Advertise on podcast: Film Stories with Simon Brew

In a huge episode of Film Stories, Simon digs into the story of Daniel Craig's second adventure as James Bond, Quantum Of Solace. Originally set to come out just 18 months or so after 2006's Casino Royale, the speedy turnaround saw one director leave, a writer's strike curtail the script. Daniel Craig picking up a pen, and a handful of weeks to turn around a final cut. Then, for the second part of this episode, indie director Brenda Lee chats about her new film, Fortune Cookies, and how she turned down the idea of getting it sent to Ang Lee to make it herself... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter M Hoffman has had a very, very storied career. From working with Alexander Salkind on the original Superman movies, through to Cannon Films and Carolco, it was his tax specialism that saw him rise to prominence in Hollywood. But his story took one hell of a turn, as he discusses in this special episode of Film Stories, and in his new book, Karmic Winds: Reflections From The 'Smartest Guy In Hollywood'... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The road to The Inbetweeners Movie was a fairly swift one. Even while the hit British TV comedy was bringing in big ratings for E4, its creators - Iain Morris and Damon Beesley - were filing away ideas for an eventual movie. When the opportunity came, time was not on its side: filming had to begun just six months before The Inbetweeners Movie was due in cinemas. It turns out too that if you're looking to shoot a movie set in the middle of summer, March isn't necessarily the best time to do it. Simon Brew tells the story... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special episode of Film Stories, Simon Brew turns to his attentention to the Apple TV show Slow Horses, which has just returned for its sixth season. The man directing season 6, as he did season 4, is Adam Randall. He chats to Simon about landing the Slow Horses job, making the first film for Netflix UK many years ago, the IMDB movie with Miles Teller that he's linked with but has never heard of, and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Cameron knew as he pitched Titanic to 20th Century Fox that it wasn't likely to be as commercial a film as the one he'd just done, True Lies. The budget was set to be lower, the release date was initially set for just a year after the start of filming, and there was to be no song. What happened changed his career and many others. From the unhappy crew member drugging the food table, to press reports of a production out of control, Simon Brew digs into the extraordinary story behind one of the biggest movies of all time... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two different creatives share their film stories in this special episode of the podcast! First up, Oscar-winner Susanne Bier talked to Simon the day after the Practical Magic 2 premiere in London. The pair natter about the the film, about the set build, and what Susanne is up to next. And then producer Ken Petrie joins, a man who's had an unusual journey to film producing. Just how do you get from doing the pytotechnics at a Katherine Jenkins Christmas show, to producing the acclaimed indie comedy Sunny Dancer? You'll hear both conversations in this episode... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1989's Parenthood started life on a long haul flight. Director Ron Howard would tell of how 'testing' it was to do such a journey with kids in tow, and soon, he realised there was a film in it. But it'd be a movie where he, producer Brian Grazer, and writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, would end up mining their personal lives. Plus, it was going to need one hell of an ensemble cast. For the second part of this episode, Simon is joined by Robert Carlyle, who has just directed for the third time. Fittingly, it's a short film called three, and Robert talks about why he made it, how it differered from his other directing film, plus the importance of putting the bins out... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In UK cinemas now is the third film from writer/director Michael Sarnoski, The Death Of Robin Hood. Headlined by Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, it's a hugely ambitious independent movie, with a very different spin on a well-known character. Sarnoski joined Simon Brew for a Film Stories special, chatting about the movie, about filming in Northern Ireland, about the weather, and about shooting on film. Plus, the pair talking about working with Nicolas Cage on Pig, an assortment of videogames, Sarnoski's upcoming Death Stranding movie, and the deadly nature of Split Fiction... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure already playing in cinemas, plans moved quickly for a sequel. Originally entitled Bill & Ted Go To Hell, the movie that became Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey survived the financial problems of the studio behind it, and brought in a first-time director, with a really tight schedule to turn the film around. In the first part of this episode, Simon tells the story of the film. In the second, he's joined by two of its stars, Alex Winter and William Sadler, to put their side of things. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey has just made its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut in the UK, courtesy of Arrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1994's Speed may now be regarded as an action classic, but the original idea was a bus that didn't go above 20mph, in a film called Minimum Speed. Sat for a late summer release in 1994, things changed after a really successful test screening - and Keanu Reeves' haircut! - but it'd gone over a lot of hurdles to get to that point. Plus: where's Speed 3?! In the second half of this episode, director Dave Green joins Simon to chat about the terrific Coyote Vs Acme, a film that very, very nearly didn't exist... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Adam Shankman shot the joyously entertaining Stop! That! Train! in under three weeks, and it arrives in cinemas this very weekend in the UK. In this special Film Stories interview, he talks to Simon Brew about getting the film made, as well as his time producing the Oscars, the short film that got him started, Hairspray, and an upcoming Christmas movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger too... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Bond 007 took a grittier turn with 1989's Licence To Kill, an adventure that was the first and only Bond film very specifically written for Timothy Dalton. It was an attempt to turn Bond grittier, and would mark the end of an era for many involved in the saga. Plus, it would end up doing box office battles with some tougher than expected competition. For the second half of this episode, Simon is talking Dead Man's Shoes with actor Toby Kebbell, for whom it marked his first film apperance. The movie is finally available on Blu-ray for the first time, and Toby is not short of stories about it... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up front, you can find Simon's tour dates at www.filmstories.co.uk/live. Simon Brew has been touring the UK with Film Stories in 2026, and in June 2026, he landed at the lovely Plaza Cinema in Truro. There, for an hour and half, he and Mark Kermode talked movies. And lots of them. In this special recording, you can hear the pair talk about dentistry, John Travola, Event Horizon, The Devils, The Exorcist II, Howard The Duck, Masters Of The Universe and a whole lot more... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian De Palma's 1993 movie Carlito's Way was not a box office success. De Palma managed to predict the critical reaction to the film, reacted to studio notes saying it was too long by making it longer, and had to retool the finale action sequence very late in the day. Even getting it to filming was a challenge - and the option to the source books would be taken out ten different times before Carlito's Way finally made it to production....! The story is told in this episode. Please subscribe, leave nice reviews, and don't annoy Benny Blanco from the Bronx... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Costner gambled hard on making a three hour western, a third of which wasn't in the English language. He turned down roles in The Hunt For Red October and Presumed Innocent to take the risk of making Dances With Wolves. And while history tells it as a masterstroke, in the months leading up to the release, it looked anything but. In this episode, Simon digs into the story of the film, the fact that it was millions short of its modest budget when shooting began... and now, the tale of three different cuts of Dances With Wolves too. If you like this independent podcast, made in a small room in the West Midlands here in the UK, please leave a nice review and subscribe. If you really like it, head over to www.patreon.com/simonbrew too. Thank you so much for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices