Batman. Superman. Wonder Woman. Sickboy. Captain EO. On February 28, the new issue of Empire rolls up a rich array of superhero greats, the odd recovering junkie and one bonkers theme-park role into one blockbusting read.
The cover story, Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, gets the ball rolling in epic style. We poked about behind the scenes of Zack Snyder's DC colossus, getting as much world-exclusive juice on the movie as possible before someone with an earpiece asked us to hand back the keys to the Batmobile.
From there, it was off to the Coenverse, that quirky, idiosyncratic and rather brilliant world crafted by the Coens, Joel and Ethan. Seven of their favourite collaborators talk about what makes the pair of directing greats tick. Clue: it's not that clock from The Hudsucker Proxy.
This month's Empire Interview is multi-Oscar'ed star of stage and screen Cate Blanchett. Her next movie, Truth, tackles the real-life story of CBS producer Mary Mapes, the source of a story that nearly brought George W. Bush to his knees in 2004. With that, her Oscar nominations and her gilded career to date, there was much to get our teeth into. Including some of her chocolate bar.
Chipping in with an incredible writer's-eye recollection of the making of Trainspotting for its twentieth anniversary is Irvine Welsh. The author takes us on a trip back to the shadier spots of Auld Reekie in 1996 in the company of Renton, Sickboy, Begbie and a young director called Danny Boyle. It's the biggest buzz you can get without ending up with crawling babies on your ceiling.
You know all about Trainspotting but The Witch may be a new title to you. Fear not - well, no, fear a bit - because this new period horror will be scaring everyone witless in the very near future. Empire came out from behind the sofa for just long enough to tell the story of first-timer Robert Eggers' slice of indie sorcery.
Following Empire Of The Sun and Crash, Ben Wheatley's High-Rise translates J.G. Ballard's fierce and prescient prose onto the big screen. The British filmmaker, high-rising himself, talks Ballard, Tom Hiddleston, filming in Northern Ireland and the fine art of “BAFTA”-ing someone round the chops in the issue.
Pick up the March issue of Empire from all good and some evil newsagents on February 28. To skip the whole shopping dimension altogether, head here for all the latest subscription offers.