The June 2014 issue, which hit newsstands on 24th April, sees 32 of the world’s biggest directors guest edit the magazine in its entirety, including the news and features pages. The directors were asked to fill the issue with ‘gifts’ to the Empire readers, and as a result, the magazine is full of incredibly rare insights into the lives, archives and working methods of legends such as Steven Spielberg, Robert Rodriguez and Danny Boyle amongst others, say the publishers.
Some of the special features include:
* Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List) opens up his Jaws props archive
* Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette) shows unseen pictures from her personal ‘Lost In Translation’ collection
* Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) on how "movies are in our DNA"
* David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network) opens up his Seven case files
* John McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard) gives his first interview having been released from prison
* Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) on his 25 best personal movie experiences of the last 25 years
* Judd Apatow (Anchorman, Bridesmaids) opens up his personal photo album
* Michael Mann (Ali, Miami Vice) reveals his never-seen annotated script pages from the classic diner scene in Heat
* Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) shares his Godzilla playlist
* Michael Bay (Armageddon, Transformers) tells us the story of how he was once nearly eaten by a 17 foot tiger shark
* Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City) gives us his infamous recipe for making Hollywood's best pizza
* Guillermo del Toro (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Pacific Rim) shows for the first time ever the unseen art of his classic horror Pan's Labyrinth
The issue also includes world-first exclusive looks on set at films such as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Paddington, Everest and Frankenstein, shot by renowned photographer Mary McCartney, as well as backstage coverage from last month’s Jameson Empire Awards.
Further bonus material from the 300th issue is also available on the Empire iPad edition.
Mark Dinning, Editor-In-Chief at Empire, commented: “With our 25th year in full swing, we’re incredibly proud to bring our readers what we believe is the most extraordinary edition of any movie magazine in history. Packed full of Hollywood legends and invaluable insights into a director’s creative process, the issue has been an absolute pleasure to put together, and further confirms Empire’s place at the heart of the global film industry. We hope our readers agree that it is a true collectors’ piece and a priceless piece of movie history.”
