Film Music Reporter has finally been able to confirm that Tyler Bates has been assigned to score the upcoming remake of Conan the Barbarian. Conan the Barbarian is directed by Marcus Nispel who previously worked with composers Steve Jablonsky (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th) and Jonathan Elias (Pathfinder). The movie centering on the mythical hero driven to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village stars Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rachel Nichols, Rose McGowan and Stephen Lang. The Millennium/Nu Image film is scheduled to be released on August 19, 2011 by Lionsgate.
03/11/2011 UPDATE: We initially reported that Tim Williams will be co-composing the score according to the resume at the composer’s official webpage. The composer’s website is now listing him as just doing orchestrations, so we’re assuming that Bates will be the only credited composer. Williams has been orchestrating and conducting Bates’ recent scores and also co-wrote the score for the recent animated TV show Sym-Bionic Titan with Bates.
Tyler Bates has also signed on to score the sci-fi horror film The Darkest Hour. The film marks the second directorial effort by Award-winning art director/production designer Chris Gorak after 2006’s Right at Your Door, which featured a score by tomandandy. The Darkest Hour stars Emile Hirsch, Rachael Taylor, Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella. The film is produced by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, the upcoming Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and centers around five young Americans who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. Summit Entertainment will release the movie, which has been shot in 3D, on August 5, 2011.
Bates also has a number of other movies coming up. Coming out in a couple of weeks is Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch, which Bates co-scored with Marius DeVries. The movie marks the fourth feature collaboration between Bates and Synder after 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, 2006’s 300 and 2009’s Watchmen. The film stars Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, Caral Gugino and Jon Hamm. Watertower Music has announced a soundtrack album with songs from the movie from such artists as Bjork, Skunk Anansie, Emiliana Torrini, Queen and Yoav to be released on March 22, 2011 (visit Amazon for the complete tracklist). No word yet on if Bates’ and DeVries’ score will be released as well. To find out more about the film, visit the official movie webpage and watch the trailer below. Also check out 123 FilmX’s lengthy audio interview with Bates, in which the composer talks about his career and his soundtrack for Sucker Punch.
Also coming up for Bates is the action comedy Super starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler and Kevin Bacon. The film is directed by James Gunn who has previously collaborated with Bates on 2006’s horror comedy Slither. Check out our article announcing the soundtrack release coming out on Lakeshore Records. The movie, which premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival centers around an abandoned husband who picks up a crowbar and turns himself into the Crimson Bolt. IFC Films will release Super in theaters on April 1, 2011 and it will be available on Video on Demand on April 13. Check out the trailer below and visit IFC’s movie webpage for more information.
Bates also scored the Emilio Estevez-directed movie The Way, which also premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. The movie starring Estevez, Martin Sheen and Deborah Kara Unger tells the story of an American father who travels to France to recover the body of his estranged son. No domestic release date has been announced. Check out the official movie webpage for updates on the film.
