Podcast appearances and mentions of James Dyer

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Alex Godfrey display his versatility as an interviewer, going from utter chaos with Tron Ares stars Greta Lee & Jodie Turner-Smith [22:46 - 34:31 approx] and Gillian Anderson [1:33:01 - 1:43:53 approx] to a heartfelt and passionate chat with Robert Aramayo, star of this week's excellent drama, I Swear, about a man who finds himself dealing with Tourette's [54:06 - 1:13:25 approx]. Either side of those, Chris Hewitt returns to the podbooth after his bout with The Cove, and is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a discussion of their picks at this year's London Film Festival, and the film they think might be the best American effort produced this century. They also talk about Ocean's 14, Linda McCartney, and Heat 2 in the news section, and run their eyes over Tron Ares, I Swear, and the dog vs demon horror movie, Good Boy. Oh, and Chris wishes Helen well. Enjoy.

    Alien: Earth is an American   television series created by . It is the first television series in the  and is set two years before the events of the 1979 film . The series stars , , , , , , and  in main roles. Development for the series was reported to have begun in early 2019, with  attached to executive produce for . It had started pre-production by April 2023, with Chandler cast in the lead role the following month, and further casting taking place from July to November that year. After principal photography was delayed due to the , production began in July 2023 but was halted in August due to the . Filming resumed in April 2024 and ended in July that year. Alien: Earth premiered on  and FX on Hulu in the United States and on  internationally on August 12, 2025. Premise The opening of the first episode introduces the premise of the series as involving three separate destinies for the immortality of mankind. These are: Cybernetically enhanced humans:  Artificially intelligent beings:  (Synths) Synthetic beings with downloaded human consciousness:  When the space vessel Maginot crash-lands on Earth, a young hybrid woman and a group of tactical soldiers make a discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's biggest threat. Cast and characters Main , , , and  play Wendy, Joe Hermit, Boy Kavalier, and Kirsh respectively.  as Wendy, the first hybrid (a person who has their human consciousness transferred into a  body) and leader of the "Lost Boys" (a group of six hybrid prototypes created from terminally ill children by the Prodigy Corporation). Formerly known as Marcy Hermit, she was renamed Wendy after becoming a hybrid.  as Joe Hermit, a  for the Prodigy Corporation , and Wendy's human brother  as Dame Sylvia, an employee of the Prodigy Corporation and Arthur Sylvia's wife  as Boy Kavalier, the CEO of the Prodigy Corporation and the world's youngest trillionaire  as Morrow, the USCSS Maginot's  (human with some synthetic parts) chief security officer  as Slightly, a hybrid and member of the "Lost Boys". Formerly known as Aarush Singh, he was renamed Slightly by the Prodigy Corporation.  as Curly, a hybrid and member of the "Lost Boys"  as Nibs, a hybrid and member of the "Lost Boys". Formerly known as Rose Ellis.  as Smee, a hybrid and member of the "Lost Boys"  as Arthur Sylvia, a scientist and Dame Sylvia's husband Diêm Camille as Siberian, a Prodigy Corporation Security Service soldier  as Rashidi, a Prodigy Corporation Security Service soldier  as Atom Eins, a senior synthetic employee of the Prodigy Corporation  as Kirsh, Prodigy Corporation's  chief scientist, who serves as a mentor to the Lost Boys. Recurring  as Yutani, the CEO of the   as Tootles / Isaac, a hybrid and member of the "Lost Boys". He rejects his assigned name of Tootles by the Prodigy Corporation and renames himself after . Guest  as Zoya Zaveri, the executive officer and later acting captain aboard the USCSS Maginot   as Hoyt, a Prodigy Corporation Security Service soldier on the  team with Joe  as Anant, a Prodigy Corporation Security Service soldier on the search and rescue team with Joe Dean Alexandrou as Bergerfeld, a Prodigy Corporation Security Service soldier on the search and rescue team with Joe Amir Boutrous as Rahim, a medical officer aboard the USCSS Maginot   as Chibuzo, a science officer aboard the USCSS Maginot   as Shmuel, an engineer aboard the USCSS Maginot  Jamie Bisping as Malachite, an engineer's apprentice aboard the USCSS Maginot  Andy Yu as Teng, the navigator aboard the USCSS Maginot  Max Rinehart as Bronski, a science officer aboard the USCSS Maginot   as Petrovich, the chief engineer aboard the USCSS Maginot  Tom Moya as Clem, a junior security officer aboard the USCSS Maginot  Victoria Masoma as Sullivan, a crew member aboard the USCSS Maginot  Tanapol Chuksrida as Dinsdale, the captain of the USCSS Maginot  Episodes This section's plot summaries may be . Please  by removing unnecessary details and making them more concise. (September 2025) () " Noah Hawley August 12, 2025 0.589 In 2120, five companies control Earth and the colonized , including the recently founded Prodigy Corporation. The USCSS Maginot , a Weyland-Yutani deep space research vessel, approaches Earth after a 65-year expedition to obtain extra-terrestrial specimens, among them . On Earth, at Prodigy's Neverland research island, a terminally ill child named Marcy becomes the first hybrid, having her consciousness transferred to an adult synthetic, and renames herself Wendy. Adjusting to her new body with the assistance of synthetic mentor Kirsh, Wendy oversees several other children who undergo the procedure. A malfunction compromises the Maginot's navigation, placing it on a collision course with Earth. Some specimens escape, and a grown  kills most of the crew. It crashes into a tower in the Prodigy city of New , where Wendy's human brother Joe Hermit works as a medic and corporate soldier. CEO Boy Kavalier asserts the Maginot's contents now belong to Prodigy, and deploys Kirsh and the hybrids on Wendy's request to assist with search and rescue to test the hybrids capabilities. Security officer Morrow, who survived the crash in a reinforced , moves to protect the cargo and detains two Prodigy soldiers, who are killed by a -like specimen. Wendy remarks to Kirsh that she wants to save her brother from death. 2 "" Noah Hawley August 12, 2025 0.380 Boy Kavalier tells Dame Sylvia, that he formed the Hybrid project to allow humanity to compete with , and has granted Wendy additional abilities as he wishes to create a person smarter than him. Kavalier declines Weyland-Yutani's request to secure the Maginot's proprietary contents, warning any incursion on Prodigy's territory will be considered a hostile act. Joe is chased by a Xenomorph and separated from his colleagues. The Xenomorph tracks Joe to the higher floors of the tower, killing another soldier and massacring an apartment of wealthy residents who did not evacuate. Joe is saved by Morrow, who  Joe and the Xenomorph, but the Xenomorph regains consciousness and escapes after killing numerous other soldiers, sparing Morrow. Arriving in New Siam, Hybrids Tootles, Smee, Nibs, and Curly encounter other extraterrestrial specimens. Wendy locates Joe along with Slightly but Joe does not recognize Wendy. Slightly reveals Wendy's true identity to a shocked Joe who believed Wendy/Marcy had died. The three encounter several Xenomorph eggs and are ordered by Kirsh to contain them until a  team arrives. Joe is dragged away by the Xenomorph, and Wendy chases after it. 3 "" Dana Gonzales Noah Hawley and  August 19, 