The Rakuten TV Empire Awards 2018 are back at Camden’s Roundhouse, celebrating the best and most beloved films of the last 12 months and dished out by one of the most important sets of voters out there: Empire readers. You've had your say on your favourite films, filmmakers, actors and actresses, and we're ready to dish the prizes out to the deserving winners.
With some of Hollywood’s finest waiting in the wings — including a certain Mr Steven Spielberg — you can follow all of the latest developments right here as they happen from the red carpet, to the speeches and, of course, the night’s big winners. Take a look below for the latest developments, and head to our Twitter and Instagram feeds for more updates.
10:30pm
And now Simon Pegg is on stage to present the Award to Steven Spielberg, and the pair hug as the latter takes to the stage while the Indiana Jones theme plays. “Oh my god, that was amazing. After that, what can I say!” he says of the video tribute. “It’s meaningful for me coming from Empire magazine, who loves writing about making movies. They love doing that more than writing about the business of movies. That is such a relief from where I come from.” He also spoke about about the changing tides of the film industry. “It’s been a rich and diverse year for film and for gender and for race, and for speaking out. Thank you, Time’s Up. We were very much on board from the very beginning. This is more important than any of us can ever really realise.”
On the subject of being a legend, he had a particularly surprising reference. “I was pretty chuffed up driving from Luton to here to receive this award, thinking about ‘legend’ and what that means. I passed this billboard for the new McDonalds Chicken Legend sandwich. And I thought all things in perspective, you know.” He thanked his fellow “legends” — his regular contributors. Oh, and he says he’s going to make Indiana Jones V right here in the UK. Bring it on.
10:19pm
The video continues with messages from Sam Neill, J.J. Abrams, Ernest Cline, Lena Waithe, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hiddleston.
10:10pm
Now, one of the very greatest film directors of all time is here to collect the Empire Legend of Our Lifetime Award — Mr. Steven Spielberg. It’s kicked off with a video tribute to the man himself — including an orchestra in Abbey Road studios playing the Jurassic Park theme!
10:07pm
And the biggest award of the night goes to… Star Wars: The Last Jedi! Rian Johnson takes to the stage with producer Ram Bergman. “What an incredible year for movies, just absolutely amazing,” Johnson says. “We made the film here, with a UK crew and largely UK cast. It feels like a British film.” He also thanked Empire’s readers and voters.
10:04pm
Now, the penultimate award of the night: Best Film (presented by Sky Cinema). It’s the big one of the night — and Martin Freeman is here to hand it out.
10:03pm
An extra tidbit from Hugh Jackman: “In the last 20 years I have learned a lot about this character. There are 20 million people out there who still know a hell of a lot more about this character than me. This award and this movie is for those people.”
10:01pm
And this one goes to Hugh Jackman for Logan! He takes to the stage to Foo Fighters’ My Hero, fittingly. “When we started making this movie, every single email I wrote had the heading ‘Utopia’. We wanted to make something that was our dream project for this character,” he says. “We could not have achieved that without this incredible team.” Oh, and he’s got his wife phoning in from New York on FaceTime! “Baby, you’ve sacrificed more than anything for this,” he says. Finally, he shouts of Dafne Keen: “You are a natural, you are so talented.”
9:56pm
Anya Taylor-Joy is here to hand out Best Actor (presented by Rakuten TV), and she’s wearing an extraordinarily sparkly green
frock. Up for this one are: John Boyega, Hugh Jackman, Andy Serkis, Armie Hammer, and Gary Oldman.
9:53pm
And the winner is… Daisy Ridley! She thanks everyone who gave her the confidence to put in her latest performance as Rey. “When we made Jedi, the first one had just come out and I was sort of having a bit of a moment. I felt so self-conscious,” she said, praising “all the people who make you feel like you can do it.”
9:51pm
Joely Richardson is here to give out the prize for Best Actress (presented by Rakuten TV). She praises the “wondrous, strong, volcanic women” who are nominated in the category tonight — Gal Gadot, Daisy Ridley, Frances McDormand, Tiffany Haddish, and Emma Watson.
9:48pm
And the winner is… Rian Johnson, for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He’s either on stage to collect it, or he’s force-projecting right now. “Thank you so much. I want to thank Empire, you guys have been os supportive going right back to Brick.” He also thanked the readers and fans who voted. “As Mark said, we’re all fans ourselves. It means everything.”
9:45pm
It’s time for one of the biggest awards — Best Director (presented by Vue Entertainment), with Daniel Bruhl taking a break from causing superheroic civil wars to present to the winner.
9:43pm
And the Award goes to The Crown — Vanessa Kirby are here to collect it. “I nearly missed this because I was in the loo,” she says. Talking about the show, she mentioned her initial expectation of Netflix’s massive-budget period drama: “I genuinely thought my gran would watch it and that would be it.”
9:41pm
Now it’s on to Best TV Show (presented by Three) and Eddie Marsan is on stage to give out the gong.
