Film Stories with Simon Brew

The sale of Shane Black's The Last Boy Scout screenplay for a then-eyewatering $1.75m (and that wasn't even the highest bid!) set Hollywood alight. It also virtually guaranteed at the time that the film would get made.

When it did? The reunion of Bruce Willis and Joel Silver seemed like a good idea after their Die Hard successes. Tony Scott as director? That should work. They'll all get on like a house on fire, right? Er...

In the second part of this episode, writer, actor, director, comedian and Midlander Steve Oram joins Simon to chat about his role in the indie film Crushed, which is available on digital now. A bit of Sightseers sneaks in too.

As always, if you like this independent podcast, please do subscribe and leave a nice review. Thank you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special episode of Film Stories, writer/director Brian Duffield chats to Simon about his brand new movie, Whalefall. Well, not just that. The pair also natter about The Muppets, about working in a clothing factory, just what happened with Jane Got A Gun, the story of Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King noticing No One Will Save You, and a whole lot more...!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin joins Simon for an elongated chat about The Social Reckoning, Facebook, compromised reviewers, and how the pair would overhaul the James Bond saga.

Plus! There's chatter about old film magazines, about making stories based on true people, plus Aaron Sorkin chats too about those times when Jerry Bruckheimer gives him a call...

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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