2025 0.441 Nibs questions Curly about why the hybrids are all named after  characters and why Marcy gets to be Wendy. Kavalier orders the specimens be brought to Neverland Island for study, despite objections from Kirsh and Dame Sylvia. Morrow finds Smee and Slightly guarding the Xenomorph eggs and interrogates them, suspicious of their childlike behavior. Morrow downloads all the data from the Maginot and erases the data from the source. Kirsh confronts Morrow and Morrow plants a device on Slightly's neck before escaping. Meanwhile, Wendy and Joe fight the Xenomorph with a , and Wendy kills the Xenomorph, although both sustain serious injuries. Returning to the island, Joe undergoes surgery and the Arthur and Dame tend to Wendy. Having escaped into New Siam, Morrow calls Ms. Yutani, and insists on retrieving the specimens despite being ordered to return home. Curly confronts Kavalier about his favoritism towards Wendy, asserting herself to be the best hybrid. Morrow contacts Slightly via the embedded device, convincing Slightly to be Morrow's friend. Kirsh, Tootles, and Curly dissect a facehugger and introduce its larva to Joe's damaged lung, removed during surgery. Wendy awakens, seemingly intercepting signals from the Xenomorph eggs which cause pain. Wendy ultimately collapses in the laboratory containing the eggs. 4 "" Ugla Hauksdóttir Noah Hawley and Bobak Esfarjani August 26, 2025 0.393 When Wendy wakes up, Arthur adjusts her hearing so Wendy can hear the Xenomorph eggs without experiencing pain, and Wendy discovers she can speak the Xenomorphs' language in a frequency audible to humans. Kirsh and Tootles test Trypanohyncha Ocellus (an octopus-like creature) on a sheep, and it implants itself in the sheep's brain via its eye socket. Tootles names himself as Issac. Kumi Morrow pressures Slightly into revealing his real name, Aarush Singh, and he is from India, as a sign of trust, and asks Slightly to steal a Xenomorph egg. Nibs, claiming to be pregnant, becomes violent after Dame Sylvia tries to interrogate her about the rescue mission, and is unknowingly put under house arrest. Joe, jaded after seeing how Wendy is treated as an experiment, attempts to quit and leave. However, Atom Eins tells Joe that if he does, Joe will be sent a large bill for his new lung and never see Wendy again. Slightly contacts Morrow to tell him that he cannot steal an egg, but the latter reveals he used Slightly's real name to track down his family, and uses them as blackmail. Morrow instructs Slightly to take a human near the eggs so they can be infected by a facehugger. It is revealed that Kirsh had been eavesdropping on Morrow and Slightly's conversations. Later, Wendy observes the Xenomorph-infected lung as the newborn Xenomorph bursts out, and Wendy placates it by communicating. 5 "" Noah Hawley Noah Hawley September 2, 2025 0.361 A flashback shows the events that occurred on the Maginot before it reached Earth. Junior security officer Clem wakes Morrow from cryo-sleep and tells him that a fire has led to two facehuggers escaping containment, which latched onto Captain Dinsdale and Science Officer Bronski. Dinsdale dies from the facehugger's acid blood when medical officer Rahim attempts to cut its tail. After being told by engineer Shmuel that the ship's navigational systems were also damaged in the fire, Morrow concludes that someone has sabotaged the ship. Executive officer Zaveri assumes command of the ship, but Morrow threatens to relieve her if she does not prioritize the creatures above the crew. Bronski is placed in cryo-sleep to prevent the gestation of the Xenomorph, but this fails. In science officer Chibuzo's lab, one leech specimen manages to open its test tube from the inside, and lays its larvae in her water bottle. Witnessing this, the Ocellus also escapes afterwards. Apprentice engineer Malachite drinks the water, and the larvae kill him internally; Chibuzo and Rahim are killed by their defensive toxic gas when trying to extract them. Navigator Teng is killed by the now full-grown Xenomorph. Chief engineer Petrovich is revealed to be behind the sabotage, having been promised a hybrid body by Kavalier if the ship crashes in Prodigy territory. Petrovich kills Clem and is in turn killed by Morrow, who retreats to the control room and seals himself in. Zaveri is killed by the Xenomorph outside the door. With everyone dead, Morrow locks himself in the panic room and awaits the crash. Back in the present, Morrow meets with Yutani, offering to retrieve the specimens by force and kill Kavalier. 6 "" Ugla Hauksdóttir Noah Hawley and Lisa Long September 9, 2025 0.478 As the Xenomorph grows, Wendy works on communicating with it. Nibs undergoes testing, prompting Atom Eins to demand her memory be reset to before the Maginot's crash. Dame reluctantly accepts, but Arthur refuses, and is fired under threat of execution if he is not gone by the end of the day. Wendy, disturbed by Nibs' behavior afterwards, learns she was reprogrammed. Meanwhile, Kavalier meets with Yutani over the ship's return and outwits her, securing 20 billion in damages while keeping the specimens for 6 weeks due to quarantine. Kirsh asks Tootles to feed and water the specimens while he is away. However, the Ocellus surprises him into accidentally locking himself in the same cage as two fly-like creatures, who kill him with acid and feed on his body. Slightly tries to lure Joe to the alien eggs, but he declines due to reassignment. Joe later visits a packing Arthur, who covertly deactivates Wendy's tracking device and gives Joe a boat code to allow them to escape. Noticing Tootles is disconnected, he goes to the lab accompanied by Slightly, who opens the cage of the Xenomorph eggs and locks him in, allowing a facehugger to latch onto Arthur. Kirsh watches this through security cameras, but does not tell Kavalier. Slightly hides along with Arthur's body in an air vent as the flies leave their cell. 7 "" Dana Gonzales Noah Hawley and Maria Melnik September 16, 2025 0.385 Smee discovers Slightly hiding an incapacitated Arthur, and the latter convinces him to help deliver Arthur to Morrow on the beach. Security re-secures the lab specimens. Wendy is disgusted by Kavalier's attitude to Tootles' death, and convinces Nibs to join her and Joe in escaping the island. On her way out, Wendy hacks the lab system, releasing the grown , which rampages and escapes into the forest. Kirsh finds Slightly and Smee carrying Arthur's body, but helps them take a faster route to the beach. Outside, Arthur awakes after the  dies. Shortly after, a newborn Xenomorph bursts from his chest and escapes. The hybrids take the corpse to the beach, where Morrow's Yutani team meets them. Having failed to bring him the newborn, Morrow takes them captive. After Kirsh shows him the Ocellus caused the lab accident, Kavalier becomes fascinated with the creature's intelligence, and wants to place it into a human host. Outside, Wendy, Joe, and Nibs are held at gunpoint by Yutani forces, but Wendy calls the Xenomorph which kills them. She comforts it, sparing them. Morrow's team enter the facility, but they are taken captive by Kirsh, who has also captured the newborn Xenomorph. Wendy, Joe, and Nibs reach the boat, but they are intercepted by Neverland security. Nibs, frustrated, brutally kills a soldier, prompting Joe to incapacitate her. A shocked Wendy scolds Joe, as the Xenomorph watches in the distance. 