DISPATCHS

OLLY RICHARDS TALKED INFECTED WITH THE 28 YEARS

LETTER OPF THE MONTH

DON’T YANK THE RANK As a longterm reader

THE BIG QUESTIONS

THIS MONTH WE ASKED: WHAT MOVIE-BASED NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION DO YOU HAVE FOR 2025?

PREVIOUSLY IN EMPIRE

28 DAYS LATER FEATURE NOVEMBER 2002 28 Years Later

EMPIRE COMMENT

ON THE KARATE KID: LEGEND S TRAILER: Karate Kid: Into The No Way Home To Your Dojo-Verse.

TALES FROM KIM'S CRYPTTALES FROM KIM'S CRYPT

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

CRYPT KEEPERS

KIM'S PICK OF THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL

The Sound Of Music

HOW THOSE HILLS CAME ALIVE

MARC WOOTTON

THAT CHRISTMAS DIRECTOR SIMON OTTO ON HOW HE LOST SOME OF HIS VOICE CAST t: ton.

Colm Meaney

THE PROLIFIC IRISH ACTOR ON THE IMAGES OF HIS CAREER

WELCOME

I DON’T KNOW about you, but I wasn’t

Ready to go back?

WE’VE LEARNED THE WAY OF WATER. NOW, JAMES CAMERON IS TURNING UP THE HEAT WITH AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

It’s the end of the world and they know it

CHRISTOPHER McQUARRIE INTRODUCES THE NEW TEAM AT THE HEART OF MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — THE FINAL RECKONING

NEED TO KNOW

GET UP TO SPEED ON… MOTHER MARY

Hollywood gets the faith

EMPIRE INVESTIGATES WHY CHRISTIAN CINEMA IS ON THE RISE

An insider’s guide to Tinseltown

IN NEW SERIES THE STUDIO , SETH ROGEN DELVES INTO THE CHAOTIC WORLD OF MOVIEMAKING

CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S MOST EPIC EPIC YET

IN SURPRISE NEWS, THE FILMMAKER IS TAKING ON THE ODYSSEY — YET THE MATERIAL IS BAKED INTO HIS DNA

The Spotlight

Geraldine Viswanathan

BATTLE OF THE SAFDIES

WITH THEIR FIRST SOLO DIRECTORIAL VENTURES INCOMING, A BROTHERLY SHOWDOWN AWAITS. WHO WILL EMERGE TRIUMPHANT?

On A Role

JOHN MAGARO AS GEOFFREY MASON

THE RECORDBREAKING ACTOR TAKING BIG SWINGS

MART SANDER ON PLAYING 48 CHARACTERS IN HIS ANTHOLOGY, DR. SANDER’S SLEEP CURE

THE REIGN OF ROTTA

JABBA THE HUTT’S S PAW N IS HAVING A BIG-SCREEN RENAISSANCE. BUT WHAT ’S HIS DEAL?

What does Trump’s return mean for cinema?

EMPIRE INVESTIGATES HOW THE PRESIDENT-ELECT COULD IMPACT THE FUTURE OF FILMMAKING DURING HIS SECOND TERM

THE MONTHLY ΜΙΧΤΑΡΕ

EMPIRE MIXMASTER AMON WARMANN SELECTS THIS MONTH'S ESSENTIAL TUNES

FROM HARD-HITTING DOCS TO JAZZ HANDS

JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER MAKES HIS FICTION DEBUT WITH MESSAGE-PACKING MUSICAL THE END

The TV show handling the truth

ERIC NEWMAN ON ZERO DAY , HIS ROBERT DE NIRO-FRONTED SERIES ABOUT POWER, POLITICS AND PERCEPTION

“LISTENING TO MYSELF IS THE HEART OF THIS FILM”

WALTER SALLES WRITES FOR EMPIRE ABOUT THE JOURNEY THAT LED TO I’M STILL HERE , BRAZIL’S ACADEMY AWARDS SUBMISSION

ON OUR MINDS

DAFT MUSINGS FROM THE WARPED MINDS OF TEAM EMPIRE

Finding love in a hopeless place

SCOTT DERRICKSON ON MAKING THE GORGE , A VALENTINE’S DAY MOVIE LIKE NO OTHER

“ The monsters are here. And not a moment too soon”

ALEX GODFREY ON THE STRANGE COMFORT OF BIG-SCREEN BEASTS IN THESE TRYING TIMES

How Much Is A Pint Of Milk?

Lucy Liu

THE BRUTALIST

A NEW AMERICAN EPIC, ETCHED IN CONCRETE

HERE

ROBERT ZEMECKIS GOES BACK TO THE PAST

UNSTOPPABLE

★★★ OUT NOW (PRIME VIDEO) / CERT 12A

SEPTEMBER 5

★★★★ OUT 7 FEBRUARY / CERT 15 /

SECRET LEVEL

THE VIDEO-GAME ANTHOLOGY MADE UP ENTIRELY OF NPCs

SATURDAY NIGHT

LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT’S…

KRAVEN THE HUNTER

A FILM WHICH LEAVES US KRAVIN’ BETTER-QUALITY SUPERHERO MOVIES

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3

THIRD TIME AROUND FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS

EMMANUELLE

★★ OUT 17 JANUARY / CERT 18 /

DREAM PRODUCTIONS

★★★★ OUT NOW (DISNEY+) / EPISODES VIEWED 4

HARD TRUTHS

MIKE LEIGH’S HERO IS NOT SO HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

THE WALL OF LIFE

SHIRLEY MACLAINE GOES ON A SHOWBIZ JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

CLEANIN’ UP THE TOWN: REMEMBERING GHOSTBUSTERS

★★★ AUTHORS ANTHONY AND CLAIRE BUENO This

THE WORLDS OF GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

★★★★ AUTHOR TOM HUDDLESTON This well-written tome

50 HORROR MASTERPIECES

Imago ★★ AUTHOR EFTYCHIA TURNBULL There’s

SQUID GAME: SEASON 2

NETFLIX’S DYSTOPIAN MEGA-HIT IS BACK FOR MORE DEADLY SATIRE

INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLE

THIS VIDEO GAME BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!

