Film Stories with Simon Brew

In conversation with Michael Sarnoski - The Death Of Robin Hood, Death Stranding, Pig, and videogames

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 ind

Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey, the title that had to change, plus a chat with William Sadler and Alex Winter too

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

Speed (1994), the lack of Speed 3, plus director Dave Green on the Coyote Vs Acme saga

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 r

In conversation with Adam Shankman - Stop That Train, the Oscars, Hairspray and more

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 Fil

Licence To Kill (1989), plus Toby Kebbell on Dead Man's Shoes and more

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

Film Stories Live: with Mark Kermode in Cornwall

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

Carlito's Way, a film it took ten attempts to make

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 w

Dances With Wolves (1990), plus its three different cuts...

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

Howard The Duck (1986) and the first Marvel movie, plus Terri White

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 char

Gladiator (2000) and its journey to the screen, plus director Morgan Matthews

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,

American Made (2017), and the Tom Cruise film that's fallen through the cracks

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.

In conversation with Sam Campbell - Make That Movie, bananas, VHS tapes, cinema and more

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

Fight Club (1999), plus the dig against Rupert Murdoch at the end

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 d

In conversation with Paul Mercurio - Strictly Ballroom, Exit To Eden, and, er, homebrew beer

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, Simo

Jurassic Park (1993), and the struggle to bring dinosaurs to the screen

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 t

The New Mutants (2020), and a big missed opportunity

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

In conversation with director Alicia MacDonald - Finding Emily, Mike Leigh, short films, romantic comedies, Kickstarter

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.

In conversation with Thea Sharrock - Ladies First, Wicked Little Letters, The Beautiful Game, posh chairs

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 P

Hook, and how it became the Steven Spielberg film that Steven Spielberg doesn't like

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

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003), and one hell of a challenge to secure the Terminator rights

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 thing