8 "" Dana Gonzales Noah Hawley &  September 23, 2025 0.469 The hybrids have been imprisoned in one cell, with Joe and Morrow in another. Wendy uses her abilities to block the facility's cameras and communications. She struggles with Joe's decision to shoot Nibs, believing he chose to ally himself with humans instead of her, but ultimately unlocks his cell. Kavalier approaches the hybrids and reveals that at six years old, he built his own synthetic which he used to kill his abusive father. Wendy unlocks their cell, Nibs kills Kavalier's bodyguard, and Kavalier flees. Morrow attacks Kirsh in the lab; Kirsh is badly damaged, but ultimately chokes Morrow unconscious. Smee and Slightly arrive in the lab and they take both Kirsh and Morrow, while Nibs captures Dame. Meanwhile, Atom lures Joe to Kavalier's room and locks him in with the Ocellus. Wendy arrives to save him and fights Atom, who reveals himself as a synthetic, allowing Wendy to control his motor functions. The Ocellus escapes to the beach, where it possesses Arthur's corpse. With the help of the older Xenomorph, Wendy and Joe capture Kavalier and lock him in a cell with Kirsh, Atom, Dame, and Morrow. As Yutani and her team approach the island, Wendy, with both Xenomorphs nearby, declares, "Now, we rule." Production Development In February 2019,  reported that two  television series were in development, one animated –  – and one live-action, from  for the network . In December 2020, as part of Disney's Investor Day presentation, the latter television series project was officially announced to be in development for the network, with  as showrunner and Scott as executive producer, being set on Earth in the near future. On February 17, 2022,  revealed that the series is a  taking place before the events of  (1979). Hawley himself confirmed that the series would be tied more into the style and mythology of the original 1979 film rather than the prequel films  (2012), and  (2017). In April 2023, chairman of , , stated that the series was in active pre-production. According to  president Gina Balian, the scale of the production of Alien: Earth was much bigger than that of the 2024 FX series , whose budget has been reported as $250 million. Casting In May 2023,  was cast in the lead role, followed by , , , and  in July.  and  would be among those added to the cast in November 2023. Filming  was scheduled to begin in March 2022, but was delayed due to the . Production on the series began on July 19, 2023, in . Filming (without the American cast including Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, and David Rysdahl) was allowed to occur during the  due to the series' British cast working under an  contract. In late August, the production was halted due to the strike with most of the first episode completed. Filming resumed in April 2024, and wrapped in mid-July. , Bella Gonzales and  serve as cinematographers. Music The score for the series was composed by . The soundtrack was released on  on August 12, 2025. It will get a vinyl release in December 2025 on Mutant. The episodes end on famous ,  and  songs because Hawley decided to highlight the  endings by "mak[ing] an arena show, something that feels bigger than a small theater", featuring tracks by , , , , , , , ,  and . The soundtrack from the fifth episode "In Space, No One…" was released as a stand-alone album on September 2, 2025. Release Promotion Alien: Earth's promotion included immersive experiences such as The Wreckage, which was displayed at the  and , and The Hunt, an activation staged in major cities worldwide.  also partnered with several companies for promotional tie-ins, offering limited-time meals and beverages through food and hotel chains, as well as exclusive merchandise. Release The first episode of Alien: Earth was screened early at the series' panel at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 25. The series premiered on  and  with its first two episodes on August 12, followed by weekly releases of the remaining six episodes. Internationally, Alien: Earth was made available to stream on . Reception Viewership The Walt Disney Company announced that the first episode of Alien: Earth garnered 9.2 million views worldwide within its first six days of streaming. This total was calculated by dividing the total hours watched by the episode's runtime, reflecting viewership on , , and . Analytics company , which gathers viewership data from certain  and content providers, reported that Alien: Earth was watched by 1.8 million U.S. households during its live-plus-five-day period. Boomer households (ages 65–74) over-indexed in viewership by 8% compared to other demographic groups. , which records streaming viewership on some U.S. television screens, reported that Alien: Earth was watched for 464 million minutes between August 11–17, ranking as the seventh-most-streamed original series. In the following week, from August 18–24, it recorded 337 million minutes of watch time, making it the ninth-most-streamed original series that week. Alien: Earth was later streamed for 326 million minutes from August 25–31, making it the tenth-most-streamed original series of the week. Critical response On the  website , 93% of 189 critics' reviews are positive, with a critics consensus of: "Stylistically bold and scary as hell, Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth transplants the Xenomorph mythos into the television medium with its cinematic grandeur intact while staking out a unique identity of its own." , which uses a , assigned a score of 85 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". James Dyer of  gave the first season five out of five stars, praising its exploration of "the nature of consciousness, mortality, [and] humanity", concluding that "Hawley's series is a rare prequel that serves to enrich its source material, breathing new life into a once-tired franchise". For , Brian Tallerico wrote, "'s work on  feels like a logical comparison, and that's the quality tier on which this show resides as well. ... [Hawley] delivers an 8-episode first season that somehow marries the philosophical depth that fans of  admired with the intense action and bone-chilling imagery of 's ." Angie Han of  described it as a "heady, sprawling, occasionally unwieldy but eventually thrilling epic about personhood, hubris, and of course, the primal pleasure of watching people get absolutely rocked by space monsters", noting its production design and "new beasts with their own deliciously horrible ways of killing". Not all reviews were positive. Dominic Baez of  criticized the show's pace and uneven story, writing, "Its examination of identity ... is less insightful than it wants to be, buckling under the weight of its own unanswered questions. And far too often it feels like two separate plots stitched together, a  of existentialism and aliens ripping people apart."  of  called the feeling of the show "tedious" and wrote that it "struggles to resolve the tension between replicating the core Alien appeal and building a broader narrative suited for long-form television," at the same time questioning if Hawley is fit for the genre versus his previous  stylings. , who portrayed  in the original movies, praised the series, noting how it expands the franchise's scope and calling it "much more profound than just an Alien movie." Future According to series creator Noah Hawley, work has not yet begun on a second season, but conversations are ongoing. He is ready to begin immediately if Disney decides to renew the show. Hawley expects a renewal decision to be made "soon" after the airing of the season finale on September 23, 2025, once its viewership can be evaluated. In another interview, Hawley said that he hopes to have a decision "in the next couple of months."    

