1994's Speed may now be regarded as an action classic, but the original idea was a bus that didn't go above 20mph, in a film called Minimum Speed. Sat for a late summer release in 1994, things changed after a really successful test screening - and Keanu Reeves' haircut! - but it'd gone over a lot of hurdles to get to that point.

Plus: where's Speed 3?!

In the second half of this episode, director Dave Green joins Simon to chat about the terrific Coyote Vs Acme, a film that very, very nearly didn't exist...

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Director Adam Shankman shot the joyously entertaining Stop! That! Train! in under three weeks, and it arrives in cinemas this very weekend in the UK. In this special Film Stories interview, he talks to Simon Brew about getting the film made, as well as his time producing the Oscars, the short film that got him started, Hairspray, and an upcoming Christmas movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger too...

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James Bond 007 took a grittier turn with 1989's Licence To Kill, an adventure that was the first and only Bond film very specifically written for Timothy Dalton.

It was an attempt to turn Bond grittier, and would mark the end of an era for many involved in the saga. Plus, it would end up doing box office battles with some tougher than expected competition.

For the second half of this episode, Simon is talking Dead Man's Shoes with actor Toby Kebbell, for whom it marked his first film apperance. The movie is finally available on Blu-ray for the first time, and Toby is not short of stories about it...

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Up front, you can find Simon's tour dates at www.filmstories.co.uk/live.

Simon Brew has been touring the UK with Film Stories in 2026, and in June 2026, he landed at the lovely Plaza Cinema in Truro. There, for an hour and half, he and Mark Kermode talked movies. And lots of them.

In this special recording, you can hear the pair talk about dentistry, John Travola, Event Horizon, The Devils, The Exorcist II, Howard The Duck, Masters Of The Universe and a whole lot more...

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Brian De Palma's 1993 movie Carlito's Way was not a box office success. De Palma managed to predict the critical reaction to the film, reacted to studio notes saying it was too long by making it longer, and had to retool the finale action sequence very late in the day.

Even getting it to filming was a challenge - and the option to the source books would be taken out ten different times before Carlito's Way finally made it to production....!

The story is told in this episode. Please subscribe, leave nice reviews, and don't annoy Benny Blanco from the Bronx...

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Kevin Costner gambled hard on making a three hour western, a third of which wasn't in the English language. He turned down roles in The Hunt For Red October and Presumed Innocent to take the risk of making Dances With Wolves. And while history tells it as a masterstroke, in the months leading up to the release, it looked anything but.

In this episode, Simon digs into the story of the film, the fact that it was millions short of its modest budget when shooting began... and now, the tale of three different cuts of Dances With Wolves too.

If you like this independent podcast, made in a small room in the West Midlands here in the UK, please leave a nice review and subscribe. If you really like it, head over to www.patreon.com/simonbrew too.

Thank you so much for listening.

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I hear you, folks! Do more Marvel films? Gotcha! Let's go back to 1986, and Howard The Duck, the stunning-ish George Lucas-produced film of the subversive comic book character.

Howard The Duck would become notable on its release, but its production alone would have been worth the stories. Malfunctioning ducks, cigars, tonal conversations, George Lucas' chosen director passing on the film, and a fallout in the Universal boardroom afterwards? The making of is just as odd as the film.

Then! For the second part of this episode, live from Simon's recent show in Manchester, former Empire editor Terri White in conversation about Armageddon, regional cinema, and the Rocky franchise.

For more live shows - and print magazines! - head to www.filmstories.co.uk.

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2000's Gladiator might be regarded as a classic now, but heck, did it have some bumps on its way to the screen. A script that was a long way from finished. A leading man, er, 'not too thrilled' with the fact said screenplay was constantly in flux. The death of Oliver Reed before the end of filming. And the worries of a studio that happened to be making its biggest-ever film. The story is told in this episode.

Plus, the second half is spent in the company of BAFTA-winning director Morgan Matthews, chatting about films such as 500 Miles (now in UK cinemas), The Railway Children Return, X+Y, and a £1 bet.

Please leave a nice review and subscribe. Thank you for supporting this independent podcast.

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Just as Tom Cruise embarked on his run of Mission: Impossible and Top Gun sequels, he slipped in one of bolder choices too: an R-rated crime caper, based on a true story. Originally called Mena before being retitled American Made, the shoot saw the writer, director and star of the film living in the same house.

It also saw wildly ambitious flying sequences, a tragic accident, a challenge when selling the film and a whole lot more....

Please subscribe to this show if you like it and leave a nice review. Support us at www.patreon.com/simonbrew

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Sam Campbell - he of Taskmaster and Last One Laughing - has made a comedy series about films. In Make That Movie, he and his crew face a filmmaking challenge each episode. All six episodes are streaming now on 4.

Sam joins Simon Brew for a conversation about the show, but it doesn't take long for it to go off track. Banana, VHS tapes, old films,a samurai sword? It's quite the chat...

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Outside of the very well known rules, there's a whole load of other stuff about 1999's Fight Club.

There's the director who turned the book down, freely admitting they didn't get it. There's the moment when the budget was suddenly going to soar. There's the bit where the studio boss knew he was going to hit trouble for greenlighting the film (and boy, did he). And then there was a studio left with a film it didn't know how to market.

The story is told in this episode. Please subscribe, leave nice reviews, and try not to punch us hard in an after hours fighting establishment...

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