John Debney confirmed in a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter that he is set to reteam with Mel Gibson on the upcoming historical drama Hacksaw Ridge. The film starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey and Vince Vaughn is based on the life of Desmond T. Doss, a medic and the first conscientious objector who won the Congressional Medal of Honor after saving dozens of soldiers during the Battle of Okinawa. Randall Wallace (We Were Soldiers, Braveheart) and Robert Schenkkan (The Quiet American) have written the screenplay. Bill Mechanic (Coraline, Dark Water) is producing the project for Pandemonium Films, alongside David Permut (Face/Off, Youth in Revolt) for Permut Productions and Brian Oliver (Black Swan, Rush, Everest). Debney has previously collaborated with Gibson on the director’s 2004 feature The Passion of the Christ, for which the composer received an Academy Award nomination. Late composer James Horner who composed the music for Gibson’s The Man Without a Face, Braveheart and Apocalypto was originally attached to score Hacksaw Ridge. The movie is set to start shooting later this month in Australia and is expected to be released in 2016.
In related news, Debney whose upcoming projects also include Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book and the drama The Young Messiah (previously entitled Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt) was honored last night at ASMAC’s 37th Annual Golden Score Awards at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Songwriter Richard Sherman (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book) presented the award to the composer at the event, which also featured live performances of scores from Debney and the night’s other honoree, composer Conrad Pope, by L.A. recording musicians Gayle Levant (harp), Mike Lang (piano), Gloria Cheng (piano), among others. The evening concluded with a 13-piece garage band led by Debney himself, featuring Paramount Pictures’ Motion Picture Music President, Randy Spendlove on guitar.
Life goes on