Editor NICK DE SEMLYEN

Creative Director CHRIS LUPTON Photography Director

DISPATCHES

TEAM EMPIRE ON A FEW OF OUR HIGH POINTS THIS MONTH

LETTER OF THE MONTH

POP QUIZ, HOTSHOT I’ve been a subscriber to

IN MEMORIAM BARRY McILHENEY 1960 – 2025

WITH HUGE SHOCK and sadness, we learned this

WELCOME

ONE DAY IN 1981, the power in Burbank,

Get ready to root for an alien killer

ALL THE ESSENTIAL INTEL, FROM HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND

Let’s switch again

LINDSAY LOHAN ON RETURNING AFTER 22 YEARS FOR BODY-SWAP SEQUEL FREAKIER FRIDAY

“Why not have Rocket riding into battle on Krypto, Superman’s very good dog?”

HELEN O’HARA ON HOW MARVEL AND DC’S LATEST COMIC CROSSOVER COULD LEAD TO A SUPERHERO-MOVIE MASH-UP

Trailer Talk Eddington

UNFILTERED, UNCENSORED, UNCOMPROMISING TRAILER REACTIONS FROM TEAM EMPIRE

THE LION, THE WITCH AND NO WARDROBE

GRETA GERWIG’S FIRST FORAY INTO NARNIA LOOKS SET TO BE AN AS-YET-UNADAPTED TALE, THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW

BRIAN WILSON’S BIG-SCREEN LEGACY

CELEBRATING THE LATE BEACH BOYS ICON THROUGH MUCH-LOVED NEEDLE DROPS

Darren Aronofsky just wants to have fun

THE DIRECTOR ON FLEXING HIS COMEDIC CHOPS WITH ’90S-SET CRIME MOVIE CAUGHT STEALING WORDS TOM ELLEN

Like father, like son

DADDY ISSUES RUN DEEP IN AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

NEED TO KNOW

GET UP TO SPEED ON... THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING

The Spotlight Tyriq Withers

THE I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER STAR IS FINDING HIS STRENGTH IN HIS DIFFERENCES

NEW BALLS, PLEASE

SPACEBALLS 2 IS COMING. HERE’S WHAT TO EXPECT

Assembling a crime - caper cohort

ETHAN COEN AND TRICIA COOKE ON BUILDING THEIR LATEST MOTLEY CREW FOR HONEY DON’T!

THE ACTIVIST STORMING HOLLYWOOD

PHOTOGRAPHER AND CAMPAIGNER MISAN HARRIMAN IS THE FOCUS OF NEW DOC SHOOT THE PEOPLE

ON OUR MINDS

DAFT MUSINGS FROM THE WARPED MINDS OF TEAM EMPIRE

A monster movie escapes its shackles

READY FOR MUTANT MAYHEM? THERE’S NO STOPPING THE TOXIC AVENGER

THE MONTHLY ΜΙΧΤΑΡΕ

EMPIRE MIXMASTER AMON WARMANN SELECTS THIS MONTH'S ESSENTIAL TUNES

THE LORD OF THE RING

AWARDS-HOOVERING VIDEO GAME ELDEN RING I S GETTING AN ALEX GARLAND-HELMED MOVIE ADAPTATION. BUT WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Taking steps to survive

THE LONG WALK BREAKS ITS CURSE, FINALLY MARCHING INTO CINEMAS

KING THAT’S WORTH A SWING

MOST STEPHEN KING STORIES HAVE HIT THE SCREEN. WE SELECT FOUR THAT HAVEN’T BUT SHOULD

Stormzy storms the screen

THE BRITISH-GHANAIAN RAPPER IS MOVING INTO ACTING, AND THAT’S JUST THE START OF HIS PLANS

PULLING OFF THE SUMMER’S CRAZIEST STUNT

HOW TOM CRUISE PULLED OFF A RECORD-BREAKING FEAT IN MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — THE FINAL RECKONING

THE WEIRDEST A-LIST RECORD-BREAKERS

TOM CRUISE IS THE LATEST IN AN ALL-STAR LINE-UP OF WACKY WINNERS

How Much Is A Pint Of Milk? Nick Offerman

THE SMURFS STAR ON SENSEI TEACHINGS AND THE ULTIMATE TOM

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH

AN ADVENTURE 65 MILLION (AND 32) YEARS IN THE MAKING

F1

TOP GUN: MAVERICK — ON LAND

THE RITUAL

★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 98

BALLERINA

★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 125

PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS

IF IT BLEEDS, THEY CAN KILL IT (REPEATEDLY)

