Film Stories
Film Stories with Simon Brew is a podcast that looks to dig into the stories behind popular movies.From troubled productions, to rights issues, to difficulties with release to films nearly falling apart, the podcast will be looking at the stories that don't always seem apparent when watching a movie! The podcast is hosted by Simon Brew, the founder of Den Of Geek. Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/simonbrew. Thank you!
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Episodes
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The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (1994), plus Jay Roach
Tuesday, 26 August 2025
The late, great Terence Stamp's death at the age of 87 has left behind an incredible body of work, but what a gamble The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert was. He'd never headlined a comedy, he'd never done a musical, he wasn't keen on Australia - and yet he agreed to sign up for a low budget Australian indie that over three decades later, is still awash with stories. The second half of this episode is handed over to director Jay Roach meanwhile, who talks about his new movie, The Roses. The chat also covers bits of Recount, Meet The Parents, the big film he never made, and even...
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In conversation with Chris Columbus: The Thursday Murder Club, Nine Months, Maiden Voyage, The Beatles and more
Friday, 22 August 2025
Returning to the Film Stories podcast is writer/director/producer Chris Columbus, as his new movie - The Thursday Murder Club - arrives in cinemas, with Netflix release due at the end of August 2025. He talks Simon through the movie, and where it was when he came to it. They also chat about Hugh Grant's hair in Nine Months, films he's produced such as Didi and Patti Cake$, and we get a bit of a guided tour of his office, too... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Cruel Intentions (1999), plus Akiva Schafer
Monday, 18 August 2025
Writer/director Roger Kumble had never made a film as he approached the back end of the 1999s, but had two very acclaimed plays under his belt. This, he figures, was his moment, and in under two weeks, he wrote the first draft of what would become Cruel Intentions. And while the project would soon pick up momentum, it still required him to get on his knees and basically beg one of his lead stars to appear in the movie. The second half of this episode is then a chat with filmmaker Akiva Schafer, about the new The Naked Gun movie. He talks tiny details, finding jokes, and the movie's very, v...
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In conversation with Mikael Salomon - The Abyss, Hard Rain, Backdraft, Arachnophobia, and a whole lot more
Friday, 8 August 2025
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon chats to cinematographer and director Mikael Salomon. The pair go through Mikael's extraordinary career, that's taken him from Denmark to Hollywood and back again. And Mikael tells his stories: his early years, how he came to the attention of James Cameron, working on The Abyss, Arachnophobia, Always and more, and then turning to direct (not least with the challenging Hard Rain.) It's a clickbait-free, AI-free conversation, with a filmmaker telling their stories. Please do subscribe and spread the word if you like it! Learn mor...
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In conversation with director Matt Shakman: The Fantastic Four, Dick Tracy, Gremlins 2, writing career-changing letters
Thursday, 24 July 2025
In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by director Matt Shakman. They were chatting at the junket for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is now in cinemas. But this conversation went in lots of different directions. For your eardrums here, we go into Dick Tracy, Gremlins 2, the Star Trek film that never was, and the career-changing letter he wrote when he was young. Quite the chat this, with a movie junket question that struck gold... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988)
Monday, 21 July 2025
The very future of the James Bond movie franchise was resting on The Spy Who Loved Me. Producer Albert R Broccoli was contending with the dissolution of his business partnership, a potential rival film, and an underperforming previous 007 film. Plus, questions about his leading man. And it was a leading man causing conversations when it came to Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach. Where was Steve Guttenberg? Come to think of it, where was Bobcat Goldthwait? And could the enduring franchise survive? The behind the scenes stories of both movies are told in this episode. Please note thi...
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Naked Gun 33 1/3 (1994) and Cast Away (2000)
Monday, 14 July 2025
The behind the scenes stories of two movies, starting with Naked Gun 33 1/3, a movie that saw franchise director David Zucker opt to step back, and thirtysomething Peter Segal make his directorial debut. The problem? There was a comedy to make, and Segal was struggling to get a connection with his leading man, the late Leslie Nielsen. 2000's Cast Away meanwhile would be a movie that contributed to health problems Tom Hanks has put up with since. It made a volleyball famous, and notably, it's a film that took so long to make, that director Robert Zemeckis shot and released another movie ent...