This week's Empire Podcast sees us welcome another hat-trick of wonderful guests, as Chris Hewitt has lovely chats with The Smashing Machine writer-director (and Happy Gilmore 2 villain), Benny Safdie, [24:13 - 40:39 approx] and bona fide acting legend, Malcolm McDowell, star of new WWII drama, The Partisan (please excuse the sound quality of Chris' mic); [59:42 - 1:13:48 approx] while John Nugent sits down with Urchin director, Harris Dickinson, about making his directorial debut with the acclaimed drama. [1:37:05 - 1:52:43 approx] Either side of those, Chris doesn't let a little thing like Covid-19 stop him from hosting this week, dialling in to the podbooth (again, please do forgive the odd attendant audio glitch) to have all kinds of film-related fun with Helen O'Hara and James Dyer. The trio discuss some of the best final films from acting greats, run their eyes over Urchin, Play Dirty, The Smashing Machine, and Him, and find the week's movie news to be so lacking that they wind up doing an impromptu Simpsons quiz. Oh, and James is all giddy this week, after a close encounter with none other than Taylor Swift. To find out how close she came to being on this show, or a Cats retro spoiler special, you're going to have to listen. Enjoy.

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.

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 approx] And Chris also sits down in the podbooth with MJ Bassett, director of the brand new version of Red Sonja, for a candid conversation about MJ's long-held determination to make a Red Sonja movie, her recent decision to leave the United States to return to Britain, and much, much more. [22:22 - 40:22 approx] Enjoy.

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, and the MCU's secret weapon, Benedict Wong. [1:02:05 - 1:17:58 approx] Enjoy!

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.

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 bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a Formula 1 car going at roughly 200 miles per hour. Easy mistake to make.

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 Of State. Enjoy!

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!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down in person with Deep Cover stars, Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Nick Mohammed, to talk about their experiences playing improvisers who go undercover as fake cops;[1:00:00 - 1:15:52 approx] and on Zoom with Tornado and Slow Horses star, Jack Lowden. [26:15 - 39:20 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by James Dyer, Alex Godfrey and Empire Podcast debutant, Harry Stainer, to discuss the best and worst retcons, run their eye over the week's movie news, review Deep Cover, Echo Valley, Tornado, and How To Train Your Dragon. Oh, and there's some extreme improv, so be warned. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Alex Godfrey — get to grips with the definition of in media res, as they discuss some of their favourite films that throw you right into the action. Elsewhere, they talk about the week's movie news, pay tribute to Empire's founding editor Barry McIlheney, who has sadly died at the age of 65, and review The Ballad Of Wallis Island, Karate Kid: Legends, Mountainhead, The Ritual, and The Salt Path. And Chris has a whale of a time talking to this week's guests, Mountainhead writer/director (and Succession creator), Jesse Armstrong, [26:34 - 39:29 approx] and Tom Basden, Tim Key and Carey Mulligan, the stars of the delightful new film, The Ballad Of Wallis Island. [1:01:06 - 1:19:38 approx] Oh, and Alex goes full Rory Bremner too, which is... unexpected. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt mark the release of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning by doing a non-spoiler, non-epic (less than 20 minutes!) chat with that film's director, the legendarily loquacious Christopher McQuarrie, [26:00 - 43:06 approx] and have a lovely natter with the stars of the new Wes Anderson film, The Phoenician Scheme, Benicio del Toro and Michael Cera. [1:01:37 - 1:15:35 approx] Right at the end of the show, we also bring you an extended excerpt from our Andor s2 spoiler chat with that show's creator, Tony Gilroy, who tells Ben Travis all about the fates of certain characters. Do not listen if you haven't seen Andor! [1:43:43 - 1:56:02 approx] Elsewhere, Chris Hewitt is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent, to talk about Cannes and Cruise, run their collective eye over the week's movie news, and review The Final Reckoning, The Phoenician Scheme, Lilo & Stitch, and Guy Ritchie's Fountain Of Youth. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the BSME Awards-nominated Empire Podcast had better not be the episode that the BSME Awards judging panel listens to ahead of voting, or our nomination might be rescinded. Which is to say, chaos reigns as Chris Hewitt returns — eventually, after being waylaid by a McQ&A — to the hosting chair, and is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for a limited time only, Nick de Semlyen to talk about movies only they love, the week's movie news including the new Superman trailer, and review Final Destination Bloodlines, Hallow Road, and The Marching Band. Oh, and there's a spelling bee that exudes some serious little D energy. Our guests this week are the wonderful pairings of Matthew Rhys and Rosamund Pike, stars of the blistering new psychodrama, Hallow Road, and Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, directors of the riotously entertaining new Final Destination movie, Bloodlines. Enjoy! Vote for us!

It's another cracking episode of the (freshly award-nominated) Empire Podcast this week, folks, as Helen O'Hara slips into the hosting chair and tries to wrestle James Dyer and Alex Godfrey into shape as they talk about changeable movie titles, great actor/director pairings, Alex's favourite teen movies, the week's movie news including Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on the film industry, The Long Walk and Highest 2 Lowest trailers, and review The Uninvited, The Extraordinary Miss Flower, The Surfer, and The Wedding Banquet. That last movie also provides us with our guests, as Chris Hewitt sits down for an incredibly fun chat with its stars, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran. [22:12 - 44:11 approx] Have a listen, you won't regret it. Enjoy!

It was foretold by the Ancient Ones: The Convergence (or Gunvergence, if you will), the day on which three absolutely slamming action movies will be released at the same time in the UK (albeit on different formats), ushering in a new era of sweaty dad bods, car chases, and many scenes where people die in a hail of bullets. And that day is today, folks. April 25, which sees the release of Gareth Evans' HAVOC on Netflix, Christian Gudegast's Den Of Thieves: Pantera on Prime Video, and Gavin O'Connor's The Accountant 2 in cinemas across the country. The Convergence has been keeping our Chris Hewitt going for some time now, and he gets to sit down with the directors of all three films on this week's episode: Evans at 22:24 (approx), O'Connor at 1:03:23 (approx), and Gudegast at 1:39:48 (approx). But that's not all. Chris is joined in the podbooth this week by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb to run their eye over the week's movie news (sadly, last week's Fantastic Four trailer fell through the cracks), review the aforementioned action holy trinity, and tackle a whole bunch of Mount Rushmore scenarios in our listeners' questions section. And yes, we're very aware that we forgot to mention Close Encounters. Anyway, enjoy! ALL HAIL THE CONVERGENCE!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is jam-packed etc. etc. Bumper-sized, and so on and so forth. But it's true, perhaps this week more than ever as Chris Hewitt sits down for chats with two pairs — first, there's Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, who reunite almost 30 years after The English Patient for this week's Odyssey-sampling drama, The Return. [24:05 - 38:32 approx] Then, there's Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne, stars of the new spy thriller The Amateur, who reflect upon where they met, their working relationship, and the influence of Event Horizon upon modern cinema. [1:03:32 - 1:17:24 approx] Finally, Ben Travis has a lovely chat with Christopher Landon, the always affable director of this week's thriller, Drop. [1:38:53 - 1:53:53 approx] Either side of those, Chris welcomes Ben and James Dyer into the podbooth, as well as our returning geek queen, Helen O'Hara, back after that small business of getting married. They talk about that, discuss the great movie weddings they'd like to attend, run their eye over the week's movie news (including a whole bunch of trailers), and review The Amateur, The Return, Holy Cow, Drop, and One To One: John & Yoko. Also, Chris unleashes a new and almost instantly unwanted impression, and the question is asked: who is the funniest person Helen knows? The answer may shock you. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees the long-awaited return of one of our favourite guests, the wonderful British actor Will Poulter, who talks to Chris Hewitt about his role in the new movie, Death Of A Unicorn, playing a prize A-hole, and impromptu tongue-twisters. [20:38 - 33:28 approx]Another returning guest joins us this week, as the delightful Amber Midthunder sits down on Zoom with Amon Warmann to dive deep into her role in the new action comedy Novocaine. That interview does contain some spoilers, so tread carefully! [1:07:21 - 1:23:34 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by James Dyer and, for the first time in forever, Ben Travis as they discuss the videogames they'd like to see adapted into movies, review Death Of A Unicorn, Holland, Last Swim and The Most Precious Of Cargoes, and go deep on tons of movie news, including the casting of The Beatles, the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood sequel, and the sad news of the death of the great Val Kilmer.

