DISPATCHES

TEAM EMPIRE ON A FEW OF OUR HIGH POINTS THIS MONTH

COMMENT

LETTER OF THE MONTH A CROSS WORD I

THE BIG QUESTION

THIS MONTH WE ASKED: WHICH MUSIC ACT SHOULD GET THE BIOPIC TREATMENT NEXT?

PREVIOUSLY, IN EMPIRE...

THE ORIGINAL GLADIATOR COVER STORY JUNE 2000

The cub who would be king

MUFASA: THE LION KING

The battle to restore etiquette to the cinema

IN A WORLD WHERE TANTRUMS AND TIKTOK THREATEN THE FILM LOVER, STAFF ON THE GROUND ARE FIGHTING BACK

THE PIPELINE

EIGHT PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Joe Locke

THE AGATHA ALL ALONG S TA R ON CASTING A SPELL OVER THE SMALL SCREEN

HOW TO MAKE A #METOO SHOCKER

NOÉMIE MERLANT ON CREATING TOPICAL, HYPER-VIOLENT HORROR-COMEDY THE BALCONETTES

Why a movie master chose a small-screen mystery

ALFONSO CUARÓN LEAPS INTO TV WITH DECEPTIVE SERIES DISCLAIMER

NEED TO KNOW

GET UP TO SPEED ON... SKIBIDI TOILET

Marvel gets Doom scrolling

FOUR EMPIRE STAFFERS DEBATE ROBERT DOWNEY JR’ S STARTLING RETURN TO THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Everyone Assemble

TEAM DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE ON RECRUITING THEIR ALL-STAR LEGACY CAST

STORMS COMING!

THE FANTASTIC FOUR’ S COMIC-CON DEBUT CAME WITH A TANTALISING TASTE OF THINGS TO COME

The making of a super-friendship

A NEW CHRISTOPHER REEVE DOCUMENTARY CHARTS THE UNIQUE BOND BETWEEN THE ACTOR AND ROBIN WILLIAMS

THE MONTHLY MIXTAPE

EMPIRE MIXMASTER AMON WARMANN SELECTS THIS MONTH'S ESSENTIAL TUNES

GIOVANNI RIBISI SHOOTS FOR THE MOON

WITH STRANGE DARLING, A CHARACTER ACTOR TURNS CINEMATOGRAPHER

The heat was on

THIS SUMMER WAS A TUMULTUOUS ONE. WE TAKE STOCK OF HOLLYWOOD’S TRIUMPHS AND TROUBLES

“The trailers I remember most fondly are the ones that tantalise”

NICK DE SEMLYEN ON THE FADING ART OF MAKING MOVIE PREVIEWS THRILLING

Meet the Clown Prince of Grime

THE TERRIFIER FRANCHISE’S BREAKOUT STAR ON BECOMING A PUKE-INDUCING POP-CULTURE ICON

THE FELINE FILM FESTIVAL THAT WON’T QUIT

HOW CATVIDEOFEST BECAME THE HOTTEST TICKET TO THE MOVIES

ON OUR MINDS

DAFT MUSINGS FROM THE WARPED MINDS OF TEAM EMPIRE

How Adam Pearson stole the show

IN A DIFFERENT MAN, THE ACTOR OVERCOMES HIS FEARS AND EARNS AWARDS BUZZ

THE QUEEN OF THE GALAXY RETURNS

WITH SYDNEY SWEENEY'S BARBARELLA REMAKE UNDERWAY, WE CHART THE KITSCH SPACE ADVENTURER'S HISTORY

JAMES McAVOY IS… PADDY

THE ACTOR PLAYS A SINISTER HUSBAND AND FATHER IN HORROR REMAKE SPEAK NO EVIL

WELCOME TO THE WAR ROOM

NEW POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY WAR GAME SIMULATES A DEVASTATING COUP IN THE US, TO CHILLING EFFECT

HOST HUNT 2025

WITH JIMMY KIMMEL OUT, THE OSCARS NEEDS A NEW PRESENTER. WE WEIGH UP SOME OPTIONS WORDS JOHN NUGENT

Brian Tyree Henry

THE TRANSFORMERS ONE STAR GETS GNOMIC FOR OUR DAIRY QUESTIONNAIRE

THE SUBSTANCE

BEAUTY GETS BEASTLY IN THIS BODY HORROR

SING SING

COOL HAND COLMAN

BORDERLANDS

WE ARE NOT GROOT

JACKPOT!