9:39pm
Mark Hamill embraces Daisy Ridley on stage as he collects Empire Icon (presented by BMW). “I try to do my homework and make prepared remarks, but nothing prepares you for a moment like this. Plus, Dafne Keen was far more articulate than I’ll ever be,” he says. “Empire I think of as a magazine written by fans, for fans. First and foremost, that describes me, and I think the fans realise that — I’m one of them.” He finishes saying: “I share this with all of you, and with the fans. Without them, I certainly wouldn’t be standing here.”
9:34pm
It’s time for Empire Icon (presented by BMW), and Daisy Ridley is here to present it to none other than Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. “He’s as iconic as it’s possible to be, without being an actual deity,” she says — and we firmly agree.
9:26pm
Now a speech from representatives for Time’s Up — if you feel so inclined, you can donate to the Justice and Equality Fund this way.
9:25pm
Best Comedy (presented by Monkey Shoulder) goes to The Death of Stalin, with Chris Addison on hand to pass the Award across. Armando Iannucci is here, and he’s hitting out at Putin in his speech. “We all know you look like Dobby the House Elf, and everyone’s talking about it.” He thanked the “brave decision” of the readers, adding: “The names of those who voted online cannot be hacked.”
Bonus: during the nominees, we got to see Jada Pinkett Smith’s epic pissing scene from Girls Trip on a big screen, which was a real treat.
9:21pm
And it goes to Get Out, edging ahead of The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Mother!, It, and Split. Jordan Peele can’t be here tonight, but he’s sent a video message. “I’m so sorry I’m not there, I wish I could be there,” he said. “I’m so proud to accept this award on behalf to the entire Get Out team. Best Horror of the year, that means so much to me. horror is my favourite genre. it’s a way that we collectively deal with the actual horrors of the world.” He also shouted out Donald Trump as “the creepiest clown of all time”, and remembers back when Daniel Kaluuya was Posh Kenneth from Skins!
9:16pm
Now it’s Best Horror (presented by Roundhouse) — and it’s Ralph Ineson on hand to present it. This guy has horror credentials, having starred in the utterly terrifying The Witch a few years ago. Still needing therapy for that one.
9:15pm
A standing ovation for Amma Asante’s incredible and inspirational speech there. “That is filmmaking inspiration,” says Terri White.
9:13pm
Amma Asante is named Empire Inspiration, accepting the Award from Idris Elba. “This is such a massive honour for me,” she says, thanking the directors whose work she grew up watching and who inspired her to create films. She cites Get Out, Wonder Woman and Black Panther as evidence of the value of variety in cinema — for audiences, cinemas, and studios. “I wish I could stop shaking,” she adds. “This is totally involuntary!”
9:06pm
Idris Elba is here to present the Empire Inspiration Award. The swoon-o-meter in the room has just gone off the charts — purely coincidental, of course.
9:04pm
It’s Best Thriller (presented by Absolute Radio) now, and it goes to Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Matthew Vaughn collects the Award, looking dapper in a flat cap. “Mark Hamill… I blew his head up,” he remembers of the first Kingsman — and he offers him the chance to return for part three.
9:00pm
It goes to Wonder Woman, and Patty Jenkins is here to pick it up! “I want to dedicate this award to my incredible crew. We made Wonder Woman here, so it feels like a British film.” She also drops in that she’s working on Wonder Woman 2 right now, which we can’t wait to see.
8:57pm
Now it’s on to Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy (presented by Three), with Noel Clarke on hand to dish out the prize.
8:54pm
“I remember seeing the first issue in WHSmith, and I read it from cover to cover,” Edgar Wright says of his memories of Empire. He’s also remembered the time we gave his debut film A Fistful of Fingers a one-star review back before Edgar Wright was, y’know, Edgar Wright. Whoops.
8:48pm
The Empire Visionary Award is given to Edgar Wright, the man behind Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Baby Driver. “We’ve come to think of Edgar Wright as one of our family,” says Editor-in-Chief Terri White.
8:45pm
And the winner is God’s Own Country! Francis Lee and Josh O’Connor are here to collect it — special props to Lee, who had to dig himself out of a snowdrift in Yorkshire to make it down for the Awards tonight.
8:42pm
Now it’s Best British Film (presented by The Hollywood Reporter), presented by Celia Imrie, who says the Roundhouse is “groovy”.
8:39pm
And the winner is Dafne Keen for her incredibly sharp performance as X23 in Logan. She thanks Empire, and director James Mangold “for being there for us and helping us and being nice and everything”. She’s also shouted out Patrick Stewart for being "so nice, always, at all times”. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman gets named as “best fictional dad” — not an official category, but a very lovely one indeed.
8:37pm
Jim Sturgess and Tom Hughes are here now to present Best Female Newcomer (presented by The Hilton Park Lane). Will it go to Dafne Keen, Emily Beecham, Florence Pugh, Tessa Thompson, or Kelly Marie Tran?
