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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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
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Drive (2011), plus director Christopher Landon on Drop, James Bond, Happy Death Day and more
Monday, 7 April 2025
There was a brief period in time when the movie Drive was set to star Hugh Jackman, and be backed by a Universal Studios budget. But when they fell through, the movie became an lower budget independent, and for the first time, Ryan Gosling was able to hand-pick a director. He made an unusual, yet very successful choice. For the second half of this episode, director Christopher Landon joins Simon to chat about his latest film, Drop. In the course of the conversation, they also end up nattering about Happy Death Day, the James Bond saga, and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choic...
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Batman: The Movie (1966) and Young Adult (2011)
Monday, 31 March 2025
Dinner dinner dinner dinner! Etc. Announced just six months before it landed in cinemas, the much-loved 1966 production Batman: The Movie was a masterclass in moving fast. Shot while the first series of the Batman TV show was still playing, it was written in two weeks, filmed in a month, and premiering in Texas as a result of some help with a boat... Also filmed in a month? Jason Reitman's 2011 feature Young Adult, starring Charlize Theron. Written by Diablo Cody, Reitman was all set to go with a different film until the Young Adult script came in. Even then, he had a key condition to gett...
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The Fisher King (1991) and The Grey (2011)
Monday, 24 March 2025
Two movies here where audiences went in expecting one thing, and might just have got another. 1991's The Fisher King though for a time was going to be a Disney movie, before the studio decided it was too dark. Directors such as Steven Spielberg and James Cameron were mentioned, before Terry Gilliam - coming off the back of a commercial flop - decided to break all three of his conditions for taking on a film. Director Joe Carnahan meanwhile was coming off his big studio movie - The A-Team - when he decided he wanted to pivot to something smaller. He chose The Grey, a film he developed, and ...
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In conversation with Irwin Winkler: Alto Knights, Goodfellas, Rocky, Raging Bull, The Net and more
Thursday, 20 March 2025
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Oscar-winning producer Irwin Winkler, for an hour-long chat about his career. He was in town to talk about his latest film as producer, The Alto Knights. However, the stories take us right to the infancy of his producing career (including Elvis Presley!). Films covered in the chat include Rocky, Rocky IV, Raging Bull, Guilty By Suspicion, The Net, Goodfellas, Busting, Revolution... the list goes on and on. Quite the chat, this. The Alto Knights is now in cinemas. Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/simonbrew Lear...
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Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Are You There God, It's Me Margaret (2023)
Monday, 17 March 2025
It had taken five years for Stanley Kubrick to go from 1975's Barry Lyndon to 1980's The Shining. The gap to Full Metal Jacket would be longer, but it'd mark the first in a three picture deal that Kubrick signed with Warner Bros. A deal that would never be completed. Full Metal Jacket was, though, but the making of it was exhausting and exhaustive. And a disused gasworks was just part of the problem. Much-loved novelist Judy Blume was always reluctant to sell the film rights to her books. It took several decades - and a very special letter - before she'd do so. But the challenge of Are Yo...
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Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), plus The Russo Brothers
Monday, 10 March 2025
For Star Wars spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story, it wasn't supposed to be like this. Infamously, 90 days into photography, parent company Lucasfilm opted for a director change. Out when Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, and in came Ron Howard. And Howard had less than year to retool the movie, and shoot a whole lot of new footage. It remains one of the most infamous Film Stories of the 2010s. For the second half of the episode, Simon is joined by filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, for a long chat about their career, their new film - The Electric State - and a strange film magazine of the 19...
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X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and Scent Of A Woman (1992)
Monday, 3 March 2025
2016 was a turning point in the world of the X-Men movies. After the big success of 2014's X-Men: Days Of Future Past, 20th Century Fox spent big on X-Men: Apocalypse, and big things were expected of it. On the other hand, it had taken a gamble with a different X-Men-related project, Deadpool. Things would not go the way that the studio had originally expected. The story of Scent Of A Woman meanwhile is wrapped up in the push for Al Pacino to finally get an Oscar, after several unsuccessful nominations. Not bad, for a film that originally had Jack Nicholson in line for the lead role... Lea...
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James Bond 26 (unmade, as of 2025) and Long Shot (2019)
Monday, 24 February 2025
The path to the 26th James Bond film is one already filled with quite the story. Unmade at the point this episode is released in 2025, James Bond 26 has looked in limbo since the release of No Time To Die in 2021. There's no new 007, no script, no director...and it's an impasse that's cost $1bn to resolve. More conventionally, Long Shot did actually get made, released in 2019. Still, a romantic comedy with movie stars was going to be a tough sell, and a film whose script popped up on the Black List in 2011 had to take its place in the queue behind the infamous The Interview here. Stories ...
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Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) and Waiting For Guffman (1996)
Monday, 17 February 2025
After the huge success of the original Gremlins, Warner Bros quickly wanted a sequel. The people who'd actually made Gremlins, not least director Joe Dante? The thought of making another was not in the slightest big appealing. Until, many years later, the studio made Dante an offer: if you make Gremlins 2, you can do pretty much whatever you want with it. This is the story of how the ensuing film became one of the most boldest blockbuster sequels of all time. Later in the same decade, Christopher Guest took a small company of actors down to Texas for a month. On a modest budget, he shot o...
