Empire Issue Preview: Gladiator II, Megalopolis, Anora, Collateral At 20

Ready to go back to Rome? Ridley Scott is returning to the Colosseum for a fresh bout of gladiatorial combat in long-awaited sequel Gladiator II – ready to conjure up more breathtaking battles, and another gripping revenge story. The new issue of Empire is nearly here, set to transport you into the heart of the action – on newsstands from Thursday 29 August. Order a copy online here.

But before the magazine hits the shelves, here’s a sneak peek inside its pages.

Gladiator II

Ready to be entertained? Empire steps into the arena with Ridley Scott to talk the wild making of his historical epic sequel – speaking to new hero Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and the returning Connie Nielsen. Armour up!

Megalopolis

Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t do things by halves. In a major new interview, he tells Empire about the 40-year journey to bring his future-America-meets-Roman-Empire fable to the big screen – and why he isn’t finished yet.

Anora

Nobody tells stories of fringe American lives quite like Sean Baker – and his latest, the Palme d’Or-winning Anora, is a fairytale romance like you’ve never seen before. Baker and his star Mikey Madison take Empire into the heart of a very different Cinderella story.

Timestalker

Alice Lowe is back for her second feature as director – and she’s dialling up the ambition for a time-hopping reincarnation romance. She writes exclusively for Empire on her journey bringing Timestalker roaring to life.

Collateral At 20

Two decades ago, Michael Mann unleashed a different kind of hitman thriller – a rare film that sent Tom Cruise to the dark side. Empire hails down the director to look back on its creation, 20 years later.

Deep Dive: Joe Martin

In our latest Deep Dive feature, we look back at the lore of the legendary Joe Martin – Hollywood’s prime primate, who made a major splash in the movie business, orchestrated a mass zoo breakout, and ran away with the circus.

First Word

This month’s news section includes a conversation with Barry Jenkins on the makings of his Lion King movie Mufasa; an exploration of what Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom casting means for the MCU; a brand new look at Alfonso Cuarón’s Cate Blanchett-starring streaming series Disclaimer; a gory glimpse at Terrifier 3; an analysis of Speak No Evil’s alpha male nightmare with James McAvoy; and plenty more.

Final Cut

In the home entertainment section, we talk heists and Hollywood with Doug Liman; break down the biggest spoilers from Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F; excavate the afterbirth of horror prequel The First Omen with director Akasha Stevenson; rank the Mad Max movies; go role-by-role with Joe Pantoliano, and much more.

Reviews

In this issue, you’ll find reviews of the likes of much-hyped body horror The Substance; tender prison drama Sing Sing; Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark-starring folk horror Starve Acre; the return of hit Apple TV+ spy drama Slow Horses in Season 4; Zoe Kravitz’s satirical thriller Blink Twice; and more.

The Gladiator II issue hits newsstands on Thursday 29 August. Order a copy online here. Gladiator II comes to UK cinemas on 15 November.