Film Stories with Simon Brew

Film Stories with Simon Brew

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!

Episodes

In conversation with director Alicia MacDonald - Finding Emily, Mike Leigh, short films, romantic comedies, Kickstarter

May 24, 2026 • 52 mins
Alicia MacDonald first feature film as director, Finding Emily, turns out to be a Working Title-backed romantic comedy, the kind that used to fill British cinema charts. Albeit with a twist! In this Film Stories special, she talks to Simon Brew about launching her first feature, the years on her way up when she found herself alongside Mike Leigh, and in a room while Alan Rickman watched her type. Plus a whole lot more... Finding ...
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In conversation with Thea Sharrock - Ladies First, Wicked Little Letters, The Beautiful Game, posh chairs

May 20, 2026 • 49 mins
Director Thea Sharrock is the guest for this special edition of the Film Stories podcast. She joins Simon to chat about her new film, Ladies First, which stars Rosamund Pike and Sacha Baron Cohen. Plus! There's time too for conversation about Wicked Little Letters, The One And Only Ivan, directing Equus on Broadway, and the state of the chairs in the posh London hotel she happens to be sitting in. If you like this podcast, you ca...
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Hook, and how it became the Steven Spielberg film that Steven Spielberg doesn't like

May 18, 2026 • 64 mins
Steven Spielberg's 1991 movie Hook was supposed to be his perfect project. The director compared to Peter Pan, making the story of Peter Pan never growing up? What could go wrong? Well, plenty. In this episode of Film Stories, Simon Brew charts the tale of how Spielberg lost control of Hook's production, how it became tied up with a major Hollywood acquistion, and why unexpected competition in the winter of 1991 didn't help its ca...
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Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003), and one hell of a challenge to secure the Terminator rights

May 11, 2026 • 61 mins
After 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day, James Cameron's interest in making a third Terminator movie seemed to wane. However, that didn't stop others trying to take things forward. And whilst Arnold Schwarzenegger would, for many years, insist that he'd only make T3 with Cameron, a string of underwhelming box office performers started to have an impact for Arnie. That said, just securing the rights to Terminator caused no end of ...
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Contact (1997) and how it nearly fell apart, plus David Frankel on The Devil Wears Prada 2

May 4, 2026 • 83 mins
Robert Zemeckis' 1997 film of Carl Sagan's Contact is a remarkably grown-up science fiction movie for a summer blockbuster. Starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey, it took nearly 20 years to bring the story to the screen - and along the way, Mad Max director George Miller was hired and fired too. It's quite a story, told by Simon Brew in this latest episode. Plus! Oscar-winning filmmaker David Frankel chats to James about ...
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Cape Fear (1991), and when Martin Scorsese read it three times and hated it

April 28, 2026 • 47 mins
It's pretty well known that originally, Steven Spielberg was interested in directing a remake of Cape Fear, and that Martin Scorsese held the rights to what became Schindler's List. That the two then swapped projects. Yet that's just part of the story. In this episode of Film Stories, Simon Brew digs into Scorsese's dislike of the project when he first came to it. Of Robert De Niro's tattoos. Of Nick Nolte not being recognised at ...
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Dick Tracy (1990), along with the strange trick to hold onto its rights

April 20, 2026 • 61 mins
June 1990 saw Disney spend big on a summer movie, at a point when that was the last thing it was inclined to do. But 1990's Dick Tracy - specifically the way it was promoted - was hugely influenced by Warner Bros' success with Batman the year before. Dick Tracy though by that time had already taken around 15 years to come to the screen - and the aftermath of it would lead, bizarrely, to the creation of the film Jerry Maguire. If...
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Wild Wild West (1999), plus how it affected The Matrix and The Iron Giant

April 13, 2026 • 44 mins
The summer of 1999 brought with it some huge successes, and also the combination of Will Smith, Salma Hayek and Kevin Kline in Wild Wild West. Based on the TV show from the 1960s, this became a hugely expensive Warner Bros blockbuster, one that George Clooney saw the problem with and duly dropped out of fairly late in the day. In this episode of Film Stories, Simon digs into the story of the movie, and how Will Smith faced a choic...
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In conversation with Paul Feig - The Housemaid, Bridesmaids at the Oscars, Ghostbusters and more

April 10, 2026 • 62 mins
Paul Feig returns to the Film Stories podcast, to chat with Simon about a whole bunch of stuff. There's The Housemaid - with a clearly marked spoiler! - and The Housemaid 2. There's also Bridesmaids at the Oscars, an attempt get Spy 2 moving, the long-lost idea of a Play-doh movie, and a whole lot more. Bit sweary this one. Please like and subscribe and stuff! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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In conversation with David Mackenzie | Fuze, Relay, Hell Or High Water, Starred Up, AI and more