We start on a director's chair. We pull back to reveal its back. On it is emblazoned a name. That name? George MacKay, the wonderful star of this week's thought-provoking original movie musical, Joshua Oppenheimer's The End, who pops into the podbooth to have a good old natter [from 30:49 - 48:20 approx] with... We pull back. It's another director's chair. On it, another name: Chris Hewitt. Everyone shrugs their shoulders. But wait! There's another chair, and another name! That name is Irwin Winkler, the legendary producer of Rocky, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Irishman, Creed, and now The Alto Knights, as he talks to Chris about going double De Niro on that movie. [1:00:37 - 1:17:11 approx] And then there are three more chairs, with three more names, as Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and John Nugent join Chris in the podbooth for a topsy-turvy episode that flips the format of the show upside down. Our intrepid quartet answer a listener question about Double De Niro, review A Working Man, The Woman In The Yard, and Novocaine, and discuss the week's movie news, including the glacially-paced reveal of the cast of Avengers Doomsday, which was unfolding as we recorded this very show. But they don't necessarily do all of those things in that order. If you're not an MCU stan (or Stan), that discussion comes right at the end of the episode, so here's a rough time stamp should you wish to skip. [1:32:24 approx] For MCU fans, though, dive in. Enjoy.

It's another bumper-sized edition of the Empire Podcast this week, folks, in which Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with the legendary director, Barry Levinson, on the eve of the release of his new gangster movie, The Alto Knights, starring Robert De Niro, Robert De Niro and Robert De Niro's dogs. [23:31 - 40:13 approx] Then, we also hear from Gints Zilbalodis, the director of this year's Oscar-winning animated movie, Flow, in an exclusive excerpt from a recent Empire VIP Club event, hosted by Beth Webb. [59:44 - 1:13:04 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, briefly, Alex Godfrey, to reflect on St. Patrick's Day, discuss Hollywood actors in British TV adverts, their favourite movie assassinations (because of the Ides Of March, see), chat about the week's movie news, and review Flow, The Alto Knights, and the Rachel Zegler double-whammy of Snow White and Y2K. Oh, and Chris bangs on about something called The Convergence. When you hear what it is, you'll most likely share his excitement. Enjoy.

Welcome to episode 659 (yes, we're keeping count) of The Empire Podcast, folks. And it's a belter, as Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with The Electric State's Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt to talk about their favourite Russo brother, accents, and which one will attend the parade if/when Liverpool win this year's Premier League title. [23:34 -37:14 approx] Chris also has a fun chat about lie detectors, Benihana, and dinner parties from hell with Black Bag stars Michael Fassbender and Marisa Abela. [59:08 - 1:17:44 approx] And then he's joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they answer questions from the Empire Podcast subreddit, dwell on numbers (specifically, four and 12), discuss the week's movie news, including Sadie Sink joining the cast of the latest Spider-Man movie, and review Black Bag, The Electric State, Last Breath, In The Lost Lands, and Opus. Oh, and they talk about Portals, for a change. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast features two cracking interviews with two directors at different stages of their career. First, actor-turned-director Jack Huston sits down on Zoom and tells Chris Hewitt how he managed to make his directorial debut, the black-and-white drama Day Of The Fight, recruiting Joe Pesci for a supporting role, and the influence of his famous grandfather, John Huston. [26:52 - 47:11 approx] Then, Helen O'Hara sits down with the great Bong Joon Ho, and his interpreter, for a lovely chat about Director Bong's new film, Mickey 17. [1:15:40 - 1:32:02 approx] Either side of those is a fun episode in which Chris and Helen are joined by James Dyer and, returning to the pod after an absence of a decade, Radio 1's Ali Plumb, to talk about how Michael Shannon might just have reunited R.E.M., wax lyrical about the greatness of Gene Hackman, and review Mickey 17, Day Of The Fight, and One Of Them Days. Oh, and if you're not a fan of Oscars chat, maybe skip the entire news section (which comes after Jack Huston and before Director Bong), as it's dedicated to an in-depth discussion of last Sunday's Academy Awards. But if you skip it, you'll never learn the incredible film facts that Ali, James, and Helen bring to the table, as a Three Fact Structure briefly threatens to break out. Enjoy!

Don't call it a comeback. This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Pamela Anderson, star of Baywatch and Barb Wire, sit down with Alex Godfrey to tell him about how Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl has given her a second chance in Hollywood. [23:46 - 38:29 approx] Our other interview sees Mickey 17 (out next Friday, fact fans!) star Naomi Ackie talk to Helen O'Hara about working with Bong Joon Ho and multiple Robert Pattinsons, and coming to terms with fame. [1:05:30 - 1:19:50 approx] And both Alex and Helen are also in the podbooth this week, joining Chris Hewitt and James Dyer to talk about the greatest movie monkeys, take an impromptu Kathy Kennedy quiz, and review The Last Showgirl and Sky Cinema Original, Fight Or Flight. And the team also bid a sad farewell to some souls who left us far too soon this week — Michelle Trachtenberg, Roberto Orci, and the great Gene Hackman, who passed away along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa. A full Hackman tribute will appear in next week's podcast, but for now, the team recommend the movies they would watch as a tribute to his Gene-ius. [Episode 657]

After the guestapaloozas of recent weeks, we're back to just one guest on this week's Empire Podcast. But what a guest it is, as the great Tatiana Maslany, star of the new Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, pops up on Zoom to talk with Chris Hewitt about death and Comedy Bang Bang. [25:00 - 43:07 approx] In the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss their favourite Stephen King movies, review The Monkey, The Order, and I'm Still Here, while the movie news section is rudely interrupted by some actual movie news, prompting a deep dive into the revelation about the future of the James Bond movies. That can be found, roughly, from 50:04 - 1:04:12, if you're not into all things 007. Enjoy.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight heads to the mean streets of Victorian London for A Thousand Blows on Disney+, and what better way to celebrate than with a special Pilot TV/Empire crossover podcast? Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Kay Ribeiro get under the skin of Knight's latest period piece, which combines bare-knuckle boxing with organised crime as all-female gang The Forty Elephants rampage through the East End. Plus, Kay speaks to Knight himself about the origins of the series and to stars Stephen Graham and Malachi Kirby about squaring off in the ring.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight heads to the mean streets of Victorian London for A Thousand Blows on Disney+ and what better way to celebrate than with a special Pilot TV/Empire crossover podcast? Chris Hewitt, James Dyer and Kay Ribeiro get under the skin of Knight's latest period piece, which combines bare-knuckle boxing with organised crime as all-female gang The Forty Elephants rampage through the East End. Plus, Kay speaks to Knight himself about the origins of the series and to stars Stephen Graham and Malachi Kirby about facing off in the ring.

