week's movie news, including The Running Man and Project Hail Mary trailers (this episode was recorded before the sad news broke of Michael Madsen's death), and review The Shrouds, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Heads

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt break out the bleep machine for a particularly sweary chat with M3GAN 2.0 star, the delightful Ivanna Sakhno, [1:10:44 - 1:23:01 approx] and quietly judge the football team of Damson Idris, star of F1. [24:51 - 37:46 approx] Or F1: The Movie, to give it its full marketing moniker, which inspires this week's listener question as Chris, James Dyer, Sophie Butcher and our Australian chum, Jeremy Dylan, discuss the best movies that have 'The Movie' in the title. Our fantastic four also discuss the week's movie news, including a lengthy chat about the news that the great Denis Villeneuve is going to direct the first James Bond film of the Amazon era. That can be found from around 37:46 - 56:01, should you not be into Bond blather. Oh, and the team also put their heads together to review F1 and M3GAN 2.0 as well, while Jeremy shows he's the man of two voices. Enjoy.

It's another packed episode of the Empire Podcast, the show that dares to ask the big questions: isn't the Mona Lisa just a woman sitting down? Who's the richest Northern Irish person? Can you buy stocks in Glen Powell? Join the pod team — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann — as they tackle those questions, discuss the original 1977 print of Star Wars that Chris and James saw last week at the BFI, look at the week's movie news (Dune! Saw! Clayface! Naked Gun!), and review Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later, and the new Pixar joint, Elio. And guest-wise we've also got you covered as Chris sits down with Echo Valley's star-director duo, Julianne Moore and Michael Pearce, [26:05 - 40:09 approx] and the stars of 28 Years Later, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes. [1:06:45 - 1:22:26 approx] Will Ralph commit to starring in Chris' new play? Give it a listen and find out. Enjoy!

In our latest Empire Podcast interview special, Chris Hewitt sits down (in a swanky London hotel room) with Colin Trevorrow, the director of Jurassic World and Safety Not Guaranteed, to talk about Trevorrow's latest movie, the Prime Video comedy Deep Cover, which he produced and co-wrote. But that's not all — Trevorrow also talks about his choices as a director in the wake of his last movie, Jurassic World Dominion, his experiences interning on SNL, and his idea for a new podcast. We're in! Enjoy.