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In conversation with Nick Mohammed
Friday, 11 July 2025
He's currently - at the time of recording - touring the UK with his Mr Swallow show, but Nick Mohammed is also one of the leads in Deep Cover, a really impressive UK film that's riding high on Prime Video. In this Film Stories special, he talks to Simon about his ventures into movies, joining Slow Horses, the impact of Ted Lasso, and his love of magic... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Godfather Part III (1990) and Clueless (1995)
Monday, 7 July 2025
Nearly 500 episodes in, and the Film Stories podcast finally arrives at a Godfather film. Specifically, The Godfather Part III, a fascinating project whose behind the scenes story went on for over a decade. The number of attempts to get the film made climbed into double figures, named such as Sylvester Stallone, Madonna and John Travolta were amongst those linked. But also: writer/director Francis Ford Coppola was not keen to make the movie. Writer/director Amy Heckerling had an opposite problem with Clueless. She was keen to make the story, but for a while, she couldn't get anyone to st...
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In conversation with Ilya Naishuller: Heads Of State, Hardcore Henry, Nobody and more
Friday, 4 July 2025
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, director Ilya Naishuller joins Simon to talk about his new film, Heads Of State. Thing is, they talk about a hell of a lot of other things too before they get there. Nunchuks, sausages, Hardcore Henry, grief, CG on a pint of bitter, Nobody, trying to work a clapperboard... quite a conversation this, with some fruity language included. Heads Of State is now streaming on Prime Video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Aladdin (1992) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze (1991. Includes sausages.
Monday, 30 June 2025
1992's Aladdin is one of Disney's most successful animated films. There have been sequels. There's been a live action remake. A Broadway show. Yet on one point in 1991, a day known during the production as 'Black Friday', things went very wrong. And the creative team had less than 18 months to turn things around. The story of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze (1991) was one of haste, and a shoehorned-in rapper. But in the UK, it's also responsible for one of the British Board Of Film Classification's most bizarre issues: and it's all to do with sausages. Stories of b...
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Saw (2004), plus Domnhall Gleeson and Michael Pearce
Monday, 23 June 2025
James Wan and Leigh Whannell knew they wanted to make a film. They knew they had barely any money. They knew they could afford one room, and a couple of actors. They figured they could keep costs down by chaining the actors up. Made for around $1m in the end, the journey to 2004's Saw was a difficult one. And its behind the scenes story is told in this episode. Plus, actor Domnhall Gleeson and director Michael Pearce then join Simon to talk about the new Apple TV+ thriller, Echo Valley, and more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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In conversation with Alex Garland
Friday, 20 June 2025
In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Alex Garland joins us for a conversation about his latest project, and some of his other work too. That latest work is 28 Years Later, which he's returned to write the script for. He talks through his desire to write something he didn't have to direct, and also, some of the threads of the story. Plus, there's a bit of Warfare and Devs in the conversation too. Ryan Lambie is your interviewer for this one, and 28 Years Later is now playing in cinemas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Tenet (2020), plus a huge interview with Gina Gershon
Monday, 16 June 2025
Christopher Nolan. A filmmaker long linked with James Bond. A man who loves his spy movies. A man who's got to the point where he can make pretty much any film he likes. 2020's Tenet remains arguably his most divisive, but talk of the film is also wrapped up in the lockdown year of 2020, and his split from long-term studio partner Warner Bros. We dig into the story here. Then! Gina Gershon is co-starring with John Travolta again in High Rollers, and she joins Simon for a long chat about the film, her career, and how her cat reviews movies. Quite the conversation, this...! Learn more abou...