April 3, 2026 • 50 mins
Director David Mackenzie stops by to chat about his new film, Fuze, in the latest episode of the Film Stories podcast. Ryan Lambie steps in to to chat to David about his work, and films such as Young Adam, Starred Up, the mighty Hell Or High Water (which Mackenzie chats about revisiting recently) and Relay. Plus a whole lot on Fuze, in cinemas now, and his plans for future projects... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
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Judge Dredd (1995), and the long battle to get it made

March 30, 2026 • 60 mins
In 1980, an option was taken out on Judge Dredd with a view of getting a movie of Mega City One's legendary law enforcer to the big screen. In the years that followed, it looked like Tony Scott might direct a film based on 2000AD comics' most famous character, with Arnold Schwarzenegger sniffing around. In the end, 1995 saw a seasoned movie star in Sylvester Stallone and a twentysomething British film director called Danny Cannon ...
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In conversation with Radio Silence - Ready Or Not 2, Sega Dreamcast, Samara Weaving and more

March 27, 2026 • 38 mins
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett work as filmmakers under the collective name of Radio Silence, and they've been out and about promoting their new film, Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come. The poor pair had to suffer a conversation with Simon for their sins, that touched on the new movie, on films such as Abigail and Devil's Due, plus tips of the hat to very expensive chairs and the Sega Dreamcast console... Learn more about your ...
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X-Men (2000), and how it changed superhero cinema

March 23, 2026 • 52 mins
No two ways about it, 2000's X-Men movie was a massive gamble. At a time when studios needed movie star vehicles, 20th Century Fox found itself without a summer blockbuster due to a delay on a Tom Cruise film. It'd already greenlit and backtracked on X-Men once. When the film finally got going? Well, there'd be well-reported behind the scenes problems. A star who wasn't cast until shooting began. And a story that requires a fair ...
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In conversation with Christopher Miller and Phil Lord | Project Hail Mary, Rocky IV, Geostorm 2 and more

March 20, 2026 • 35 mins
In person, Simon got to meet - after years of interviewing them remotely - writers/producers/directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord. Chaos absolutely ensued. In this Film Stories special, they talk about Project Hail Mary, the second best Rocky film, choosing to do a project because it's a good idea for a change, and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Postman (1997) and Wag The Dog (1997) | Two films. The same weekend. Very different reputations

March 16, 2026 • 73 mins
At the end of 1997, Kevin Costner's second film as director - The Postman - made its way into cinemas, at the end of a difficult year for Warner Bros. The $80m, three hour movie would be savaged by critics, and fail to find an audience - but there was quite the story behind the film, before and after. There's quite a story too to Wag The Dog, a movie that could fit into the schedules when a far more expensive project was hit by a ...
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In conversation with Drew Goddard | A very nerdy film chat

March 13, 2026 • 48 mins
Here's a special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, where Simon is joined by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Drew Goddard. Drew was in town to talk about his script for Project Hail Mary. But as you're about to hear, the conversation goes off in a lot of different directions: from directing Bad Times At The El Royale and Cabin In The Woods, to writing The Martian, to, er, Police Academy... Project Hail Mary is in UK cinemas fro...
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Joker (2019) and Cat's Eye (1985) | Two lower budget films, only one grossed a billion

March 9, 2026 • 84 mins
Jared Leto was the reigning Joker. Todd Phillips couldn't get the films he wanted to do off the ground. The DC range of movies was having a whole range of challenges for Warner Bros. And constant changes at the studio were leading to regular challenges of direction. In the midst of this, a relatively slim production, Joker, would have notable ramifications. Similarly slim, Cat's Eye marks the first credited screenplay for a man ca...
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Kevin Costner's Horizon project and where it's up to, plus Andrew Stanton

March 2, 2026 • 71 mins
In the late 1980s, Kevin Costner - pre-Dances With Wolves - first had the idea for what became the Horizon movie saga. A hugely-ambitious series of westerns, that he'd ultimately star in, co-write, and direct. By 2026, two films had been made, only one released, and around ten minutes shot of a third. So what's happened? For the second half of this episode, Simon is joined by director Andrew Stanton, chatting about his new film In...
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Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Maybe Baby (2000) | The never-ending shoot, and Ben Elton's directorial debut

February 23, 2026 • 76 mins
The plan was for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to spend around six months in the UK for the filming of Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick had been mulling the film for decades, and considering a couple of other projects, too. But the shoot of Eyes Wide Shut would ultimately be his final film - and it's end up in the Guinness Book of Records. For Ben Elton, he was keen to pursue making the film Maybe Baby, having enjoyed succ...
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What on earth is film 'testing'? | A podcast special, with Kevin Goetz

February 20, 2026 • 63 mins
The art of movie testing isn't just about researching finished films. It's also testing the very concept of a movie, that can determine both whether it gets made, and what it gets made for. In a special episode of the podcast, a man who you may not have heard of joins Simon. Yet Kevin Goetz has certainly had some impact on the films you watch. His new book - How To Score In Hollywood, written with Bob Levin - digs into this. And i...
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