Empire

“THERE WAS AN IDEA,” said Nick Fury back in 2012. “To bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more.” That idea, aka the Avengers, turned out pretty darn well. Billions of dollars grossed, endless screaming civilians saved, portals opened to rapturous audience applause, you know the score. Thirteen years later, Marvel is about to unveil the results of another idea: the Thunderbolts. Except this time, the heroes are a little bit shabbier, a little more chaotic, and are maybe not even heroes at all. Instead of an Iron Man, in David Harbour’s Red Guardian they have a man whose clothes need an iron. Instead of a Hulk, they have a Bob (Lewis Pullman’s mysterious tag-along). And instead of a Black Widow — well,…

CHRIS HEWITT BECAME AN HONORARY THUNDERBOLT “I went to Atlanta last year to visit the set of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*, and got to hold the shield of Wyatt Russell’s John Walker, which had been bent out of shape by… something. They called it the Taco Shield, which just made me hungry.” ROBERT ASCROFT PHOTOGRAPHED GIANCARLO ESPOSITO “Collaborating with Giancarlo was a true privilege. His innate creativity and willingness to fully embody a character brought an electric energy to our shoot. What a remarkable day with an extraordinary force of talent.” BETH WEBB HOSTED OUR EMPIRE VIP SCREENING OF FLOW “A cosy afternoon was spent in the company of director Gints Zilbalodis — and his brave on-screen feline — for our preview of his award-winning animation. Special kudos to the girl…

LETTER OF THE MONTH A MESSAGE FROM THE RED ROOM .eeffoc enif nmad emos rof skaeP niwT ot tisiv nruter a, pots tsriF. yhpargomlif sih ni evah I spag eht gulp ot dna elihw a rof nees t’nevah I smlif eht hctawer ot eugolatac ykook sih otni kcab evid ot dellepmoc leef I, hcnyL divaD taerg, etal eht no erutaef eht ot sknahT CHARLES JOHNSON, VIA EMAIL It took us about two hours to figure out what was going on here. We had to ask the Log Lady for help. For your ingenious letter, Charles, have a Picturehouse membership on us. It will be delivered via a talking luminescent tree. Empire’s star letter wins a Picturehouse Membership, valid for one year at all Picturehouse Cinemas across the UK, including the…

FLORENCE PUGH ADORNS the Empire cover this month. It was nearly a decade ago that we first recognised a future star and invited the then-21-year-old to a photoshoot for our new talent slot The Intro, just ahead of her breakout role in Lady Macbeth. With no inkling of the Oscar nomination or blockbuster Marvel films yet to come, Pugh cited Kate Winslet and Natalie Portman as her acting heroes: “It’s those women with on-screen oomph that you aspire to be like.” (Pugh and Portman would later jointly present an award at the 2024 Golden Globes.) She also divulged her hobbies — including off-road motorbiking, and, erm, snails. “When I was younger, I had a snail shelter,” she exclusively revealed. Look how far she’s come! CONTACT US VIA: EMPIRE MAGAZINE, THE…

AMAZING EVENTS EXCLUSIVE PODCASTS BESPOKE COVERS FREE CINEMA TICKETS EXCLUSIVE INVITES TO EVENTS CURATED BY THE EMPIRE TEAM VIP MEMBERSHIP ONLY £8.99 PER MONTH* Worth over £130! INCLUDES: ✓ Exclusive live events, including preview screenings and Q&As ✓ 13 print issues of Empire a year ✓ Choice of an annual Picturehouse Membership or a Cineworld regular Combo deal, with two cinema tickets** ✓ Access to the Empire Spoiler Special podcast ✓ Exclusive collectible covers ✓ Digital edition of Empire ✓ Access to back issues of Empire ✓ Empire Insider newsletter THE ULTIMATE EMPIRE EXPERIENCE Reading the magazine is only the beginning. To get closer to Hollywood than ever before, join the Empire VIP Club. Screenings with A-listers in the house, our deep-dive Spoiler Special podcast, the magazine direct to your door with bespoke covers,…

IN ALEX GARLAND’S Civil War, a journalistic road trip across a war-torn America climaxes with a military assault through the corridors of the White House. While creating the sequence, Garland sought the advice of former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza, and after the pair hit it off, they began plotting whether they could use the same filmmaking techniques to take audiences inside a real-life battle. The result is Warfare, an intense 90-minute recreation of a harrowing firefight in Iraq in 2006 that Mendoza survived. Here, the co-directors reunite with star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (Reservation Dogs), who plays Mendoza, to discuss bringing a hyper-realistic depiction of modern warfare to the screen. What was the inspiration for Warfare? Alex Garland: I had an idea, and it didn’t have to be a war film. I…