The Empire Film Podcast

With many of the regular gang off in San Diego for some sort of comic-book convention or other, things take a turn for the weird on the Empire Podcast this week. Sinister, Paranormal Activity and The Purge: Anarchy producer Jason Blum explains how to set up an inflatable double bed on a plane, while Hercules director Brett Ratner talks about his favourite British confectionary. Elsewhere, "dating dealbreaker" movies come up in conversation, and the concept of "cattens" is given, for free, to the world at large.

Here to talk about the upcoming Marvel space opera Guardians Of The Galaxy is the head honcho of all things Marvellous, Kevin Feige, but as you'd expect, we also asked him about just why Edgar Wright left Ant-Man (and much, much more). Then there's Caesar himself, Andy Serkis, who dropped by to talk about his latest, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, and suggest what might be his character's favourite cocktail...

24: Live Another Day is (and was) a limited event television series that ran for 12 episodes - not 24, fact fans - and ended up with a lot of people getting killed by Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer. Now that it's over, it's our duty on the Empire Podcast to talk through the institution that is 24, and where the end of this very special London-set season leaves fans of the show. Here to help us do just that is longtime director and producer of the show, Jon Cassar, who came by to talk clocks, cougars and whether they'll all come back...

It's a killer week for films, with Transformers: Age Of Extinction, Boyhood, How To Train Your Dragon 2 and Begin Again all officially out this weekend, so this particular issue of the Empire Podcast is bumper-sized. This is partly because of our interviews with young acting hotshot Jack Reynor and Texan old hand Richard Linklater, but it's mainly down to all the reviews.

The one and only Peter Fonda needs no introduction - but he's getting one anyway. Star of the Hollywood-upturning '60s classic Easy Rider, the father of Bridget, son of Henry and brother of Jane is a legend in his own lunchtime, and thanks to this special Empire Podcast, he may be a legend in yours, talking about everything from sailing, supermodels and surviving his friendship with Dennis Hopper.

Their movies actually come out next week, but that didn't stop Keira Knightley (Begin Again) and Dean DeBlois (How To Train Your Dragon 2) stopping by to talk the usual assortment of nonsense with the Empire Podcast team. Look forward to hearing the Pirates Of The Caribbean veteran using the phrase "Twizzly tits".

In honour of the Edinburgh International Film Festival up in, um, Edinburgh, the Empire Podcast team made the long and treacherous journey over Hadrian's Wall to record a very special live edition of the show, complete with two very special interviews: Elijah Wood and Brian Cox. As well as the really very tame Scottish jokes and worryingly frequent pieces of accidental innuendo you'd expect, you've also got all the news, reviews and Q&As you'd demand. Look forward to hearing Elijah Wood feeling absolutely PHENOMENAL as he is given a bottle of Irn-Bru, and discovering the secret connection that unites Brian Cox to the rest of the cast of The Escapist.

This week's Empire Podcast has a relative newcomer to Hollywood in the form of Ansel Elgort, the male lead in the box office-busting weepie The Fault In Our Stars, as well as a relative old hand in the form of Jon Favreau, here to talk about his latest, Chef. In the news department, the team gets nerdy talking about the chances of a Hulk movie and rather serious when it comes to Kathryn Bigelow's planned hardhitter. Elsewhere, the rises and falls of certain once superfamous actors and actresses are assessed, while more than anyone's fair share of innuendos are uttered when 50 Shades Of Grey comes up.

While the World Cup encourages many to pay more attention to leathery spherical objects getting pushed around a field by 22 people over in Brazil, the Empire Podcast continues to talk about what really matters: film, TV and why If.... boasts a four dot ellipsis instead of a three dot ellipsis.

It's a TV interview special on the Empire Podcast this week, with Orange Is The New Black's Taylor Schilling and Jason Biggs causing a riot in the podbooth and Mr. Sloane's writer/director Bob Weide somehow resisting the undeniable urge to do the same.

