The Empire Film Podcast Empire Magazine

Another jam-packed edition of the freshly award-losing Empire Podcast this week, folks, with three separate interviews, and four incredible guests. First, Chevalier star Kelvin Harrison Jr. talks French accents and violins with Neel Bhatt (making his pod interview debut!). Then, Eva Longoria — director of Flamin' Hot and possessor of one of the best laughs in the business — sits down on Zoom with James White to talk about her feature film directorial debut. And then Chris Hewitt is visited in studio by Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, and gets one of them hopelessly addicted to M&S Phizzy Pigtails. Be warned: there are sounds of chewing during this interview, which we know puts some people off. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. Then, on either side of those interviews, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss which film director owns the 90s, the week's movie news (such as it is), and review Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, Chevalier, Flamin' Hot, and Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. Enjoy!

That's right, woodchuck-checkers, it's Groundhog Day Day! The sensational musical adaptation of the beloved Harold Ramis-Bill Murray comedy is now back on the London stage at The Old Vic, and in this interview special Chris Hewitt sits down with Danny Rubin, writer of the original movie and the book for the musical, Tim Minchin, the mastermind behind the music and lyrics, and director Matthew Warchus, to talk about taking another bite of the cherry, the songs of the musical, its ill-fated Broadway stint, and much, much more. Enjoy.

Greetings, Spidey fans! This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees Chris Hewitt point at Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse stars, Shameik Moore (aka Miles Morales), Hailee Steinfeld (aka Gwen Stacy), and Daniel Kaluuya (aka Spider-Punk). They also have a fun chat once the fingers are holstered. Speaking of fingers, Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara, who has her full complement, and James Dyer, who... well, you'll see. Together, the three of them chat about the week's movie news, review Across The Spider-Verse, Rob Savage's The Boogeyman, and Tina Satter's Reality, while they tackle a listener question that asks which director won the 1980s. Whoever it is, we hope they keep it on their mantelpiece. But that's not all! Ian Freer also has a chat with the most excellent Melissa Barrera, star of the recent Scream series and now this week's adaptation of Carmen. OK, let's do this one more time... enjoy!

Since he burst onto the scene in the late Eighties, Spike Lee has been one of the most inventive and vital voices in American cinema. The great director came to London in February to receive a BFI Fellowship, the highest honour the British Film Institute can bestow, and as part of that received the highest honour the Empire Podcast can bestow: an interview special, in which he sits down with Chris Hewitt for a fascinating chat, in which they talk primarily about Malcolm X, his epic biopic of the great African-American civil rights leader and activist, and a few other things besides. A remastered print of Malcolm X is playing at the BFI Southbank as part of the BFI's excellent Film On Film season, which runs from June 8-11. For tickets and info, go to whatson.bfi.org.uk

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast is better, down where it's wetter. Although we wouldn't recommend listening to this under the sea, in case you get your phone all soggy. Anyway, this is our way of saying that we're joined this week by Javier Bardem and Daveed Diggs, two of the stars of the latest Disney live-action animation adaptation (try saying that when you're the worse for wear), The Little Mermaid. They talk to Helen O'Hara and Ben Travis, respectively, and both are tons of fun. Then, in the podbooth, Chris Hewitt hosts and is joined by Helen, James Dyer and, in the fourth chair, Kobi Omenaka, co-host of the Flixwatcher podcast, who tells us all about his brush with fame on Gladiators. Then, the four of them pay tribute to Tina Turner, talk about their favourite musicians-turned-actors, discuss the week's movie news (including the sad death of Ray Stevenson), and review The Little Mermaid, Sisu, Master Gardener, and Hypnotic. Listeners, ready! Colleagues of such lethal cunning, ready! Enjoy!

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast lives its life a quarter of a mile at a time, with some hot peri-peri sauce on the side, as Sung Kang — aka Han from Fast X — Zooms in for an extended chat with Chris Hewitt, in which mind-blowing revelations are, um, revealed about Sung's predilection for Nando's, Tesco, and Liverpool FC. Did he and Chris just become best friends? YEP! Elsewhere, in the studio, Chris is joined by James Dyer and Alex Godfrey and, remotely from her Covid-cave, Helen O'Hara for a fun episode in which they tackle another Mount Rushmore question; discuss the 298 trailers that were released this week, including Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One and Gareth Edwards' comeback movie, The Creator; and review Fast X, Beau Is Afraid, and Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret. Oh, and Chris gives a four-hour lecture on the Pink Panther movies and goes quite insane after discovering a massive conspiracy. And hey, you can't spell 'conspiracy' without... no, we'll let you discover that one for yourselves. Enjoy.