8:36pm
And the winner is… God’s Own Country star Josh O’Connor, edging ahead of Fionn Whitehead, Ansel Elgort, Daniel Kaluuya, and Timothée Chalamet! “It’s amazing seeing all those brilliant performers who I’m inspired by every day,” he says, thanking director Francis Lee, and co-star Alec Secareanu. Oh, and his girlfriend. Awww.
8:30pm
Hayley Squires is here to present Best Male Newcomer, after winning Best Female Newcomer last year for her turn in I, Daniel Blake. She’s wearing a gold dress which can only be described as ludicrously sparkly.
8:24pm
Proving that the Rakuten TV Empire Awards 2018 is, indeed, the greatest show, Hugh Jackman is here - and he’s just sung in the general direction of Chris Hewitt!
8:18pm
...and we're back in the room, with an incredible montage showing all the nominees. Films are amazing. On with the show, and Chris Hewitt and Terri White are here to present.
6:51pm
And the last Jedi to enter the building is none other than Mark Hamill. Will he be using some kind of new previously-untapped power to eat his dinner, or will he just use the forks? Stay tuned for updates.
6:38pm
The guests are all in, and dinner is underway. The Awards are all due to begin around 8pm — stay tuned for more updates soon.
6:25pm
Actor Josh O’Connor is here, and he’s up for Best Male Newcomer thanks to his turn in God’s Own Country. “Being at events like this is hilarious for us,” he says, “because we made a little film in Yorkshire in the mud, and now we’re sipping champagne with people in Star Wars - it's ridiculous.”
6:13pm
Edgar Wright has arrived (sadly not in a bright red Subaru blasting out Bellbottoms) in support of Baby Driver. “I couldn’t be prouder of how it did, I was really, really proud that a lot of my crew were nominated [for Oscars], and also that the readers nominated it tonight is fantastic,” he said.
5:58pm
Director Amma Asante is here, and she's just announced her next project after her forthcoming Where Hands Touch - an adaptation of David E. Hoffman's book Billion Dollar Spy. “I’m very excited about moving into the world of Russian espionage,” she said, adding: “Who knew it could be this timely? It seems to get more timely by the minute. I think there’s a lot of interest in that world and how we got to where we are now. It will be interesting to explore 1977 Russia.”
5:53pm
Up next it’s Shazad Latif, aka Clem Fandango, aka Star Trek: Discovery’s Ash Tyler. He’s confirmed he’ll be back for Season 2. “We start again in May. We get scripts late, probably the night before we start filming.” (Yes we can hear you, Shazad Latif). Here he is with Celia Imrie.
5:49pm
Noel Clarke is here, and he's working as hard as ever on a bunch of new film and TV projects. “When you love your job it doesn’t feel like work," he tells Helen on the red carpet. "I just feel like I’m having fun.”
5:46pm
Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson is here, and after tonight he’s moving forward on his forthcoming Star Wars trilogy. “I’m really excited to dive into that and really get to work on it, figure out what it’s going to be,” he said. Will his Episode VIII pick up any of the nine awards it’s nominated for tonight?
Here he is signing autographs in the snow (Camden, not Hoth).
5:38pm
Stephen Merchant has arrived, and he's taking all the credit for Logan's critical and cultural success: “It’s all down to me and my minor co-star Hugh Jackman, who did a tremendous job,” he said. Will it take any of the prizes tonight?
5:32pm
Armando Iannucci is here, with The Death of Stalin being up for Best Comedy. “We’ll see if [the voters] incur Russia’s wrath,” he says. “I’m a Z-list enemy of the state, I think they’d have to get through a lot more people before they get to me.”
5:26pm
Daisy Ridley is suited up on the red carpet, and she’s up for Best Actress tonight after stepping back into the role of Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As for Episode IX? “I believe we start in July or August, but I literally know nothing,” she told Helen O’Hara. “I’m doing training, which is great, because I get to go and be healthy and someone else is paying.”
5:21pm
Alexa Davies has just dropped by the Empire Facebook Live stream to talk up her role in the forthcoming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. “I can’t tell you much, it’s prequel-sequel, everybody’s back and there’s new faces, obviously including mine,” she said. “ABBA is amazing, there are some songs that maybe people might not have heard before, but they’re fantastic songs.”
5:14pm
Helen O'Hara just caught up with Logan star Dafne Keen on the red carpet, who's up for Best Female Newcomer this evening. On her chances of winning, she said: “I don’t know, because there’s lots of very good actresses in it, but let’s hope”. To watch our live streamed red carpet interviews, head over to our Facebook page.
4:42pm
The venue is stocked, the red carpet has been rolled out, and Chris Hewitt has a big stack of jokes ready to go: it's nearly time for the Rakuten TV Empire Awards to get going. Stay tuned here on our live blog for all the latest happenings from the Awards show.