Alexandre Desplat has been tapped to score the upcoming World War II drama Unbroken. The film marks the second directorial effort of Angelina Jolie and stars Jack O’Connell, Garrett Hedlund, Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney and Finn Wittrock. The movie is based on the book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hildebrand and tells the true story of Lou Zamperini who was a Los Angeles high school track star who raced in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and whose Air Force plane crashed in the Pacific in 1943, where he survived 47 days without food and water. Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, Fargo) have written the screenplay with Richard LaGravenese (The Horse Whisperer, The Fisher King) and William Nicholson (Gladiator, Les Miserables). Jolie is also producing the Legendary Pictures production with Matthew Baer (City by the Sea, View from the Top), Erwin Stoff (Constantine, Water for Elephants) and Clayton Townsend (Bridesmaids, Knocked Up, Nixon). Jolie has previously collaborated with composer Gabriel Yared on her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey. Unbroken is set to be released on December 25, 2014 by Universal Pictures. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website. (New York Times)
Desplat is currently scoring Gareth Edward’s Godzilla. His most recent project, The Monuments Men, is currently playing in theaters. The composer is also up for an Academy Award for his music for Stephen Frears’ Philomena. Also coming up for Desplat is Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, which recently premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and will open in the U.S. on March 7.