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In conversation with Mario and Mandela Van Peebles
Friday, 14 February 2025
Mario Van Peebles was in London in early February along with his son, Mandela. And the pair stopped by for a long chat about their work, their latest film - Outlaw Posse - and a whole lot more. In this chat, topics include Jaws: The Revenge, the role of a producer, Melvin Van Peebles, the hidden names in the end credits of Outlaw Posse, New Jack City and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Knight's Tale (2001) and King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)
Monday, 10 February 2025
Coming off the back of the film Payback, Oscar-winning writer/director Brian Helgeland feared he might be in movie jail. Thus, he got writing, and came up with A Knight's Tale, a film mixing jousting, modern music, Heath Ledger, and a naked Paul Bettany. It took months to shoot in Europe. When it came to the music, David Bowie turned up. And then there's the tale of its sequel that never was. King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword meanwhile was to be the first of six films, as originally pitched. Guy Ritchie came in to direct, and star Charlie Hunnam would admit that the film they started maki...
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September 5 (2024), with co-writer and director Tim Fehlbaum
Friday, 7 February 2025
In an extra episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by director Tim Fehlbaum, as they discuss his new film, the Oscar-nominated September 5. As always, it's a far-ranging conversation, taking in Fehlbaum's earlier work, a name on the end credits of the film, and the attention to detail in making the movie. Plus, a few thoughts on the technical similarities with Saturday Night as well. September 5 is now out in UK cinemas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Zodiac (2007), plus Brady Corbet
Monday, 3 February 2025
The path to 2007's Zodiac started when a then-19-year old managed to take out an option on a best-selling book. Then, a few years later, he inked a deal with Disney to make the movie. Fate took a few turns though, and it was the collapse of an $80m television series that would bring David Fincher to the eventual movie. Some people were expecting a film along the lines of Fincher's Seven though. They did not get it... For the second half of this episode, Oscar-nominated director Brady Corbet then joins the podcast to talk about his film The Brutalist, the challenges of which have been well ...
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In conversation with Nicholas Stoller - You're Cordially Invited, The Five Year Engagement, The Muppets, Captain Underpants, Bros and more
Friday, 31 January 2025
In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon is joined for a long, clickbait-free chat by writer/director Nicholas Stoller. Recorded at the junket for They're Cordially Invited, they explore how that film came together. But also, the conversation covers a whole bunch of other movies. There's Stoller's directing work on the likes of Neighbors/Bad Neighbours, Bros, Get Him To The Greek and The Five Year Engagement. Plus, his writing, on movies such as The Muppets and Captain Underpants. You're Cordially Invited is on Prime Video now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...
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There Will Be Blood (2007), plus Mike Leigh
Monday, 27 January 2025
Acclaimed as one of the finest films of the 2000s, Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood was - at one stage - a movie people weren't keen to pay for. The movie though has an unlikely link to the book Fast Food Nation, and Anderson dropped a different idea to go with it. Then, there was the small matter of the first two weeks of filming having to be pretty much re-done from scratch. The second half of the episode is a career-spanning chat with filmmaker Mike Leigh, that takes in his new movie - Hard Truths, landing in UK cinemas on 31st January 2025 - but also goes back some 60 years...
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In conversation with Barry Sonnenfeld: Coen Brothers, The Addams Family, Get Shorty, books, wearing two watches, a whole lot more
Friday, 24 January 2025
With his brilliant new book - Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time - Barry Sonnenfeld joins Film Stories for a long, funny and candid conversation about his work. The chat covers his director of photograpy days for the Coen Brothers, shooting the last two weeks of Goodfellas, and then moving onto directing. From his debut with The Addams Family, to the challenges of Get Shorty with Gene Hackman and John Travola, and a whole lot more. Quite the chat, this. A little bit of fruity language too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Producers (1967) and Fierce Creatures (1997)
Monday, 20 January 2025
When it comes to making your feature directorial debut, The Producers isn't a bad way to get off the mark! But Mel Brooks' now much-loved comedy faced a bumpy path to the screen, not least the struggle to write it in the first place. That, and the kind of subject matter that Hollywood studios didn't have much desire to go near. Plus, it turned out that the fate of the film owed a bit of a debt to Peter Sellers. After the success of A Fish Called Wanda meanwhile, the question was asked: would John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin and Kevin Kline come back for a sequel? Well, not qui...
