Empire Magazine Issue 454 (July 2026) 40 Years of Aliens

It’s been 40 years since Aliens proved exactly what a sequel could do – and it’s lost none of its power in the intervening decades. The new issue of Empire is a massive celebration of James Cameron’s stellar sequel, and it’s about to burst onto newsstands.

But first, here’s a sneak peek inside its pages…

Aliens At 40 - Game over, man! Empire reunites James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn and Jenette Goldstein for an epic 14-page interview, looking back on the making of Aliens, and their enduring friendship.

Toy Story 5 - ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ doesn’t just apply to Woody and Buzz. As Toy Story 5 approaches, Empire sits down with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen to talk 30 years of working together on Pixar’s childhood saga.

The Boys: Season 5 - The most shocking show on television is about to go out with a bang. The Boys creator Eric Kripke, and stars Antony Starr, Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty, team up for a group Empire interview reflecting on a decade of superhero sex, gore, and swearing galore.

Scary Movie - Wazzuuuup! Cinema’s most successful horror spoof franchise returns, with decades of material to lampoon. Empire speaks to returning creatives Marlon and Shawn Wayans about why the world needs to laugh.

A.I. In Hollywood - It’s the biggest conversation in Hollywood right now: is A.I. going to make or break the movies? Empire speaks to industry insiders about the good, the bad, and the ugly of a seismic technological shift.

Naomi Ackie - Beyond Star Wars and Whitney Houston, British actor Naomi Ackie has emerged as a force in uncompromising films like Sorry, Baby, Mickey 17, and Blink Twice. Ahead of a starring role in Boots Riley’s bold I Love Boosters, Ackie talks through her career so far in a major new Empire interview.

First Word - In this month’s news section, we explore why cinema is looking to the skies right now; RSVP with director Olivia Wilde on her fiery thriller The Invite; explore the foundations of Masters Of The Universe’s Castle Grayskull – and call Saul himself, Bob Odenkirk, for the Pint Of Milk interview. And much more.

Final Cut - In the home entertainment section, we talk to 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple director Nia DaCosta on her stellar sequel and its box office performance; go role-by-role with Ben Whishaw through his career; dig into the spoilers of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man with director Tom Harper; give Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar the Masterpiece treatment; rank the Jurassic movies; and much more.

Reviews - In this issue, you’ll find reviews of John Carney’s latest music-based movie, Power Ballad, Ben Wheatley’s action film Normal, Steven Soderbergh’s art thriller The Christophers, rock-doc Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition, gritty survival thriller Apex, rural murder-mystery The Sheep Detectives, and plenty more.

Check out the Empire website.