The Dark Lord is rising, and the battle for Middle-earth is about to begin. The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power returns to our screens this summer for a second season that sees the stakes higher than ever – Sauron has revealed himself, Galadriel is out for redemption, war is coming, and there are some of those titular rings in play.
Empire has a giant, world-exclusive look at the show’s return in our brand new issue, on sale and hitting newsstands from Thursday 4 July (order a copy online here – choose the Galadriel cover, or the Sauron cover) – but for now, here’s a sneak peek at what’s inside.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power
One show to rule them all – as we prepare to return to Middle-earth, Empire goes on the brand new UK set of Prime Video’s Tolkien fantasy epic, speaking to showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, stars Charlie Vickers, Morfydd Clark, Sophia Nomvete and Daniel Weyman, and producing director Charlotte Brändström about the dark forces coming for Galadriel and the gang. Plus, a deep-dive into ghastly new monsters, the Barrow-wights, including
Morfydd Clark & Charlie Vickers
He is the Dark Lord. She is the Lady of the Light. As their characters get ready to face off against each other in The Rings Of Power Season 2, Charlie Vickers and Morfydd Clark sit down with Empire for a major new interview and joint photoshoot, discussing stunts, orcs, LEGO, and the thrill of making history in Middle-earth. Portraits shot exclusively for Empire by Zoe McConnell.
Trap
Hollywood’s high-concept king, M. Night Shyamalan, is back. His new serial killer thriller Trap sees Josh Hartnett’s apparently homicidal father lured into the clutches of the police whilst taking his daughter to a Taylor Swift-esque concert. But, with a twist track record like Shyamalan’s, is there more to this movie than the trailer tells us? We talk exclusively to the director and Hartnett to try and find out.
Borderlands
The massively popular first-person looter shooter is coming to the big screen, with horror maverick Eli Roth in the director’s chair, and a packed A-list cast to boot – including Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramirez and more. Empire speaks to the whole gang about the making of their violent video-game odyssey.
The Crow
Alex Proyas’ 1994 dark superhero movie is a cult classic – because of its gothic feel, its intense emotion, and its tragic real-life story (star Brandon Lee died in an on-set accident). After decades in development hell, director Rupert Sanders the one bringing Eric Draven back to life. Empire speaks to him, Bill Skarsgård, FKA Twigs and Danny Huston about their pitch-black reimagining.
The Last Starfighter
It’s the pioneering space opera that got lost in time. As The Last Starfighter turns 40, Empire looks back on the making of a movie somewhat ahead of its time, speaking to director Nick Castle, writer Jonathan Betuel, stars Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stewart, post-production supervisor Jeffrey Okun and composer Craig Safan.
Hundreds Of Beavers
If you’ve always wanted to see a movie about scores of mega-toothed, marauding beavers – played by humans – descending upon one unlucky applejack-maker, you’re in luck. The ingenious, unlikely Hundreds Of Beavers is coming to cinemas this year – we dig into the madness with director Mike Cheslik, co-writer and star Ryland Brickson Cole Tews and producer Kurt Ravenwood.
First Word
In this issue’s news section, we examine what it takes to make a fake on-screen popstar; get the very first look in the world at witchy new MCU show Agatha All Along; talk to Blink Twice star Naomi Ackie about Zoë Kravitz’s bold thriller; shine the Empire Spotlight on Alien: Romulus’ Isabela Merced; get the lowdown on new animated shows Terminator Zero and Batman: Caped Crusader; get Seth Rogen’s Pint Of Milk answers; and more.
Final Cut
In the home entertainment section, we dig into Peter Strickland’s utterly unique career with the man himself; give The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg the Masterpiece treatment; go through the twists and turns of Mothers’ Instinct with director Benoît Delhomme; talk to Griffin Dunne about his hilarious, heartfelt memoir The Friday Afternoon Club; rank the films of 2004; and much more.
Reviews
Reviews in this issue include Ti West’s trilogy-closer MaXXXine; emotional Pixar sequel Inside Out 2; Rapman’s South London superhero show Supacell; hushed prequel A Quiet Place: Day One; Guy Ritchie’s starry actioner The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare; and much more.