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In conversation with Leigh Whannell - Wolf Man, Invisible Man, Upgrade, Police Academy
Friday, 17 January 2025
Joining the Film Stories podcast for a special episode, writer/director Leigh Whannell chats to Simon and Maria about his latest film, Wolf Man. It's had a bit of a journey to the screen, and Whannell explores that in this longform chat. Also: the small release date change that might have proven pivotal to The Invisible Man, the prescience of Upgrade, a segue into Police Academy 3, and his short-lived career as a film critic. Note this episode was recorded just before the passing of David Lynch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Black Adam (2022) and Draft Day (2014)
Monday, 13 January 2025
The plan with the DC Comics character Black Adam was firstly to make him part of the Shazam movie, and then - when Dwayne Johnson signed up for $20m+ plus - to give him his own adventure. Johnson, it seemed, wanted lots of adventures - including a crossover he reportedly lobbied hard for. In the case of 2014's Draft Day, here was a drama where the writing of draft one took a very hurried two weeks. But after initial interest, Paramount Pictures would drop the movie. Things suddenly looked really tricky - until the Black List came along to save the movie... --- Stories of both are told in...
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In conversation with Steven Knight: Maria, Birmingham. Pablo Larrain and boiled eggs
Friday, 10 January 2025
Returning to the Film Stories podcast, writer/producer/director Steven Knight is in writing mode for his latest project, Maria. Directed by Pablo Larrain and written by Knight, in a wide-ranging conversation he discusses the unusual unHollywood relationship between the pair. The chat also covers a rogue Christmas tree, a boiled egg, Birmingham Airport, and strange Google searches too... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Scarface (1983), plus Robert Eggers
Monday, 6 January 2025
With Oliver Stone writing the script, Al Pacino starring and Brian De Palma behind the camera, perhaps it's no wonder that 1983's Scarface has enjoyed a long success. It was met with no shortage of problems during its production though: an unhappy shoot, a change of location, long overruns and the budget soaring. And then Al Pacino had to go to hospital. It's quite the film story. The second half of this episode? Filmmaker Robert Eggers arrives for a long chat about Nosferatu, The Northman, The Witch and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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In conversation with Chris Columbus: Nosferatu, producing, John Hughes, John Williams and more
Friday, 3 January 2025
Chris Columbus and Robert Eggers aren't necessarily names you expect to see side by side, but the pair formed a creative force on the newly-released Nosferatu. In a wide-ranging podcast special, Simon chats at length to Chris Columbus about his producing career primarily, but with films such as Only The Lonely, Home Alone, Stepmom, Bicentennial Man, Reckless and more making an appearance too... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Order (2024), with director Justin Kurzel
Friday, 27 December 2024
In a special episode of Film Stories, it's a guest filmmaker and a guest interviewer! This time, director Justin Kurzel is chatting about his latest movie, The Order, that's now playing in UK cinemas. Plus, there's a bit of chat about Snowtown and Assasin's Creed in there too. Ryan Lambie of Film Stories is asking the questions, after a bit of babble from Simon at the start. And it's just the kind of longform, clickbait-free conversation we love to do... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024), with Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham
Monday, 23 December 2024
The return of Wallace & Gromit to our screens also coincides with a return visit for Nick Park to the Film Stories podcast. He's joined by his co-director too, Merlin Crossingham, as the pair chat about their new film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. The conversation covers timescales, writing, studio notes... and a little bit of clingfilm... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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In conversation with Andrew Davis - Disturbing The Bones, The Fugitive, Holes, Stony Island, Under Siege and more
Friday, 20 December 2024
In a very special episode of Film Stories, Simon is joined by Andrew Davis, perhaps best known for directing films such as The Fugitive, Under Siege, Holes and more. Those movies certainly come up in the extensive conversation between the pair. Davis has also, with Jeff Biggers, written his first novel, Disturbing The Bones, and there's a strong movie link to it as well. And the chat also takes in Stony Island, The Fugitive sequel, Steal Big Steal Little and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) and Juror #2 (2024)
Tuesday, 17 December 2024
In the final regular Film Stories episode of 2024, we start with a 1989 movie that's gone on to become something of a Christmas favourite. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation saw John Hughes writing again, and a first time director in Jeremiah Chechik. The former protected the latter from studio notes, and even a potential lack of snow turned into the opposite problem. Still: what happened to the UK cinema release? Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 remains one of the more curious film stories of 2024. A movie made for a modest sum, that Warner Bros then gave the impression of simply not really...
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In conversation with director J C Chandor: Margin Call, Kraven The Hunter, All Is Lost and more
Friday, 13 December 2024
It took some time for writer/director J C Chandor to break into the movie business. When he did, it was with the mini-budget Margin Call, a film that would snag him an Oscar nomination. Since then, he's brought to the screen All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year, Triple Frontier and now Kraven The Hunter, arguably his highest profile feature to date. In this special episode, he talks through his new film, and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dirty Harry (1971) and Anita And Me (2002)
Monday, 9 December 2024
It's fairly well known that the role of Detective Harry Callahan was originally set to be played by Frank Sinatra, before he had to pull out as production neared. Yet when Clint Eastwood decided to accept, he had several versions of a script to choose from - and decided to put a call into someone he trusted: Don Siegel. The pair would go on to fashion a cinema classic. The journey to 2002's Anita And Me meanwhile began with the publication of Meera Syal's semi-autobiographical novel in 1996. Work began to then turn it into a film - but the challenge of making an independent film in the UK,...
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