Empire will be holding a special live event for movie-lovers everywhere and they’ve just announced a very special guest – Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe.
Radcliffe will be a special guest for two screenings – Swiss Army Man and Imperium – as American Airlines Presents: Empire Live takes place at The O2 in London from 23rd to 25th September.
Paul Dano co-stars in the highly original comedy adventure Swiss Army Man, co-written and directed by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Stranded on a deserted island and on the brink of suicide, Hank (Dano) makes one last bid to escape after discovering a corpse named Manny (Radcliffe) on the beach. After forming a surreal friendship with Manny, Hank is shocked to discover he can talk and possesses strange supernatural powers which he can use to find his way back to civilisation and reunite with his lost love, Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
For the second portion of the Daniel Radcliffe double bill, Empire Live is proud to present the thriller Imperium, starring Radcliffe as FBI intelligence analyst Nate Foster, on the day of the film’s UK theatrical release. After a radioactive isotope is illegally imported into the US, the FBI sends agent Foster on an undercover mission to infiltrate a network of neo-Nazi white supremacist groups they believe may be building a nuclear bomb. Imperium also features an outstanding supporting performance from Toni Collette as Foster’s wisecracking fellow FBI agent, Angela Zamparo.
As a special introduction to the double bill, Daniel Radcliffe will participate in an on-stage interview ahead of the screenings at The O2 to discuss both Swiss Army Man and Imperium, exclusively for attending audiences.
Announced in the Meet The Movie Makers strand is a special sneak peek of upcoming thriller Free Fire, presented by acclaimed British director Ben Wheatley. Wheatley will be presenting first-look footage from his new film, starring Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy and Oscar-winner Brie Larson. The preview will be followed by a screening of his adaptation of JG Ballard’s ground-breaking dystopian drama High-Rise, starring Tom Hiddleston.
Hunt For The Wilderpeople has already become New Zealand’s biggest-ever home-grown hit, and is also confirmed for September’s event. The low-budget comic sensation from Taika Waititi dumps odd couple Julian Dennison and Sam Neill in the heart of the New Zealand bush to battle ninjas, direwolves and Child Services.
Other highlights include Film4’s Trainspotting, that will be re-cast for a unique live performance, with an exciting group of leading talent and rising stars set to take on the iconic roles in a special one-off live script- read.
Producer of T2 Andrew Macdonald commented, “We’ve just wrapped on T2 — and what a fun way to remember the original before audiences can see the sequel.”
Also confirmed for the event a special preview screening of My Scientology Movie, Louis Theroux’s long-awaited spotlight on one of the world’s most secretive organisations. A decade in the making, Theroux’s documentary provides the inside track on the Church of Scientology, set up by struggling science-fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, who famously said, “If you want to get rich, you start a religion,” and then went ahead and did just that.
Audiences can also look forward to a pre-release screening of this year’s most brilliantly bizarre comedy-horror hybrid, The Greasy Strangler, followed by a Q&A with debut director Jim Hosking, as he lifts the lid on the creative process that saw him conceive one of 2016’s most unforgettable characters: a homicidal father who lathers himself in fat before engaging in brutal killing sprees.
There’s something for everyone over the weekend and American Airlines presents: Empire Live is pleased to announce two new additions to the fun-filled Family Entertainment programme — a double bill of The Gruffalo and Stick Man. Based on the much-loved picture books written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, both these magical animations have an all-star cast and will be guaranteed to keep both little ones and their parents entertained throughout.
Over the course of the weekend, the Empire team will be setting up camp in the heart of Brooklyn Bowl. The Empire Hub will see the magazine come to life with a series of panels and on-stage interviews, in addition to live recreations of popular in-magazine segments My Movie Mastermind and How Much Is A Pint Of Milk?.
The Hub will play host to a just-announced Women In Film symposium and will welcome award-winning screenwriters to the stage to discuss their craft. Fans will also have the chance to pit their wits against Associate Editor Chris Hewitt in his infamously tricky film quizzes; tune in to a live special recording of the Empire Film Podcast; take part in family workshops; and enjoy evenings filled with music, drinks, themed parties and — for all you Big Lebowski enthusiasts — a spot of bowling.
The events and screenings revealed join a promising programme of event screenings that already include: The Raid (featuring a live commentary from director Gareth Evans), a Ghostbusters ‘Slime-A-Long’, Everybody Wants Some!!, The Martian Extended Edition, War on Everyone, Stand By Me, Labyrinth, and a trio of hits from the vaults of The Criterion Collection in the form of Easy Rider, Dr. Strangelove and Don’t Look Back.
For full details of all cinema events announced thus far and to buy ticket packages, please visit: www.empirelive.com.