It's a brave new world for the Empire Podcast this week, folks, as Chris Hewitt welcomes a quintet (not to be confused with a Quinjet, although a couple of them might have access to one) of amazing guests. From the latest MCU film, Captain America: Brave New World, Chris first chats to Danny Ramirez, aka Joaquin Torres, aka the new Falcon, about football, flying, and fraternising with famous co-stars like Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford. [22:56 - 37:25 approx] Speaking of Ford, the man who might just be the greatest movie star of all time, also sits down for a chat with Chris, talking about taking on his second US President, and first Red Hulk, in the shape of Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross. [1:42:28 - 1:56:26 approx] Inbetween those, Chris has a fun face-to-faces encounter with the stars of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Renee Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Leo Woodall. [59:13 - 1:12:45 approx] Either side of those, love is in the podbooth air, as are Love Hearts, in a raucous episode as Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann to talk great movie kisses, run their eye over the week's movie news, and review Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Captain America: Brave New World, and The Gorge. It's a pod you'll fall in love with. Probably. Enjoy!

Another bumper-sized edition of the Empire Podcast this week, as Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom for chats with a trio of terrific talents. First, there's Ke Huy Quan on Love Hurts, the action movie that represents his first lead role, and first movie since winning an Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once. [17:33 - 34:18 approx] Then there's John Magaro, star of September 5, on how that movie and Steven Spielberg's Munich make for a great double-bill. [1:00:34 - 1:16:50 approx] And, finally, The Wild Robot director (and creator/voice of Stitch, as in Lilo & Stitch), Chris Sanders, on the success of his new animated movie, and becoming an unexpected voice actor. [1:39:10 - 1:54:10 approx] Then, in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb to discuss the film stories they'd love to see turned into plays, take a look at a bunch of trailers including The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Jurassic World: Rebirth, chat about the second coming of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and review September 5, You're Cordially Invited, Dog Man, and more. Enjoy.

It's another bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast this week, folks! The great Angelina Jolie heads up our trio of amazing guests, as she talks to John Nugent about taking on the challenge of playing the legendary opera singer, Maria Callas, in Pablo Larrain's Maria. [20:48 - 34:02 approx] Plus, Chris Hewitt has a fascinating chat with Jason Reitman about how, exactly, he recreated Saturday Night Live's opening night for Saturday Night, [56:33 - 1:15:42 approx] and finally Chris sits down on Zoom with EE Rising Star Award nominee, the wonderful David Jonsson, for a natter about that, Rye Lane, the difference between a stroll and a strut, and tackling a very complex role in Alien: Romulus, which is now on Disney+. [1:38:23 - 1:56:21 approx] Meanwhile, back in the podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to share their thoughts on the recent West End version of The Tempest, put together a Mount Rushmore of SNL stars, discuss the week's movie news, and review Saturday Night, Companion, and Mike Leigh's Hard Truths. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast brings you not one but two Oscar winners, as first Chris Hewitt sits down with Michelle Yeoh to talk about her new Star Trek movie, Section 31, and how the Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once changed her life [20:56 - 36:39 approx]; then, John Nugent has a fascinating chat with The Brutalist star, current Oscar nominee, and former Best Actor winner, Adrien Brody, about the LA Fires and his role in Brady Corbet's epic drama. [1:02:49 - 1:18:11 approx] Elsewhere, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Kelechi Ehenulo to dig deep into the Oscar nominations, discuss VFX gone wrong, and review The Brutalist, Steven Soderbergh's Presence, Flight Risk, and Star Trek: Section 31, while they also get really specific about TV episodes. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, Alex Godfrey and Beth Webb bid a sad, but heartfelt, farewell to the great David Lynch, who has died at the age of 78. It's also an epic epitaph in many ways, clocking in at around 40 minutes, as the trio, all huge Lynch fans, pay tribute to the genius behind Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Dr., Twin Peaks, and more. [44:18 - 1:26:33 approx] Elsewhere in the episode, which was recorded before the news broke of Lynch's passing, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss great bike moments in movies, chat about the BAFTA nominations and the new Daredevil: Born Again trailer, and review A Complete Unknown, William Tell, Back In Action, and Wolf Man. And there are interviews aplenty, as Chris talks to a whole bunch of folks: there's a riotous, chaotic chat with A Real Pain stars Jesse Eisenberg (who also wrote and directed the movie) and Kieran Culkin, as they talk food, films, and feet [19:06 - 44:18 approx]; A Complete Unknown director James Mangold calls in from LA to talk about why he was drawn to Bob Dylan [1:43:03 - 1:57:39 approx]; and Wolf Man star, Christopher Abbott, who tells us why he might start a new club with Colin Farrell and Jeff Goldblum. [2:23:50 - 2:37:57 approx] Otherwise, it's all about Lynch, as it should be. Farewell, sir.

Here it is, folks. The 650th episode (if you don't count all the other episodes) of the Empire Podcast, recorded live on Friday January 10th in front of a sell-out crowd at our spiritual home of Kings Place, London. And it's an absolute belter, in which Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Beth Webb show barely a passing awareness of the week's movie news, review A Real Pain, Babygirl, and Maria, and answer a bunch of questions from the audience. There will be singing. There will be plenty of film-related fun. And there will be guests galore, as Chris sits down with Get Away writer/star, Nick Frost; Beth chats with Babygirl star, Harris Dickinson, making his second live show appearance; Alex Godfrey pops up to have a natter with William Tell star, Claes Bang (and we all get mildly distracted by his coat); and Helen has a pow-wow with Joe Alwyn, star of The Brutalist, the film that might just win the Oscar race. All the guests can be found in one super-long section between 49:56 and 2:08:14, approx. As ever, thanks to everyone who made this evening possible, from the Kings Place team to our guests; thanks to you guys for coming and for continuing to support the pod; and thanks to cinema for being so goshdarn cinematic. Enjoy.

So, 2024: a year of cinematic highs, lows, and bits in the middle. And in the annual tradition that is our Review Of The Year podcast, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer drill deep into them all (time allowing, of course), answering questions from listeners on a vast array of topics, before running down Empire's Top 20 films of the year. It's a bumper-sized one, folks, just the thing to see you into 2025. Happy New Year to all our listeners — enjoy!

