For years, they were Captain America’s most valued allies. And now, in the wake of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson (aka The Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (aka The Winter Soldier) are stepping out of Steve Rogers’ shadow, teaming up for their own buddy-duo action thriller series – wrestling with the legacy of Cap’s iconic shield, facing a volatile new world in the wake of the Blip, and battling against a host of new villains.
In the new issue of Empire, we take an exclusive dive into the MCU’s next Disney+ series The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, which picks up the baton from WandaVision to deliver an all-action superhero epic – speaking to Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Kevin Feige and more to get the inside story. It’s on sale Thursday 18 March – and available to pre-order online here now – but for the moment, here’s a sneak peek inside the mag.
![Empire May 2021 cover – The Falcon And The Winter Soldier](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/604b/9828/2898/eb62/7e89/b3bf/empire-may-2021-cover.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fca8/4e14/4e98/4839/f5fe/empmay21-falcon-winter.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
On your left! Sam and Bucky are back, figuring out their place in a post-Captain America world. Empire interviews stars Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, and Daniel Brühl, Marvel boss Kevin Feige, head writer Malcolm Spellman and series director Kari Skogland to get the real story behind the show, with brand new exclusive images and more.
Palm Springs
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fcad/d0cb/1c62/287a/ca5a/empmay21-palm-springs.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
If we’re all living in Groundhog Day right now, Andy Samberg and Christina Milioti have a whole new spin on the time-loop rom-com in the remarkable Palm Springs. Empire speaks to the stars and writer Andy Siara and director Max Barbakow about their instant-classic new riff on the genre.
Minari
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fcb5/2898/eb48/7489/ea1d/empmay21-minari.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Lee Isaac Chung’s Oscar and BAFTA-nominated drama tells an immigrant story about a Korean-American family moving to Arkansas in the ‘80s to start a farm. Empire gets to the root of the story with the writer-director and his star Steven Yeun.
Raging Bull
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fcbc/4e14/4e5b/cc39/f601/empmay21-raging-bull.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro’s bruising boxer tale remains a cinematic classic – and in an exclusive excerpt from Jay Glennie’s new book about its making, Empire looks back at the tropical trip the pair took, where their vision for the film first came together.
Line Of Duty
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From a BBC Two cult favourite to a game-changing primetime blockbuster that rewrote the rules of the small-screen crime drama, Line Of Duty continues to evolve and up the stakes as it enters its much-anticipated sixth series. Empire gathers showrunner Jed Mercurio and his stars Vicky McClure, Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar, Kelly MacDonald and Danny Mays for an epic interview about the most unexpected hit on TV.
Emilio Estevez
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The legendary star of The Breakfast Club and The Mighty Ducks is reprising the character of Gordon Bombay for Disney+ series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. Empire catches up with the man himself, to talk independent filmmaking, working with his father Martin Sheen, and returning to the rink.
Julia Roberts
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fcd8/2898/ebfa/9489/ea21/empmay21-julia-roberts.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Empire’s celebration of the most iconic figures in Hollywood, Gods Among Us, continues with Julia Roberts – looking over her astonishing career, her most indelible roles, and the impact she made on the filmmaking landscape.
100 Years Of Films On Planes
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fce5/4e14/4e90/6d39/f605/empmay21-planes.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Back in 1921, the very first film was shown on a plane flying over Chicago – and now, a century later, watching mile-high movies remains a part of everyday life. Empire looks at the history of films on flights, explores why we react different to movies in mid-air, and meets the curators and censors behind the selections you’ll see on the back of a seat headrest.
Take 20
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In this month’s look at the movie moments that matter, we meet Barry Jenkins’ go-to composer Nicholas Britell to talk his Underground Railroad score, we go zombie-killing with Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead, talk the small stuff with Daisy Ridley, discuss fearsome fashion in a Cruella trailer talk, meet the MCU’s successor to Iron Man, explore the impact of WandaVision, and much more. Plus, Toni Collette pays tribute to screen legend and her Knives Out co-star, the late great Christopher Plummer.
Review
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In home entertainment this month, we go deep with Albert Brooks on Lost In America, Bong Joon Ho’s Mother gets the Masterpiece treatment, we explore that jaw-dropping Mandalorian Season 2 finale cameo, the Empire team ranks the top 10 movies of 1984, Russell T. Davies breaks down the major moments of It’s A Sin, and much more.
On Screen
![Empire – May 2021](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6051/fcfe/d0cb/1c13/067a/ca5c/empmay21-on-screen.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Reviewed in this month’s issue is time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, Francis Lee’s much-anticipated period love story Ammonite, Lee Isaac Chung’s profound Minari, Chloé Zhao’s awards-tipped Nomadland, Disney’s Southeast Asian-inspired fantasy tale Raya And The Last Dragon, the Russo Brothers’ sprawling opioid epidemic drama Cherry, and much more.