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Two films with very short titles in this episode, starting with a comedy favourite from the 2010s. Director Paul Feig broke out of movie jail with 2010's Bridesmaids - and he used his freshly-inked deal with 20th Century Fox to get his own take on a James Bond film to the screen. Thing is: how do you persuade studio executives that Jason Statham can be a comedy lead? And, come to think of it, how do you convince Jason Statham? As for 1986's F/X, here was a movie written with television originally in mind, until a producer read it and reckoned there was more to it. Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and even George C Scott were linked. But the final cast would lead to a solid hit - albeit one that led to questions over the film's title. Stories of both in this episode... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, a pair of guests join Simon to talk about the really, really good indie film American Star, and the ecosystem of independent filmmaking. A guessable spoiler for the film is dropped by Ian McShane in the conversation. Director Gonzalo López-Gallego and his star/producer Ian McShane talk about how the film took years to come together, and then was shot in under a month, and edited in under a month. The pair clearly enjoyed working together, and it's a lively chat. The film is out on video on demand and in cinemas now... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Fantastic Four take centre stage on the Film Stories podcast, with a pair of films that each had their demands. The 2015 Fantastic Four was set to reboot the characters on the big screen, and give 20th Century Fox another ongoing superhero franchise. Yet this didn't go to plan at all. Director Josh Trank was hired, and wouldn't get to make the film he wanted. Others were quite happy to point the finger at Trank. Either way, the film would struggle. Yet at least it'd get a release. In 1994, a $1m version of The Fantastic Four was made, with those making it fully expecting a cinema release. Trailers were released, promotions began - but on the eve of the film's world premiere, everything was stopped: and there's a strong theory about just what happened. Stories of both are told in this episode. Our print film magazines are for sale at https://store.filmstories.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this latest episode of Film Stories, we start with sharks. Very big sharks. A story imagined by a young screenwriter's memory of a childhood incident, that he eventually turned into a script. Then that script would go on to become Deep Blue Sea. There were challenges, though: should the tone be Jaws-like? Or Jurassic Park? Or Alien? And then the very late need for more footage to be shot too. In the case of 1984, adapted from George Orwell's novel of the same name, time was a luxury they didn't have. And, for six weeks of shooting, a co-star for John Hurt was missing too. Sean Connery turned the film down, Rod Steiger was rejected. But could they trust Richard Burton? Stories of both films are told in this episode... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Oscar-nominated director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema for a long chat about his work. They talk extensively about Hoyte's work with Christopher Nolan, not least on Oppenheimer. But also, there's a bit of Dunkirk and Interstellar in there. Furthermore, a few words on working on the James Bond movie SPECTRE too. Plus: the chances of working with Tomas Aldredson again. Oppenheimer is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K disc. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neither The King Of Comedy nor I Love Trouble were met with strong box office or enthusiastic reviews on their initial releases - but one has fared a lot better since. 1982's The King Of Comedy would be the last time Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese would unite for many years - and for a long time it was a project that appealed more to De Niro than Scorsese. Still, after a damp initial response, the film's reputation has grown. A lot. Not so with 1994's I Love Trouble, a rare movie star-driven summer film from Disney in the early 1990s. Julia Roberts starred, but didn't sign on the dotted line until he co-star was chosen. That'd be Nick Nolte, and it wouldn't be a particularly successful pairing... Stories of both movies are told in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was there ever a bigger casting furore in the 1990s than when Tom Cruise landed the role of Lestat in Interview With The Vampire? Based on the book by Anne Rice, the author herself was incandescent, taking out advertising the slam the casting. Meanwhile, there were issues over keeping the rights - and problems that could have been avoided had John Travolta - as was once planned - accepted the role in the 1970s! The late Tina Turner meanwhile claimed that - for very good reasons - she never watched the 1993 biopic of her life, What's Love Got To Do With It? She was very involved with it, though, not least approving Angela Bassett for the lead role. The challenge? Bassett got the job just 30 days before the start of filming... Stories of both are told in this episode... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special episode, Simon is joined the writer and director Juan Antonio Bayona for a conversation about his work and his latest film. That movie is the Oscar-nominated (at the time of writing) Society Of The Snow, an extraordinary drama shot over more than 100 days. Bayona talks about his process and the duty of care involved in telling the story, as well as the importance to him of a long shoot. They touch on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Impossible, The Orphanage and A Monster Calls as well... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two individual filmmakers take centre stage in this episode of Film Stories, starting with Quentin Tarantino. For a decade, he was talking in interviews about making a World War II movie called Inglorious Bastards, but he swerved making it for a long time, in favour of the Kill Bill movies and Death Proof. He argued he didn't have writer's block: he just couldn't stop writing it. He changed the title to Inglourious Basterds, set himself a firm deadline, and started shooting just eight months before the film was due to debut at the Cannes Film Festival... In the case of Jim Henson, he had dreams of taking The Muppets to the big screen, and as they were proving to be a sensation on television in the 1970s, he got a handsome budget to do so. The challenge? Production on The Muppet Show was ongoing, and the three month shoot would take The Muppets out of a controlled studio environment for the story for the first time. Stories of both films are told in this episode... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special episode of Film Stories, Simon welcomes Oscar-winning writer and director Alexander Payne to chat, in part, about the newly-released The Holdovers. Yet this is a bit of a different chat, as their conversation not only takes in the film, but also the process of finding the spark for a movie, the process of being interviewed for the release of a feature, and some book recommendations as well. Hope you enjoy the conversation, and The Holdovers is now playing... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time on the Film Stories podcast, its 1985 animated feature The Black Cauldron. A film whose budget more than doubled, that arrived five years later, and nearly broke Walt Disney Animation Studios in the process. Plus, its legacy is such that you won't find it anywhere near a Disney theme park. The story of one of the most remarkable chapters in Disney animation history. Then the second film in this episode is the Oscar-nominated British satirical comedy In The Loop. The directorial debut of Armando Iannucci, it spun out of the TV series The Thick Of It - but the decision was made to not to a straight TV-to-film adaptation. The stories of both of these films are found in this very episode... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a brand new special episode of Film Stories, writer/producer/director David Ayer joins Simon for a chat. It's Ayer's new film The Beekeeper that's their prime focus: an old school action film with some honey in it as well. It's a tonal shift for Ayer, and also a rare film that he's directed but not written himself. As well as talking about that, a few words too on the media ecosystem following David Ayer's Suicide Squad experiences, and he opens up about the films that he's really keen to make next. Quite surprising choices... The Beekeeper lands in UK cinemas on January 12th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.