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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Sep 28, 2026 · 1:22:10
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…
Sep 25, 2026 · 52:51
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…
Sep 21, 2026 · 46:39
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 -…
Sep 18, 2026 · 33:29
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…
Sep 14, 2026 · 1:06:22
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…
Sep 11, 2026 · 1:00:50
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…
Sep 7, 2026 · 1:11:17
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…
Sep 3, 2026 · 46:08
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…
Sep 1, 2026 · 1:31:48
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…
Aug 24, 2026 · 1:22:10
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…
Aug 21, 2026 · 35:43
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…
Aug 17, 2026 · 1:25:23
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…
Aug 10, 2026 · 1:38:21
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…
Jul 22, 2026 · 59:03
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…
Jul 13, 2026 · 59:39
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…
Jul 7, 2026 · 1:22:20
I hear you, folks! Do more Marvel films? Gotcha! Let's go back to 1986, and Howard The Duck, the stunning-ish George Lucas-produced film of the subversive comic book character.…
Jun 29, 2026 · 1:32:23
2000's Gladiator might be regarded as a classic now, but heck, did it have some bumps on its way to the screen. A script that was a long way from finished. A leading man, er,…
Jun 22, 2026 · 46:30
Just as Tom Cruise embarked on his run of Mission: Impossible and Top Gun sequels, he slipped in one of bolder choices too: an R-rated crime caper, based on a true story.…
Jun 19, 2026 · 53:04
Sam Campbell - he of Taskmaster and Last One Laughing - has made a comedy series about films. In Make That Movie, he and his crew face a filmmaking challenge each episode. All…
Jun 15, 2026 · 53:49
Outside of the very well known rules, there's a whole load of other stuff about 1999's Fight Club. There's the director who turned the book down, freely admitting they didn't get…
Jun 12, 2026 · 56:59
Over 30 years since its original release, Strictly Ballroom - the debut feature from Baz Luhrmann - is back in cinemas with a 4K remaster. In a Film Stories special, Simon chats…
Jun 8, 2026 · 57:56
The original Jurassic Park movie was set to land a few years earlier than it did. Announce in 1990, director Steven Spielberg would move on to making Hook while some of the art…
Jun 1, 2026 · 59:43
The idea wasn't a bad one. With the cost of X-Men movies spiralling, 20th Century Fox was interested in a lower cost, slightly more niche film in the saga. One that could perhaps…
May 24, 2026 · 52:07
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…
May 20, 2026 · 49:32
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…
May 18, 2026 · 1:04:59
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…
May 11, 2026 · 1:01:31
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…
May 4, 2026 · 1:23:53
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…
Apr 28, 2026 · 47:47
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…
Apr 20, 2026 · 1:01:21
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 -…
Apr 13, 2026 · 44:20
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…
Apr 10, 2026 · 1:02:10
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.…
Apr 3, 2026 · 50:36
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,…
Mar 30, 2026 · 1:00:32
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…
Mar 27, 2026 · 38:07
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:…
Mar 23, 2026 · 52:47
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…
Mar 20, 2026 · 35:52
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…
Mar 16, 2026 · 1:13:36
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…
Mar 13, 2026 · 48:00
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…
Mar 9, 2026 · 1:24:33
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…
Mar 2, 2026 · 1:11:37
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…
Feb 23, 2026 · 1:16:41
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…
Feb 20, 2026 · 1:03:27
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…
Feb 16, 2026 · 46:38
It was very different times for Marvel when, in the 1990s, it struck an assortment of deals over screen rights for its characters. For the purposes of this tale, the Incredible…
Feb 9, 2026 · 45:48