"Four sets of guests, Jeremy? Four? That's insane!" Yes, folks, the last Empire Podcast of 2024 is an absolute barnstormer, a two-and-a-half-hour blast of film-related fun just in time for the festive season. And we have more guests than you could possibly fit under the tree. There's Mufasa: The Lion King star, Aaron Pierre! Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham, directors of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl! Ben Schwartz and Jeff Fowler, star and director respectively of Sonic The Hedgehog 3! And Michael Gracey, director of Robbie Williams biopic, Better Man, and his movie's inspiration and subject, Actual Bloody Robbie Williams. Yes, folks, it's a belter, and we haven't even mentioned the bits where Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, and James Dyer answer your Christmas movie questions, tackle the week's movie news including a deep dive into the Superman trailer, and review all four of the aforementioned guest-y films. Thanks once again for your unerring support this year, listeners. We couldn't do this without you. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and we'll see you on January 3rd for the first show of 2025. In the meantime, enjoy this one!

It's the penultimate Empire Podcast of the year, folks, and to celebrate the impending season of goodwill to all, we've brought you another bumper episode. Which is nice of us. Guest-wise, Chris Hewitt sits down once again with one of our favourite guests, Gerry 'Gerard' Butler, to talk about his decidedly un-Gerry Butler-like role as Santa himself in charming kids movie The Night Before Christmas In Wonderland, [17:52 - 32:42 approx] while Helen O'Hara chats The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim with that film's director, Kenji Kamiyama, and producers Jason DeMarco and Joseph Chou, who also serves as Kamiyama's interpreter. [57:32 - 1:10:30 approx] That's an excerpt from the War Of The Rohirrim live event we did last week for our Empire VIP Club members, fact fans. And Helen also pops up again in the interviewer's chair to grill Jon M. Chu on how he directed Wicked, in a spoiler-free excerpt from our spoiler special, which is also out now. [1:34:32 - 1:43:57 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen and James Dyer to tackle some Christmassy questions from the Empire Podcast subreddit, while they also discuss the week's movie news, including the 28 Years Later trailer and the rumoured demise of the SPUMC, and review The War Of The Rohirrim, Kraven The Hunter, Queer, and Carry-On. Oh, and Chris gets legitimately freaked out by the unexpected arrival of a sinister festive guest. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the team enter into the festive season spirit with our first Christmas-themed question of the year, as Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and James Dyer argue about the greatest Christmas movie villain of them all. Plus, they make the best of a very bad lot of post-Thanksgiving movie news by talking about the new Snow White trailer, Moana 2's box office and, for some reason, the sexiest Jack Ryan. And they also review Rumours, Nutcrackers, and Nightbitch. And the stars of two of those movies are our guests this week, as Chris sits down on Zoom with Rumours stars Cate Blanchett and Nikki Amuka-Bird, and gets a fun idea for a Christmas present along the way, [22:17 - 34:05 approx] and Alex Godfrey has a fantastic chat with Amy Adams about working with Marielle Heller, barking like a dog, and much more for Nightbitch. [58:12 - 1:17:22 approx] Enjoy.

It's a shorter Empire Podcast this week, folks (blame Hollywood for shutting down for Thanksgiving, which is just plain selfish), but that doesn't mean it's any less jampacked with guests, greatness, and guesty greatness than usual. First, Chris Hewitt sits down with Auli'i Cravalho, Moana herself, to talk about returning for this week's Moana 2 and the art of not talking to people on planes. [16:03 - 29:35 approx] And then Ian Freer has an audience with... well, if not the Pope, then the next best thing in the guise of legendary trio Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and Isabella Rossellini, the stars of new papal election thriller, Conclave. [46:49 - 1:04:52 approx] Either side of those, with Chris incapacitated by a last-minute case of neck-knack, Helen O'Hara hosts and is joined by James Dyer and Amon Warmann for a fun episode in which they discuss what they're thankful for this year, run their eye over what passes for movie news, and review Conclave, Moana 2, and Dear Santa. Oh, and Helen tries desperately not to do a Mount Rushmore question. Will she succeed? Find out by listening. Enjoy!

It's another epic episode of the Empire Podcast this week, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down in person with all our guests. First, there's the great Steve McQueen, writer and director of Blitz, to talk about how he approached the World War II drama, and working with Paul Weller. [18:56 - 35:15 approx] Then Chris has a cracking conversation with The Piano Lesson stars John David Washington (following in the footsteps of his father, Denzel, who was a guest on last week's episode) and Danielle Deadwyler, which veers from the hilarious to the heartfelt in no time at all. [56:44 - 1:15:50 approx] And he rounds it all off with an extended excerpt from his spoilerific chat with Transformers One director, Josh Cooley. [1:39:54 - 1:54:52 approx] The full thing is available to spoiler special subscribers. Either side of those, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a truly wicked episode in which they discuss the greatest green performances in cinema, talk about how Greenwich has been temporarily renamed Greenwitch, run their eye over the week's movie news, and review Wicked, Magpie, and The Piano Lesson. Oh, and Chris makes an impassioned plea for the greatest Spice Girls song of them all. Set your spirit free, it's the only way to be. Enjoy.

Blimey, our guest cup continues to overflow, folks. This week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt sit down with Gladiator II star, and all-round legend, Denzel Washington, to talk about reuniting with Ridley Scott, and to clarify Denzel's recent hint that he might be winding down as an actor. Oh, and Chris quotes //that// Equalizer 2 line to Denzel's face, because he's utterly without shame. [20:15 - 39:40 approx] Elsewhere, Amon Warmann has a lovely chat with Emilia Perez star, Zoe Saldaña, about working with Jacques Audiard, James Cameron, and more, [1:03:14 - 1:16:13 approx] and Alex Godfrey catches up with Sean Baker to talk about the excellent Anora, which is still in cinemas now. [1:35:53 - 1:52:19 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and, for the first time, Jamie Graham, to discuss Ridley Scott's career, cast their eye over the week's movie news, including Simon Kinberg's Star Wars trilogy, the new Mission: Impossible trailer, and Christopher Nolan's Not Draclier, and review Gladiator II, Joy, and Emilia Perez. It's a banger, folks, and the only disappointment in it for us is that we only get to do it once. Enjoy.

This week's Empire Podcast isn't so much jam-packed as marmaladen with great guests, as Chris Hewitt talks to Paddington In Peru stars Hugh Bonneville and Emily Mortimer (the new Mrs. Brown) about tarantulas, Paddington tantrums, and shooting in the wilds of Basingstoke [20:47 - 35:27 approx]; the great British director Andrea Arnold about her new film, Bird, working with non-actors, and shooting in Gravesend [51:56 - 1:07:39 approx]; and Agatha All Along showrunner Jac Schaeffer, in an extended excerpt from our spoiler special interview, about [SPOILER], [BIGGER SPOILER] and shooting in [SPOILER]. Listen to that one only once you've seen Agatha All Along, naturally. [1:34:29 - 1:50:10 approx] Then, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Alex Godfrey for a merry old show in which they break down their viewing habits, discuss the week's movie news (and yes, this was recorded before the news broke about Simon Kinberg writing a new Star Wars trilogy; we'll discuss that next week), and review Paddington In Peru, Blitz, Bird, Piece By Piece, and Red One. Orange you glad you picked this episode? Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Hugh Grant return for an in-depth chat with Mike Muncer about his new movie, Heretic, and whether or not he's into horror, [24:54 - 38:02 approx] while Chris Hewitt has a lovely chat about Christopher Reeve with Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui, directors of a new documentary about the late Superman star, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. [58:32 - 1:17:42 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for a fun episode in which they discuss their favourite micro-budget movies, chat about the week's movie news including Steven Knight's departure from the latest Star Wars movie, and review a whole bunch of movies, including our guests' efforts, Sean Baker's Anora, and Clint Eastwood's Juror #2. Enjoy.

