Film Music Reporter

Mateo Messina has been hired to score the satirical comedy Butter. The film is set in the Midwest U.S., where an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town’s annual contest. The movie stars Jennifer Garner, Olivia Wilde, Hugh Jackman, Ty Burrell, Yara Shahidi, Alicia Silverstone, Ashley Greene, Rob Corddry and Kristen Schaal. Jim Field Smith (She’s Out of My League) is directing from a script by Jason Micaleff. Garner is also producing alongside Michael DeLuca (The Social Network). The Weinstein Company is expected to release the movie later this year.

Messina has also written the music for the upcoming comedy L!fe Happens. In the film, two Silver Lake roommates juggle boy drama, job stress and life plans when one of their one-night stands leads to a brand new baby. The movie directed by Kat Coiro stars Kate Bosworth, Krysten Ritter, Rachel Bilson, Jason Biggs, Jason Kirk and Kristen Johnson. Ritter also co-wrote the screenplay with Coiro. L!fe Happens is set to premiere on June 18, 2011 at this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival. No word yet on a domestic release date for the comedy.

Also coming up for the composer is the comedy Frankie Goes Boom. The project is directed by Jordan Roberts (Around the Bend) and stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Lizzy Caplan and Chris O’Dowd. The film centers on a young man who retreats to the desert when his older brother posts a humiliating YouTube video of him. When his mother pressures him to pay a visit, he must face his family and brother again. No release date announcement has been made yet for the movie.

Finally, Messina has also reunited with director Jason Reitman on the upcoming dramedy Young Adult. The composer is contributing additional music for the film, which Rolfe Kent is scoring as reported earlier this year. Messina previously scored Reitman’s indie hit Juno. Young Adult is written by Diablo Cody and stars Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson and Elizabeth Reaser. Paramount Pictures is expected to release the film towards the end of the year.