Brian De Palma's soaring 1987 crime drama The Untouchables nearly went in some very different directions. Jack Nicholson as Eliot Ness? Bob Hoskins as Al Capone? And what's more,…
Feb 6, 2026 · 49:23
Director Angel Manuel Soto has just brought Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista together on the big screen, in the Prime Video hit THE WRECKING CREW. Growing in Puerto Rico, he was…
Feb 3, 2026 · 1:19:51
Quite the double dose in this episode of Film Stories. Firstly, the story of how Fatal Attraction came from the roots of a short film at the start of the 1980s. How directors…
Jan 30, 2026 · 46:13
Ric Roman Waugh has directed films such as the newly-released Shelter, along with Greenland, Greenland: Migration, Kandahar and more. And in this far-reaching conversation with…
Jan 28, 2026 · 1:14:29
Two very different films in this latest episode of film history podcast Film Stories. Firstly, it's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an infamously difficult production that saw…
Jan 26, 2026 · 1:18:39
One of the more bizarre projects to come out of a Hollywood studio in the late 1960s, Paint Your Wagon felt like a turning point movie. Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood - and…
Jan 16, 2026 · 33:30
She's a comedian, writer, actor and film nerd, and Tiff Stevenson also is a go-to for hosting things on boats, it turns out! In this Film Stories special, she talks about her…
Jan 12, 2026 · 1:03:27
Regular episodes of Film Stories with Simon Brew resume for 2026, with two very different films in the spotlight. First up there's Cameron Crowe's superb Almost Famous, a film he…
Jan 5, 2026 · 53:09
In this long chat about Song Sung Blue and his other film work too, writer/director Craig Brewer joins Simon Brew to chat about his film story. The pair chat about what led to…
Dec 24, 2025 · 1:30:05
To celebrate Film Stories turning 500 episodes old (and then some!), a very special live recording took place in London in November 2025. Long-time Film Stories supporter Romesh…
Dec 20, 2025 · 1:32:33
In a very special episode of Film Stories, writer/producer/showrunner/novelist Chris Chibnall joins Simon for a long chat about his work and career. Topics covered? Glad you…
Dec 15, 2025 · 45:26
You want a Christmas movie? Look no further than Rocky IV, surely the raging highlight of the Rocky saga. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, and with montages coming out…
Dec 12, 2025 · 1:07:55
Now in UK cinemas is the spoof movie Fackham Hall, which crosses the likes of Airplane! with Downton Abbey. But how do you write a spoof movie? And what are the challenges? We've…
Dec 8, 2025 · 1:09:50
There was originally a plan to bring the much-loved Christmas book The Polar Express to the big screen in live action, with Rob Reiner potentially directing. But eventually, the…
Dec 5, 2025 · 1:10:19
Dan Cadan may not be a name familiar to too many, but he's had quite the career. In this special Film Stories episode, he tells his tale of how the lad growing up in Huddersfield…
Dec 1, 2025 · 49:12
Go down the box office charts for 1992, and you need to look a long way before you find The Muppet Christmas Carol. Directed by Brian Henson, the movie was in 45th place at the…
Nov 28, 2025 · 46:35
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by two of the team behind Disney's new animated movie, Zootropolis. There's producer Yvett Merino, an…
Nov 24, 2025 · 37:17
After the, cough, 'underwhelming' A Good Day To Die Hard in 2013, the assumption was that the Die Hard saga had run aground. But for a while, that wasn't the case, and by 2015,…
Nov 21, 2025 · 51:36
In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon is joined by Oscar-winning production designer Nathan Crowley. He won his Oscar for Wicked, and you can now see his work…
Nov 18, 2025 · 1:26:51
In a special episode of the Film Stories podcast, Simon brought Mark Kermode and Jenny Nelson to his home town of Birmingham in the UK. There, Mark and Jenny were on stage to…
Nov 13, 2025 · 56:25
Director Ruben Fleischer's latest film is the third in the Now You See Me franchise, entitled Now You See Me Now You Don't. A movie stuck in development for a fair amount of…
Nov 10, 2025 · 1:17:13
In the first of a small collection of episodes over the coming weeks to celebrate 500 episodes of Film Stories with Simon Brew, by popular demand it's a return for Mr Kevin…
Nov 7, 2025 · 48:05
Nicholas Hytner is a legend of British (and Broadway) theatre, but on the quiet has amassed seven films as a director too. His latest is The Choral, reuniting him with writer…
