This week's episode of the freshly award-losing Empire Podcast sees the podteam lick their wounds after a demoralising defeat in the Best Podcast (Consumer) category at the BSMEs earlier in the week. How do they do this? By talking about movies, of course, as they discuss the week's news (a load of trailers, and a potential new James Cameron movie), reviewing Ballerina: From The World Of John Wick, Dangerous Animals, and Predator: KIller Of Killers. Oh, and they talk about actors who might be able to reprise their iconic animation roles in live-action, while James hits Helen and Chris with a question that shakes them to their very foundations. Oh, and Chris also has lovely chats with Dangerous Animals star Jai Courtney, [25:17 - 40:27 approx] and Ballerina star/all-round legend, Ian McShane, [1:00:03 - 1:14:56 approx] while Harry Stainer makes his pod debut as he talks to How To Train Your Dragon (both animation and live-action) director, Dean DeBlois. [1:38:49 - 1:55:16 approx] Enjoy.

Whether it's Tom Cruise risking his neck underwater, or above ground while clinging to the wing of a biplane, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning is filled with stunts that might just turn your hair white. That's if you don't lose it completely. That's just one of the side effects discussed in this Empire Podcast interview special, as the film's second unit director and stunt co-ordinator, the wonderful Wade Eastwood, sits down on Zoom with Chris Hewitt, and tells us how he, Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie and their team pulled off some of the greatest stunts ever committed to celluloid. This is not a spoiler special, folks, but if you haven't seen the film, maybe best to give this one a swerve and come back when you have. For everyone else, enjoy.

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, James Dyer and Alex Godfrey — get to grips with the definition of in media res, as they discuss some of their favourite films that throw you right into the action. Elsewhere, they talk about the week's movie news, pay tribute to Empire's founding editor Barry McIlheney, who has sadly died at the age of 65, and review The Ballad Of Wallis Island, Karate Kid: Legends, Mountainhead, The Ritual, and The Salt Path. And Chris has a whale of a time talking to this week's guests, Mountainhead writer/director (and Succession creator), Jesse Armstrong, [26:34 - 39:29 approx] and Tom Basden, Tim Key and Carey Mulligan, the stars of the delightful new film, The Ballad Of Wallis Island. [1:01:06 - 1:19:38 approx] Oh, and Alex goes full Rory Bremner too, which is... unexpected. Enjoy.