Empire Magazine Issue 442 (July 2025) Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four: First Steps: Flame on! Empire goes on set of the Fantastic Four’s MCU debut, speaking to stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, director Matt Shakman, Marvel boss Kevin Feige and more on their ‘60s-set cosmic adventure.

Bring Her Back: Brace positions: the Philippou brothers are back with another painful possession horror that packs major punch. The Talk To Me directors talk new film Bring Her Back, their big ambitions for the future, deathmatch wrestling and much more.

Nicholas Hoult: As the British actor’s career continues, he keeps getting weirder. Now, after being menaced by Nosferatu, he’s playing big-scale villainy as Superman’s Lex Luthor. Hoult sits down with Empire for a major new interview, on why he always goes for the outsider.

Babe At 30: That’ll do pig! Three decades ago, a porcine classic debuted to rave reviews, Oscar attention, and a big box office haul. Empire traces the journey of a pastoral classic – speaking to George Miller, James Cromwell and more on how it all came to be.

David Cronenberg: The master horror filmmaker has been making raw, uncompromising – and seriously squirm-worthy – movies for decades now. With his latest, The Shrouds, he’s more vulnerable than ever before. Empire speaks to the man about his legendary career and revealing new work.

The Art Of The Oner: In recent years, the ‘oner’ has taken on a life of its own, with several filmmakers pulling off extended takes with increasingly spectacular feats – and so Empire speaks to many of them, on the technical mastery and emotional art of the perfect one-shot. Full stop.

Deep Dive: The Barbarian Brothers: Our latest delve into a slice of cinematic law uncovers the history of The Barbarian Brothers – billed as ‘The World’s Strongest Twins’. Here’s how bodybuilders Peter and David Paul took on Hollywood.

First Word: This month’s news section digs into London’s place as a production powerhouse; takes a sneak peek at Zach Cregger’s horror epic Weapons; digs into that Thunderbolts* alternative title reveal; puts the young cast of the Avatar sequels in the Empire Spotlight; and gets the first word from Celine Song, Julia Ducournau, Richard Linklater and more on their new movies.

Final Cut: In the home entertainment section, we look back on Captain America: Brave New World with director Julius Onah; get into the biggest spoilers (and biggest pants) of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy with director Michael Morris; give the original Star Wars (aka A New Hope) the masterpiece treatment; go granular on the heist in Den Of Thieves: Pantera; rank the SNL movies, and plenty more.

Reviews: In this issue, you’ll find reviews of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Jesse Armstrong’s satirical comedy Mountainhead, undercover-improv comedy Deep Cover; Wes Anderson’s latest The Phoenician Scheme, and many more.

Check out the Empire website.