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In conversation with Pixar producer Mary Alice Drumm
Friday, 13 June 2025
Chums, talk to producers. They have great stories. For this latest episode of Film Stories, Pixar's Mary Alice Drumm joins me for a long chat about her new film, Elio, and also a long chat about her career. We go from Warner Bros Animation - Quest For Camelot, The Iron Giant! - through to Cinderella II, Curious George and a whole lot more. And then she lands at Pixar, and the story takes further turns. Elio is in UK cinemas on 20th June 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The HD DVD disc format (2006) and Nightcrawler (2014)
Monday, 9 June 2025
In the 1970s and early 1980s, it was VHS vs Betamax. But in the 2000s, with companies keen to build on the success of DVD, a fresh movie format war sparked. In one corner? It was Blu-ray. In the other? HD DVD. The latter was best positioned to emerge victorious - but it all came to a head over a few days at the start of 2008. Dan Gilroy had built up a career as a Hollywood screenwriter, but only moved to directing in his 50s. His low budget project Nightcrawler broke many of the conventions of feature films - and it'd involve shooting in a lot of place, in not very much time... Stories o...
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In conversation with Dean DeBlois
Friday, 6 June 2025
In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by writer/director Dean DeBlois. He's the co-writer and co-director of the original How To Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch films, and after writing and directing the second and third Dragon movies, he's now done the same with the live action remake. Why did he do it? We get into that, as well as live action films that he's come close to making before. Plus, he talks about losing his father, Ireland, and what he's up to next. How To Train Your Dragon is in UK cinemas from 9th June 2025. Learn more about your ad choices....
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Waterworld, including The Ulysses Cut (1995), plus Len Wiseman
Monday, 2 June 2025
The legend of 1995's Waterworld suggests that it was a huge flop and a criticial disaster. The truth? It was neither. But it was one of the toughest Hollywood productions of the 1990s, and its story continued even after the arduous shoot was complete. In this episode, Simon goes through the origins of the film as a low budget idea, right through to the emergence of a longer, alternate cut to the film: The Ulysses Cut. The second half of this episode is given over to Len Wiseman, who talks to Ryan Lambie about Ballerina, a lost moment in an OAP's home, Die Hard, getting fired from ILM, and...
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In conversation with Walter Murch
Friday, 30 May 2025
Multi-Oscar-winning editor, sound designer, writer and editor Walter Murch joins Simon for a very special episode of Film Stories. Walter's just released his latest book, Suddenly Something Clicked, and it's packed full of advice, plus stories from his extensive career. In this long chat, the pair talk about the Droid Olympics, The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola nearly poisoning him (!), and an unusual project with Mike Leigh. There's a lot more too... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), plus Michael Cera
Monday, 26 May 2025
The summer of 1989 gave Warner Bros an enormous box office hit with Batman - but not far behind it came Lethal Weapon 2, a sequel turned around in a couple of years, and bringing back most of the key creatives. Not writer Shane Black, though. His much darker idea for the sequel would be rejected, and the tone would duly shift. Plus, we'd get a lot more Joe Pesci as a result. In the second half of this episode, Michael Cera joins us for a chat. There's his work on Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme for a start, but also, some of the lower-profile independent films he's made, and his own...
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In conversation with Mia Threapleton - The Phoenician Scheme, dyslexia, Tesco ClubCard
Friday, 23 May 2025
Mia Threapleton, in her teens, was obsessed with Moonrise Kingdom, and wanted to work with Wes Anderson. Fast forward to now, and she's the standout of his new film, The Pheonician Scheme. In this long interview, she talks about working with Wes, about how dyslexia affects how she processes a script, and why she keeps being stuck on trains when she gets important phone calls. The Phoenician Scheme is in cinemas now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) and Pixar's Newt (abandoned)
Monday, 19 May 2025
The future of the Mission: Impossible movies was up in the air after the third film, with Paramount Pictures and Tom Cruise parting ways. It took some bridge building to get a fourth movie going, and even then, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol would bring with it changes. Plus, a contingency plan to replace Tom Cruise as the figurehead of the franchise going forward... Pixar meanwhile, around the same time, was working on an animated movie called Newt, that to this day remains the only time it announced a film, and then abandoned it. Both stories are told in this episode... Learn mo...
