#592 — Jon Batiste & Matthew Heineman, Joaquin Phoenix & Vanessa Kirby, Jennifer Lee

It's another jam-packed episode of the Empire Podcast this week, folks. First, Chris Hewitt sits down on Zoom with ace composer and musician, Jon Batiste, and Matthew Heineman, about their new documentary, American Symphony; then he battles an uncooperative microphone stand and emerges with an enormously fun interview with Napoleon stars, Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby; and lastly two walking Disney encyclopaedias meet, as our Ben Travis sits down with Jennifer Lee, the writer of this week's Wish and Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. On either side of all of those is a fun episode in which Chris is joined in the podbooth by Helen O'Hara and James Dyer to discuss the actor whose back catalogue they would choose to watch for the rest of their lives; natter about the week's movie news; and review Napoleon, Bradley Cooper's Maestro, George C. Wolfe's Rustin, and Wish. And yes, Chris does know he misquoted Dodgeball. First the Attack of the Clones review, now this: Film Twitter will find his resignation on their desk first thing tomorrow. As for this episode: enjoy. RUNNING ORDER (all timings approx.) INTRO/LISTENERS QUESTION: 0:00.00 - 20:13.00 JON BATISTE MOVIE NEWS: 38:33.00 - 1:01:14.00 JOAQUIN PHOENIX & VANESSA KIRBY REVIEWS: 1:19:03.00 - 1:43:45.00 JENNIFER LEE & OUTRO