It's a question as old as time: who ya gonna call? And an equally aged answer: Ghostbusters! Or, in the case of this week's Empire Podcast, a Ghostbuster. But not just any Ghostbuster — the heart of the Ghostbusters, and co-creator of the franchise, the legendary Dan Aykroyd, who jumps on the blower with Chris Hewitt to talk about the Ghostbusters In Concert show at the Royal Albert Hall, webbed feet, and writing one of the greatest comedies of all time. [21:55 - 41:32 approx] Our other guest this week is Benjamin Ree, the director of the extraordinarily moving documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, which tells the incredible story of a young Norwegian man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and the second life he created for himself within World Of Warcraft. [1:11:29 - 1:28:29 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer for the final spooky Halloweenified pod of the year. Don't worry, though, it's not that scary, as they discuss the best non-horror films made by horror filmmakers, review The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Venom: The Last Dance, Brothers, and The Room Next Door, and chew the fat over the week's movie news, including a wild bit of speculation about Christopher Nolan's latest movie. Oh, and who — or what — is Spiky Mike? Enjoy.

Spooky season is upon us, folks, and this week's Empire Podcast is even more of a horror show than usual, as Chris Hewitt talks to Naomi Scott about her fabulous performance in Parker Finn's scary sequel, Smile 2, [23:26 - 37:26 approx] and the team — Chris, James Dyer, Ben Travis, and Beth Webb — tackle two horror-related questions from listeners, including the horror flicks they think should have been nominated for Best Picture, and an impromptu Mount Rushmore of vampire films that really should have been called Count Rushmore. Elsewhere, much movie news is discussed, including the addition of Krypto the Superdog to James Gunn's Superman, Chris has a lovely chat with Woman Of The Hour director/star Anna Kendrick, [58:47 - 1:16:56 approx] and in the reviews section we tackle that very film, plus The Wild Robot, Smile 2, and The Apprentice, with guest reviewer Alex Godfrey. Oh, and the team, and a very special guest, bids Ben a heartfelt farewell as he heads off on paternity leave. Enjoy.

It's another belting week on the Empire Podcast, folks. On the guest front, James White — ol' Jaime Blanco himself — talks to Sarah Paulson, star of new Disney+ thriller Hold Your Breath, about milking both tension and cows [21:33 - 34:08 approx], Chris Hewitt sits down for a fun chat about vampires, changing tyres, and playing people called Bob with Lewis Pullman, star of the Salem's Lot movie which is finally seeing the light of night after a couple of years sitting on the shelf [52:39 - 1:09:31 approx], and we bring you an excerpt of our incredible The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power s2 spoiler special Q&A with showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, creative producer Lindsay Weber, and stars Charles Edwards, Megan Richards, and Daniel Weyman. [1:34:50 - 1:52:24 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, and remotely by a stricken James Dyer, for a fun episode in which Helen finally shares her thoughts on Joker: Folie à Deux, the trio discuss which tell-all film books they'd like to read, the week's movie news including the new A Complete Unknown trailer, and review Salem's Lot, Timestalker, and Transformers One. Oh, and our next live show — episode 650 — is announced in, um, spectacular fashion. Enjoy.

Love that Joker? If so, you've come to the right place, folks, as this week's Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt, our very own clown prince of crime, dig deep into Joker: Folie à Deux (and pronounce the title roughly ten different ways) with its star, Joaquin Phoenix [18:50 - 41:01 approx], and director, Todd Phillips. [1:02:14 - 1:23:07 approx] With Helen O'Hara having made herself scarce so she can watch the original Joker (her favourite film of all time) about a dozen times in preparation for the sequel, Chris is joined in the podbooth by his number one guy, Bo -- sorry, James Dyer -- and number two guy (that sounds wrong, but we are where we are), Alex Godfrey, for a fun episode in which they try to discuss terrible films made by great directors, only to get hung up on one terrible film in particular; discuss the week's movie news, including the return of Daniel Day-Lewis to acting, and a host of sad farewells (and yes, before you mention it, we forgot about the great Kris Kristofferson, who will get his flowers on next week's show), and review the aforementioned Joker sequel, and A Different Man. Finally, we bring you a sneak peek at our Inside Out 2 spoiler special, now that the film has arrived on Disney+, as Ben Travis talks to Kelsey Mann, director of the year's biggest movie. [1:42:24 - 1:58:17 approx] Enjoy.

It's another jam-packed banger on the Empire Podcast this week, folks, as Chris Hewitt sits down for a triple whammy of interviews. First, there's Saoirse Ronan, star/producer of affecting drama The Outrun, and her co-star Paapa Essiedu, who talk about bonding, improvisation, and shooting on location. [19:13 - 33:45 approx] Then, there's Josh Greenbaum, director of Will & Harper, the excellent documentary that follows Will Ferrell and his writer friend of three decades, Harper Steele, on a cross-country road trip in the aftermath of Harper's recent transition to living as a woman. [54:27 - 1:13:03 approx] And finally, there's a big chunk of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice spoiler special goodness with that film's writers and executive producers, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. [1:40:01 - 1:55:27 approx] Either side of those, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss directors whose careers have received a boost from working in the MCU, take a look at the week's movie news (this was recorded before the sad news of the death of Dame Maggie Smith), and review Will & Harper, Wolfs, The Outrun, and Megalopolis, a review so immense it has added ballast in the form of Alex Godfrey. Oh, and the team discover Bump Juice. To find out what it is, listen on. Enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast comes with an air of carefree celebration, as Chris Hewitt marks his birthday by a) not mentioning his birthday that much, b) interviewing Willa Fitzgerald, star of cracking new thriller Strange Darling, while somehow not actually talking about the movie because it's incredibly hard to talk about without getting into spoiler territory, [23:05 - 40:27 approx] and c) interviewing the powerhouse trio who star in new movie His Three Daughters, Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne. [1:01:45 - 1:14:52 approx] Then Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the best movie witches, tackle the week's movie news, including David Schwimmer's revelation that he turned down Will Smith's role in Men In Black, and review His Three Daughters, Strange Darling, and The Substance. Oh, and Helen reveals a shocking old nickname, while Chris doesn't mention his birthday at all. Enjoy.