Nov 3, 2025 · 1:20:13
Christopher Nolan, for a brief moment in time, was set to make The Prestige just ahead of directing Batman Begins. But circumstances meant that by the time the window of time was…
Oct 31, 2025 · 39:10
Writer/director Nia DaCosta is the guest on this episode of Film Stories, with her latest film - Hedda - now available on Prime Video. She joins Simon to chat about the movie,…
Oct 27, 2025 · 1:12:42
It's a Martin Scorsese special episode of the Film Stories podcast, kicking off with the tale behind 1980's immense Raging Bull. This is the film the Scorsese for a long time…
Oct 24, 2025 · 41:56
Oscar-winner Edward Berger joins us for a very special episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew. The pair meet to chat about Edward's new release, Ballad Of A Small Player,…
Oct 20, 2025 · 1:09:28
There was a bit of a bidding war when an upcoming writer called Kevin Williamson penned an idea called Scary Movie. It'd change its name to Scream a little way down the road, but…
Oct 17, 2025 · 36:07
Quite the story, this. Phil Johnston, in a special episode of Film Stories, takes us through his own tale, and how it led to a nomination at the Academy Awards. He and Simon chat…
Oct 13, 2025 · 1:00:04
There's a time travel theme to this latest episode of Film Stories with Simon Brew, starting with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Quite the story behind this, too. The…
Oct 10, 2025 · 1:19:06
In a very special episode of the Film Stories podcast, writer/producer/director David Zucker joins Simon for a conversation about his work. Amongst the films that come up in the…
Oct 6, 2025 · 1:15:46
It started as a magazine article, and ended up as a global phenomenon. Yet the journey to 1986's Top Gun wasn't a straightforward one. You have cast members unsure if they wanted…
Oct 3, 2025 · 35:18
Now here's a man with a whole bunch of stories. Malcolm McDowell joins the Film Stories podcast for a special episode, where we go through his stories. The conversation takes us…
Sep 29, 2025 · 1:01:11
The first screen adaptation of The Running Man saw four different directors fired, the final director come in once filming had begun (while Arnold Schwarzenegger and his lycra…
Sep 26, 2025 · 1:45:03
Well, where do you start? Michael Kurinsky is a man whose built a career that saw him drawing enormous pictures of The Beatles, to a dream of working for Warner Bros, to years…
Sep 22, 2025 · 1:12:16
The Shawshank Redemption, just starring Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford in the lead roles? It might just have happened, if writer/director Frank Darabont hadn't turned down a…
Sep 15, 2025 · 1:15:04
A lot of the story of Quentin Tarantino's debut movie, Reservoir Dogs, is very well known. The tale of a man working in a video store writing scripts, and becoming Hollywood's…
Sep 8, 2025 · 1:15:17
Twilight and The Hunger Games set the bar high for young adult movie adaptations in late 2000s/early 2010s, and when Veronica Roth's Divergent series of books came onto the…
Sep 6, 2025 · 46:05
In this special episode of Film Stories, Samara Weaving, Jimmy Warden and - yes! - Muriel the dog join Simon for a chat. Jimmy has written/directed the film Borderline, which…
Aug 26, 2025 · 1:09:14
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…
Aug 22, 2025 · 50:43
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…
Aug 18, 2025 · 59:03
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,…
Aug 7, 2025 · 1:21:42
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…
Jul 23, 2025 · 47:05
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…
Jul 21, 2025 · 1:06:03
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,…
Jul 14, 2025 · 1:00:09
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…
Jul 10, 2025 · 41:55
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…
Jul 7, 2025 · 1:09:32
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…
Jul 4, 2025 · 58:22
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…
Jun 30, 2025 · 1:02:40
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…
Jun 23, 2025 · 1:06:55
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…
Jun 20, 2025 · 53:28
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…
Jun 16, 2025 · 1:07:27
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…
Jun 13, 2025 · 52:06
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…
Jun 9, 2025 · 57:14
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…
Jun 6, 2025 · 49:13
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…
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