BATMAN: ARKHAM SHADOW

★★★★ META QUEST This VR instalment in

MARVEL RIVALS

★★★ PC, PS5, XBOX SERIES X|S A

FANTASIAN NEO DIMENSION

★★★★ PC, PS4, PS5, NINTENDO SWITCH, XBOX SERIES

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET IS BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

MUFASA : THE LION KING

A FILM THAT IS CONNECTED IN THE GREAT CIRCLE OF FRANCHISES

PRESENCE

STEVEN SODERBERGH’S RETIREMENT CONTINUES APACE

Also out

CARRY-ON ★★★★ FILM “ Die Hard

RAGING BACK

THE ORIGINAL FILM SCARED THE LIFE OUT OF US ALL — AND KICK-STARTED A WHOLE NEW WAVE OF SKIN-ROTTING HORROR. NOW, WITH 28 YEARS L ATER , DIRECTOR DANNY BOYLE AND WRITER ALEX GARLAND HAVE RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE. FANCY A BITE?

GOING VIRAL

HOW THE 28 YEARS LATER TEASER TRAILER INFECTED THE INTERNET

THE ENGINEERS

THROUGH THE MCU AND BEYOND, DIRECTORS JOE AND ANTHONY RUSSO , ALONGSIDE SCREENWRITERS CHRISTOPHER MARKUS AND STEPHEN McFEELY , HAVE MADE FOR ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL CREATIVE TEAMS IN HOLLYWOOD. WITH THEIR SPRAWLING ROBOT EPIC THE ELECTRIC STATE ON THE WAY, WE GET THEM ALL TOGETHER TO TALK THE NUTS, THE BOLTS AND THE SHOUTING MATCHES

Beyond the Lights

IN THE LAST SHOWGIRL , PAMELA ANDERSON GETS THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME AS A VEGAS DANCER TRYING TO SURVIVE THE END OF AN ERA. WE SPEAK TO HER AND DIRECTOR GIA COPPOLA ABOUT SECOND CHANCES… AND THE REALITY OF THE RAZZLE-DAZZLE

BACK IN ACTION

IT’S THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE DECADE — A FORMER CHILD STAR BACK ON TOP, AFTER YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS. WITH AN OSCAR UNDER HIS BELT AND HIS FIRST HOLLYWOOD LEAD ROLE INCOMING, IT’S TIME FOR KE HUY QUAN TO REALLY FLEX HIS MUSCLES

APE FEAR

HAVING FREAKED US THE HELL OUT WITH THE TERRIFYING LONGLEGS , DIRECTOR OSGOOD PERKINS IS BACK WITH SOMETHING MORE, WELL, PRIMAL. WE GO BANANAS AS HE AND HIS CAST BANG THE DRUM FOR HORROR COMEDY THE MONKEY

FRIGHTS-“R”-US

SALUTING CINEMA’S CREEPIEST PLAYTHINGS

LIVE WIRES

JAS ON REITMAN’S SATURDAY NIGHT CHRONICLES THE CHAOTIC 90 MINUTES LEADING WE CORRALLED THE CAST PLAYING THE CAST, FOR A SUITABLY ANARCHIC SUMMIT UP TO THE BROADCAST OF 1975’S FIRST-EVER SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

CHAOS MERCHANT

IN THE 1970s , HAVING UNLEASHED THE FIRST-EVER X-RATED CARTOON MOVIE WITH FRITZ THE CAT , RALPH BAKSHI TOOK ON TOLKIEN. PIONEERING AND PROVOCATIVE IN EQUAL MEASURE, ANIMATION’S BIGGEST MAVERICK TALKS EMPIRE THROUGH HIS UNCOMPROMISING CAREER

Alien Resurrector

DIRECTOR FEDE ALVAREZ ON REVIVING THE ALIEN FRANCHISE WITH ALIEN: ROMULUS

Tampopo

JUZO ITAMI’S FEAST FOR YOUR EYES

PICKS OF THE MONTH

1 JUROR #2 (OUT NOW, BR/DIGITAL) The

The Piano Lesson

DIRECTOR MALCOLM WASHINGTON ON PLAYING ALL THE RIGHT NOTES FOR HIS AUGUST WILSON ADAPTATION

OUR CRITICS

CHRIS HEWITT Big fan of McFly. Less keen

The movies of 1985

ONE YEAR. FOUR EMPIRE WRITERS. HUNDREDS OF OPTIONS. ONE DELOREAN REQUIRED?

Doublespeak

DIRECTORS CHRISTIAN TAFDRUP AND JAMES WATKINS TALK TO EMPIRE ABOUT THEIR VERSIONS OF BRUTAL HORROR SPEAK NO EVIL

The Ultimate Empire Quiz

THIS MONTH

PROP REPLICAS FROM WICKED

SO HOW MANY times have you seen Wicked

Unforgiven

THE SALOON SHOWDOWN