28 YEARS LATER

DANNY BOYLE’S ZOMBIE NATION

HEADS OF STATE

TALK ABOUT A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

SQUID GAME: SEASON 3

THE NETFLIX MEGAHIT GOES OUT WITH A BANG

TORNADO

★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 91

ECHO VALLEY

★★★ OUT NOW (APPLE TV+) / CERT TBC

THE SHROUDS

DAVID CRONENBERG IS THINKING ABOUT DEATH

IT USED TO BE WITCHES

QUEER CINEMA GETS A UNIQUE CHRONICLE

SMOKE

WILL THIS NEW APPLE TV+ SHOW GET IN YOUR EYES?

DOOM: THE DARK AGES

TIME TO CONFRONT YOUR DEMONS

ELIO

PIXAR GOES TO A DIFFERENT INFINITY AND BEYOND

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

HERE BE LIVE-ACTION REMAKES

FRIENDSHIP

JAY-FROM- INBETWEENERS VOICE: “OOOOH, FRIEEEEEEND!”

OFF GRID

IN TRON: ARES , THE PROGRAMS BREAK OUT OF THE COMPUTER AND ONTO THE STREETS. WE GO ON SET TO SEE HOW THE PIONEERING SCI-FI FRANCHISE IS GETTING REAL

BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER

THEY REVOLUTIONISED THE FILM-SCORE LANDSCAPE. NOW, AS NINE INCH NAILS TAKE ON TRON: ARES , TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS TELL US HOW THEY’RE SHAPING THE FUTURE

THE FORCE AWAKENS

WILL IT BE ANY COP?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

In Materialists. Dakota Johnson's matchmaker must choose between Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. We squeeze onto a sofa with the trio to discuss love and money

TURNING UP THE HEAT

THE FIRST FILM CAME OUT OF NOWHERE, BOB ODENKIRK BLINDSIDING US WITH AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF WHOOP-ASS. NOW, WITH NOBODY 2 , HE’S UP AGAINST A KNIFE-THROWING SHARON STONE. LET CARNAGE COMMENCE!

THE GREAT BRITISH KILL-OFF

Clockwise from main: Sleuths Joyce (Celia Imrie), Ron

THE DAILY SHOW

Settle in for a day-of-the-week movie marathon

DIFFERENT BEAT

HAVING SPENT YEARS ENSCONCED IN HORROR, DIRECTOR MIKE FLANAGAN MINES SWEETER MATERIAL WITH EXISTENTIAL COSMIC DRAMA THE LIFE OF CHUCK . WE JOIN HIM AND STAR TOM HIDDLESTON TO TALK LIFE, DEATH AND DANCING

SPACE TNVADERS

NEARLY 50 YEARS ON FROM RIDLEY SCOTT'S SEMINAL SCI-FI, THE XENOMORPHS HAVE FOUND A NEW PLACE TO TERRORISE - OUR OWN, IN TV SERIES ALIEN: EARTH. AND DOWN HERE, EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU SCREAM...

Scaling new heights

A FRESH LOOK AT HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Point Blank

JOHN BOORMAN AND LEE MARVIN’S HUGELY INFLUENTIAL NOIR THRILLER

PICKS OF THE MONTH

1 A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (OUT 7

Mark Frost

THE CO-CREATOR OF TWIN PEAKS ON THE SHOW’S KEY MOMENTS

HAVOC

GARETH EVANS ON THE SHOOTOUTS AND STANDOUTS OF HIS ACTION THRILLER

NIGHTSIREN

LEGENDARY AUTHOR AND CRITIC KIM NEWMAN BRINGS US HIS UNIQUE TAKES ON CULT CINEMA

CRYPT KEEPERS

KIM'S PICK OF THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL

The movies of 1995

FOUR EMPIRE WRITERS. ONE GREAT CINEMATIC YEAR. NO COINCIDENCE.

THE TOP TEN

1 HEAT 2 SEVEN 3 THE USUAL

One way out

ANDOR CREATOR TONY GILROY REFLECTS ON THE END OF A TRIUMPHANT JOURNEY

The Ultimate Empire Quiz

DENZEL WASHINGTON

WIN!

LIMITED-EDITION HAMMER SCI-FI

Before Sunset

THE ‘JUST IN TIME’ SCENE