★★★ OUT NOW (PRIME VIDEO) / CERT TBC

FIREBRAND

★★ OUT 6 SEPTEMBER / CERT 15 /

STARVE ACRE

STRANGE THINGS HAPPEN WHEN A TIME LORD AND AN ELF GET TOGETHER

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

MARVEL GOES R-RATED (FUCK YEAH)

THE INSTIGATORS

THESE BOYS AREN’T WICKED SMART

BLINK TWICE

ZOË KRAVITZ’S EYES ARE WIDE OPEN

IT ENDS WITH US

★★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 130

DUCHESS

★★ OUT NOW / CERT 15 / 114

ALIEN: ROMULUS

THIS SEQUEL WAS MOSTLY FILMED AT NIGHT. MOSTLY

THE DE PALMA DECADE

TEN YEARS IN THE LIFE OF BRIAN

I LOVE ROMCOMS & I AM A FEMINIST

★★★★ This “manifesto in 100 rom-coms” skilfully argues

TOTAL RECALL

★★★ Time to get your ass back to

CUISINE ON SCREEN

★★★★ Film-themed recipe books generally feel like gimmicky

BAD MONKEY

VINCE VAUGHN: FOOD INSPECTOR

DUSTBORN

A GAME WHERE WORDS ARE ALMOST AS MIGHTY AS THE SWORD

DUNGEONS OF HINTERBERG

★★★★ PC, XBOX SERIES X|S Burnt-out lawyer Luisa

BŌ: PATH OF THE TEAL LOTUS

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

THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE HERE!

★★★★★ PC, PS4, PS5, NINTENDO SWITCH The only

TRAP

THE (M.) NIGHT OF THE HUNTER

SLOW HORSES: SEASON 4

THE RETURN OF MI5’S LEAST FINEST

also out

HEAD TO EMPIREONLINE.COM TO READ THESE REVIEWS IN FULL

Unleash Hell

THINK THE ORIGINAL WAS WILD? YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET, SAYS RIDLEY SCOTT, BACK IN THE COLOSSEUM FOR Gladiator II . AS HE AND THE CAST TELL US, THE LONG-AWAITED SEQUEL TAKES NO PRISONERS. READY TO BE ENTERTAINED?

The Fighter

PAUL MESCAL IS LUCIUS

The Schemer

DENZEL WASHINGTON IS MACRINUS

ALL THAT GLITTERS

UNDER THE SPARKLING LIGHTS OF STRIP CLUBS AND SHOPPING MALLS, SEX-WORK DRAMA ANORA HAS MUCH TO SAY ABOUT MONEY AND POWER. YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A CINDERELLA STORY QUITE LIKE THIS…

BUILDING THE FUTURE

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA HAS WANTED TO MAKE MEGALOPOLIS, ABOUT A MAN CONSTRUCTING AN URBAN UTOPIA, FOR ALMOST HALF A CENTURY. AS IT FINALLY ARRIVES, HE TELLS US HOW HE MADE HIS OWN DREAM COME TRUE

UNDER DEVELOPMENT

SOME OTHER EPICS THAT SURVIVED GESTATION HELL

MAKING TIME

REINCARNATION COMEDY-DRAMA TIMESTALKER IS A CENTURIES-SPANNING, GENRE-HOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA. WE ASKED FILMMAKER ALICE LOWE TO WRITE ABOUT WHERE IT CAME FROM — AND HOW THE HELL SHE DID IT

RIDE OR DIE

WITH NOCTURNAL THRILLER COLLATERAL, EX-TAXI DRIVER MICHAEL MANN GOT BACK IN THE CAB AND, IN SILVER-HAIRED HITMAN VINCENT, PRESENTED A TOM CRUISE WE’D NEVER SEEN BEFORE. TWENTY YEARS ON, THE DIRECTOR REFLECTS ON A SUBVERSIVE CLASSIC

JOE MARTIN

IN OUR REGULAR SERIES, WE EXPLORE A SLICE OF CINEMA LORE

GO FIGURE

8 Years spent in the circus 3 Escape

The Liman Identity

A FRESH LOOK AT HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Monty Python’s Life Of Brian

HOW ERIC IDLE LOOKED ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

JEFF NICHOLS & DANIEL SCHEINERT

SASQUATCH SUNSET CO-DIRECTOR NATHAN ZELLNER ON GETTING USEFUL FEEDBACK

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

DIRECTOR MARK MOLLOY ON THE EDDIE MURPHY FOURQUEL

TALES FROM KIM'S CRYPT

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

After birth

THE FIRST OMEN DIRECTOR ARKASHA STEVENSON ON MAKING HER MARK WITH THE HORROR PREQUEL

The Mad Max Saga

FOUR EMPIRE WRITERS ENTER. ONE MOVIE LEAVES. WITNESS THEM

Marathon Man

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

PICKS OF THE MONTH

1 HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (OUT NOW, BR/DIGITAL) This

Joe Pantoliano

THE ACCLAIMED CHARACTER ACTOR ON MUSHROOMS AND NOSE JOBS

The Ultimate Empire Quiz

EVERY MONTH, WE WILL TEST YOUR MOVIE KNOWLEDGE. ARE YOU READY?

WIN

THREE CRITERION TITLES

Female Trouble

THE ELECTRIC CHAIR