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In conversation with Bobcat Goldthwait | God Bless America, Robin Williams, cat biscuits, odd Amazon reviews and more
Friday, 16 May 2025
In a very special episode of Film Stories, Simon is joined by writer, director, actor and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, for a conversation about his film career. In the wide-ranging chat, taking place as God Bless America arrives on the Studiocanal Presents streaming channel in the UK, Bobcat tells us about his approach, The Muppets, and why he writes reviews of cat biscuits on Amazon... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jurassic Park (1993) and Booksmart (2019)
Monday, 12 May 2025
The behind the scenes stories of two films some time in the making come together in this episode, starting with 1993's Jurassic Park. A film made at a point when Steven Spielberg's box office touch was being questioned. A movie that, had a battle for the rights gone the other way, could have been made by one of Tim Burton, Joe Dante or Richard Donner. As it was, Universal and Spielberg made the movie, and the Arnold Schwarzenegger-headlined Last Action Hero was set to go head-to-head with it. 2019's Booksmart meanwhile took ten years to get made, even though its budget was well under $10...
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In conversation with Martin Campbell - Cleaner, Zorro, No Escape, GoldenEye, James Bond and more
Monday, 5 May 2025
Director Martin Campbell is guest of honour in the latest episode of Film Stories. He's just directed his new film, Cleaner, starring Daisy Ridley, and he talks Simon through that, as well as the challenges of independent filmmaking. Plus! The pair talk about some of Campbell's other directorial work, including Casino Royale, The Mask Of Zorro, No Escape, GoldenEye, Vertical Limit, and some of the other fruitier films on his early CV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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In conversation with Geraldine Viswanathan: Blockers, Thunderbolts, guinea pigs and more
Thursday, 1 May 2025
In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by actor Geraldine Viswanathan for a conversation about her most recent work, and her body of work. That most recent film? Thunderbolts, which also happens to feature a guinea pig. That comes up in conversation. Films such as Bad Education and Blockers are also discussed, and how she goes about choosing her films as well. Thunderbolts is in UK cinemas now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Alive (1993)
Monday, 28 April 2025
After a week off for Easter, the Film Stories podcast is back with more behind the scenes movie stories. It's going all gangster this time too, with the tale of how Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels had to scale down from a very expensive film to a very cheap one. And the moment when Tom Cruise lent it a helping hand too. Then it's 1993's Alive, telling a difficult true story on film, and as it turns out, a story that involved around 18 different scripts across a decade or so. The turning point? It might just have been a car bumper sticker! Stories of both are told in this episode... ...
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In conversation with Delroy Lindo
Thursday, 17 April 2025
The release of Sinners in cinemas brings with it a special episode of Film Stories, where Delroy Lindo joins Simon for a chat about the film. They also talk about Delroy's career, his key collaborations, his approach to his work and more. Along with Sinners, you get bits of Malcolm X, Da 5 Bloods, Ransom and Congo in the conversation. Delroy Lindo proves to be quite the interviewee... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Threads (1984) and Murder On The Orient Express (2017)
Monday, 14 April 2025
It's a film made for TV that takes the spotlight in this episode of Film Stories, as 1984's terrifying post-apocalyptic Threads moves into the limelight. A film made on a very tight budget, and shot in under three weeks, it was nearly derailed entirely by an American TV production around the same time. And when it did get made and was screened? Well, traffic wardens have never looked so chilling. 20th Century Fox meanwhile had plans for a remake of Agatha Christie's Murder On The Orient Express.. When Kenneth Branagh joined, he not only had a decision about facial hair to make, but there w...
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In conversation with director Patricia Riggen | G20, Jack Ryan, cemeteries with Guillermo del Toro
Thursday, 10 April 2025
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by filmmaker Patricia Riggen, the director of the brand new action film G20. She talks about making the film, her collaboration with Viola Davis, and the problems she still faces on a movie set. They also dig back into her film story, from her earlier career, to cemetery exploring for Guillermo del Toro, and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Now and Next
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Global Warmup with Judge Jules1:00am - 3:00am
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Sister Bliss in Session3:00am - 4:00am
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Future Disco - Carly Foxx4:00am - 5:00am
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WCR Jukebox5:00am - 6:00am