The Empire Film Podcast
Bauer Media
The Empire Film Podcast is the official podcast of Empire, the world's biggest and best movie magazine. We bring you all the latest movie news and nonsense, as well as reviews of the week's new films, an assortment of irreverent, film-related chat and interviews with some of Hollywood's best and brightest. New episodes every Friday.
For our famous deep dives into specific movies, subscribe to the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast at https://empire.supportingcast.fm/
Love TV? Subscribe to our sister show, The Pilot TV Podcast, which covers every quality show landing on the small screen — because you can't watch *everything*. https://podfollow.com/pilot-tv-podcast/
For our famous deep dives into specific movies, subscribe to the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast at https://empire.supportingcast.fm/
Love TV? Subscribe to our sister show, The Pilot TV Podcast, which covers every quality show landing on the small screen — because you can't watch *everything*. https://podfollow.com/pilot-tv-podcast/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 27, 2026 • 1h 21min
The Lord Of The Rings: The Aristocrats (ft. guests Simon Farnaby & Ben Gregor)
Alex Godfrey, Empire journalist who led the interview. Ben Gregor, director of The Magic Faraway Tree. Simon Farnaby, actor-writer behind Paddington and family films. They chat about adapting Enid Blyton’s surreal tale for modern kids, reworking characters and stakes, practical sets and child-friendly choreography, casting choices and tiny production tricks that shaped the film.
4 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 54min
The Shameless Plug: Mando, Grogu & Readers Too?
Nick de Semlyen, Editor of Empire magazine who plans covers and features, discusses arranging the first-ever Star Wars cover shoot with The Mandalorian and Grogu. He recounts shooting Pedro Pascal in LA, teases new cast and character reveals, and answers reader questions about planning, writer assignments and last-minute magazine scrambles.
9 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 1h 35min
Because Spice (ft. guests Phil Lord & Chris Miller)
Chris Miller, director-producer known for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Spider-Verse, and Phil Lord, writer-director behind The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street, chat about Project Hail Mary. They talk puppetry and practical effects, adapting Andy Weir’s book for screen, blending CGI with real creatures, and working with Ryan Gosling. Short, playful conversations about filmmaking craft and production choices.
Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 4min
The Interviews (ft. Samara Weaving, Tyler Gillett & Matt Bettinelli-Olpin; Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard; Daniel Chong & Nicole Paradis Grindle)
Samara Weaving, actor known for sharp comic-horror turns, joins directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, the Radio Silence duo behind kinetic genre thrills. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, inventive music documentarians, discuss their Marianne Faithfull docudrama. Nicole Paradis Grindle, Pixar producer, shares studio production choices in a spoiler excerpt. Conversations cover sequels, docudrama craft, practical effects and balancing comedy with heart.
Mar 13, 2026 • 1h 27min
Voorhees, A Jolly Good Fellow? (ft. guest Tim Roth)
Tim Roth, veteran actor known for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, chats about improvising his film’s opening line and why he rarely watches his own work. He talks reshaping his character into a working‑class figure, shooting period action with horses and machine guns, and his love of British comedy shows like Would I Lie To You?. The conversation is full of on‑set anecdotes and filmmaking grit.
9 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 1h 25min
Dial Mum For H (ft. guests Jessie Buckley & Maggie Gyllenhaal)
Maggie Gyllenhaal, writer-director known for bold, character-driven films, and Jessie Buckley, actor and singer starring as the Bride, join to discuss their daring reimagining of Frankenstein. They talk makeup and the Bride's look. They explain the film's voice, black ink motif, playing multiple roles, on-set pregnancy, casting surprises, and balancing ambition with studio backing.
Mar 6, 2026 • 55min
The Interviews (ft. Christian Bale, Piper Curda & Bobby Moynihan, Edgar Wright)
Edgar Wright, visionary director known for kinetic, referential filmmaking, discusses his spoiler-special take on The Running Man. Christian Bale, Academy Award-winning actor famous for transformative roles, talks about playing Frank in Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride. They explore filmmaking choices, character preparation, homage and action design in punchy, revealing conversations.
Feb 27, 2026 • 1h 29min
The Evolution Of O'Horror (ft. guests Amanda Seyfried & Mona Fastvold)
Amanda Seyfried, actress and singer, talks about preparing vocally and physically for The Testament Of Ann Lee. Mona Fastvold, director and writer, discusses crafting movement, visuals and production choices. They explore choreography, syncing camera with dancers, tricky set logistics and handmade visual effects. Lively, focused conversation on staging a bold musical biopic.
Feb 26, 2026 • 37min
The Shameless Plug: He-Man, Hamm-Man
The latest episode of The Shameless Plug — the show in which Chris Hewitt and Empire editor Nick de Semlyen dig into the latest issue of Empire magazine — is here, folks, and it's a cracker. Join Chris and Nick as they talk about the Masters Of The Universe cover story, Chris' encounter with Renny Harlin, and the long pursuit to nab Jon Hamm for Pint Of Milk. We should have just scooped him up in a Hamm-net. Elsewhere in the episode, the two talk Threads, magic trees, and Chris does a First Line Of A Feature read in a Scottish accent. Our apologies to the people of Scotland. We hope this will not damage relations between our countries. Enjoy.
Feb 25, 2026 • 1h 5min
The Interviews (ft. Rose Byrne, Neve Campbell, Corin Hardy)
Another week, another episode of The Interviews, the new show that compiles our most compelling cinematic conversations. This week, Chris Hewitt has lovely chats with Rose Byrne about her Oscar-nominated turn in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, Neve Campbell on returning as Sidney Prescott for Scream 7, and Corin Hardy about his new horror film, Whistle. The latter is an excerpt from our epic spoiler special interview with Corin, which can be found in full over on our spoiler specials subscription feed. Enjoy!
