How do you follow up the biggest TV series of all time? You double down on dragons. Fantasy juggernaut Game Of Thrones changed the televisual landscape forever – and now House Of The Dragon is about to take audiences back to Westeros once more for a different era of political mayhem and pyrotechnics, set 200 years before its parent show and depicting the downfall of the Targaryen family.
Empire’s September 2022 issue takes a major new look at the series, packed with interviews and exclusive images – and before it hits shelves on 4 August, you can take a sneak peek here. Order a copy online here, and we’ll see you back at the Iron Throne.
House Of The Dragon
More dragons. An Iron-ier Throne. A fresh batch of brutal backstabbers. House Of The Dragon is about to unleash a whole new age of Westeros, with a flame-breathing flavour all its own. Empire gets the inside story on its epic production with Dragon wranglers Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal, and stars Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith and Rhys Ifans.
Andor
Godspeed, Rebels! The latest Star Wars series on Disney+ delves deep into the rising rebellion against the Empire, centred on Diego Luna’s conflicted Rogue One hero Cassian Andor. Empire talks creating a political thriller in the galaxy far, far away with creator Tony Gilroy, and stars Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, and Fiona Shaw.
The Woman King
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and producer-star Viola Davis have teamed up to deliver a historical war epic like no other – telling the story of the Agoijie, aka the Dahomey Amazons, an all-female Black military force from 1800s West Africa. Empire delves into the untold history with Davis, Prince-Bythewood, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Thuso Mbedu and more.
Flight Of The Conchords Reunion
Hold onto your sugarlumps – in a major new interview, Empire reunited Flight Of The Conchords duo Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie to reflect on 15 years of ‘Foux du Fafa’, ‘Business Time’ and beyond. The pair look back on the chaotic creation of their HBO comedy series, the time they played for the Lord Of The Rings cast, and those Bert and Ernie comparisons – with a brand new shoot by Dean Mackenzie and illustrations by Chris Bianchi.
Scott Adkins
British action star Scott Adkins has been kicking ass on screen for decades – but his breakthrough moment has always eluded him. In a major, revealing Empire interview, he talks his action heroes, injuries, achievements, and why he’s doubling down his ambitions to keep on fighting and become a household name.
Gods Among Us: Samuel L. Jackson
Next up on our list of Hollywood icons, we celebrate the career of Samuel L. Jackson – from his myriad Quentin Tarantino collaborations, to the Star Wars prequels, his role as Nick Fury in the MCU, Jurassic Park, M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable and Glass, and much more.
Take 20
In this month’s news section, we take a brand new look at Gangs Of London Season 2, get acquainted with Peter Farrelly’s Green Book follow-up The Greatest Beer Run Ever, break down the Clerks III trailer, delve into the ‘GentleMinions’ trend that took over multiplexes, get a first look at I Am Groot, roll the dice on Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, and much more.
ReView
In the home entertainment realm, we go long on Event Horizon with Paul WS Anderson for its 25th anniversary, break down The Northman’s biggest moments with director Robert Eggers, go role-by-role with the legendary Linda Hamilton, rank the movies of Sam Raimi, give Inside Out the Masterpiece treatment, talk to Terence Davies about going poetic with Benediction, and much more.
On Screen
Reviewed in this issue, you’ll find Jordan Peele’s Nope, Olivia Colman drama Joyride, Ron Howard’s Thai cave rescue adaptation Thirteen Lives, Russo Brothers action thriller The Gray Man, Taika Waititi’s latest MCU outing Thor: Love And Thunder, Netflix’s The Sandman series adaptation, and much more.
The House Of The Dragon issue hits newsstands on Thursday 4 August. Order a copy online here.