Three big hitters are out this weekend: Edge Of Tomorrow, Maleficent and A Million Ways To Die In the West. From the first, we've got director Doug Liman, here to talk about taking over Trafalgar Square and shooting his friend's wedding videos, while from the second, we've got Sam Riley, whose gravelly voice will make your brain rumble. As for the third, well... Seth MacFarlane's a busy man. Outside of the interview department, the team talk about Edgar Wright's Ant-Man anticlimax, Quentin Tarantino getting back on the horse for The Hateful Eight and what to expect from Jurassic World. Then there's your usual dose of movie chat and reviews from the guys who like to occasionally do Sam Riley impressions (but never when he's actually on the podcast).

This week, Empire Podcast veteran Hugh Jackman stops by to talk about London's second best fish and chip shop, Wolverine's love of Rick Astley and his top drawer pirate voice, with newcomer Ian McKellen instead using his interview to pitch for a job as a film reviewer. Both were in town to talk X-Men: Days OF Future Past, which the team also do, on top of some general cinematic chit chat and this week's news.

In the first Godzilla movies, The King Of The Monsters was actually just a guy in a suit, but now with the advent of modern SFX, men stomping on miniature cities are no longer required. But if they were, Gareth Edwards would be the man shouting "Punch the water tower!" and "Drop kick that battleship!", as he's the director of the new reboot of Toho's beloved scaley scoundrel. He's joined in the Empire Podcast this week by Two Faces Of January's Viggo Mortensen (actor) and Hossein Amini (director), who talk about everything from The Parthenon to Montesquieu.

Sensibly deciding to take his papier-mache head off for his Empire Podcast interview, Michael Fassbender was on fine form as he talked about his latest, Frank, as well as his stoat impersonation, his deleted dance sequence at the end of Prometheus and his love of Buck Rogers. Also under the interview lamplight were Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, directors of the inspirational American Samoa football documentary Next Goal Wins, who talk about how they made the beautiful game feel beautiful again.

Game Of Thrones' very own Arya Stark, Maisie Williams, dropped by the Empire Podcast studio this week to talk about 'The Cinnamon Challenge', that Vine she made for The Red Wedding and how Charles Dance introduces himself. Then there's Dohmnall Gleeson, here in honour of Frank (out next week), who happily chats about... well, you're best off finding out for yourself.

You might know him as Bilbo Baggins, or John Watson, or Tim From The Office (his character's full name), but this week Martin Freeman is actually Lester Nygaard from the new TV version of Fargo. He talks to us about everything from the joys of swearing to Billy Bob Thorton's pathological fear of antiquities. Elsewhere, David Cross drops by to talk about the new film he wrote and directed, Hits, and we resist the temptation to grill him about Arrested Development, Mr. Show and The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret.

This week there's Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Marc Webb, as well as Amazing Spider-Man 2 producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad, not forgetting Sweden's very own Lukas Moodysson, here to talk about his latest, We Are The Best, on top of your usual dose of movie news and nonsense.

The Film programme. That theme tune. This 48-minute podcast. And why not? The legendary movie journalist that is Barry Norman stopped by the Empire Podcast booth to talk about his new book, his extraordinary career and just how close he came to punching Robert De Niro.

With The Raid 2 coming out, it made sense to invite its director round for a chat about it, which explains why Gareth Evans appears on this week's podcast. Likewise, as Hammer's latest horror, The Quiet Ones, has Sam Claflin as one of its leads, it seemed like the right thing to ask him over for a cup of tea and a good scream. In other news, there's some new movie news, and the question-and-answer portion of proceedings, Carry On comes up. "Oo matron" and so on.

Four big films are coming out this weekend, namely Noah, The Double, Divergent and Rio 2, which may or may not have something to do with half term arriving. (Hint: it definitely does). In honour of two of said films, there are two interviewees this week, starting with the most beautiful Spix's Macaw parrot in cinema, Anne Hathaway, and ending with the fascinating filmmaker Darren Aronosfky. Expect stories about punching people in the face.