Empire Magazine Issue 419 (October 2023)

Empire Magazine Issue 419 (October 2023) Dune: Part Two

Sci-fi spectacle doesn’t come much bigger than Dune – and finally given the green-light to continue his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s formidable tome in Dune: Part Two, director Denis Villeneuve isn’t holding back. The return trip to Arrakis is set to explode into all-out war, with brand new faces, epic sandworm action, and multiple machinations afoot. In Empire’s October 2023 issue, we take a world-exclusive deep-dive into the most anticipated sci-fi sequel on the slate – and it’s nearly ready to hit newsstands.

Dune: Part Two - “This is only the beginning,” Zendaya’s Chani told Paul Atreides at the end of Dune. And she wasn’t wrong. With Dune: Part Two, director Denis Villeneuve is about to bring giant sandworm-sized action to Arrakis, as he adapts the back half of Frank Herbert’s novel. Villeneuve and his collaborators – cinematographer Greig Fraser and production designer Patrice Vermette – speak with Empire to unpack the sand, Spice, and sinister new villains of the sprawling story. (Warning: reading this may give you shiny blue eyes.)

Making David Lynch’s Dune - Decades before Denis Villeneuve, David Lynch famously adapted Dune too, in 1984 – and his journey to Arrakis wasn’t so smooth. Empire presents an early extract from Max Evry’s upcoming making-of book A Masterpiece In Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune – An Oral History, with the likes of stars Kyle MacLachlan and Sean Young, crew members, studio execs and more looking back on the film’s turbulent creation.

The Creator - At long last, Gareth Edwards is back. The director of Monsters, Godzilla, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story returns with his first film in seven years – an original sci-fi set in a world of feuding humans and robots. The filmmaker and his collaborators break down the fascinating world of his brand new vision – from the tech, to the ships, to the A.I. characters, to the mysterious child at the centre of the story.

Ken Loach - With The Old Oak, legendary British filmmaker Ken Loach is about to present what he says is his final work. To celebrate his astonishing legacy, Empire reunited Loach with several stars from across his decades of directing – David Bradley, Hayley Squires, Eva Birthistle and Dave Turner – to look back on his films, his outlook, and the impact he’s had on cinema through the years.

Horror Preview - Buckle up: Halloween is just around the corner, and cinemas are set to be flooded with tales of terror. In a massive horror preview, Empire looks forward to The Exorcist: Believer, speaking to director David Gordon Green about living up to the legacy of William Friedkin’s all-out classic 50 years on; we dig into the bear necessities of Five Nights At Freddy’s with director Emma Tammi; and we spill the gory details on Jigsaw’s return in Saw X with director Kevin Greutert. Bring on the blood.

The Deep Dive: Mr. Electric - In our latest exploration of a classic piece of cinematic lore, we look back on the career of Kenneth Strickfaden – the man who, for decades, became Hollywood’s go-to guy for delivering sci-fi-fuelled electric mayhem, from 1931’s Boris Karloff-starring Frankenstein, to (fittingly enough) Mel Brooks’ 1974 Young Frankenstein.

First Word - This month’s news section looks at the astonishing impact of ‘Barbenheimer’ on the summer box office. Plus, we take a sneak peek at The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes; get the first word on horror sequel Talk 2 Me with the Philippou brothers; take a peek at Tilda Swinton in Joanna Hogg’s ethereal ghost story The Eternal Daughter; talk sisterly bonds in The Marvels with Nia DaCosta; and much more. Plus, we celebrate the legacy of the late, great, William Friedkin with a tribute from Edgar Wright.

Final Cut - In our home entertainment section, we get psychological with Ari Aster as he looks back on the deeply divisive Beau Is Afraid; get to the heart of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret with director Kelly Fremon Craig; rank the movies of the one and only Harrison Ford; go blow-by-blow through Extraction 2 in a spoiler special with Sam Hargrave; fan the flames of Dante’s inferno in Fast X with Louis Leterrier; revisit the career of Alex Winter with the man himself; and plenty more besides.

Reviews - Reviewed this issue, you’ll find Celine Song’s masterful relationship drama Past Lives, Ira Sach’s tangled romance Passages, spidery spookfest Cobweb, GameStop stock tale Dumb Money, the DC debut of Blue Beetle, Ben Wheatley’s shark sequel Meg 2: The Trench, Mark Millar adaptation The Chosen One, Gal Gadot actioner Heart Of Stone, and much more.

Read about it on the Empire website.