This week, Brian Byrne has been recording his score for the upcoming Dutch romantic comedy The Surprise (De Surprise). The movie marks the first feature project of director Mike van Diem since he received an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language film category for Character (Karakter) in 1998. The film starring Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Georgina Verbaan, Jan Decleir and Henry Goodman centers on a depressed man who decides to hire a firm specializing in assisted and seemingly accidental suicides when he meets a beautiful woman – giving him something to live for and forcing him to outsmart the contracted firm. Els Vandevorst (Winter in Wartime, Dogville) is producing with Hans de Weers (Antonia’s Line, New Kids Turbo, New Kids Nitro). The Surprise is set to open in the Netherlands in early 2015. No word yet on a domestic distribution deal.
As previously reported, Byrne’s upcoming projects also include Francois Girard’s Boychoir starring Dustin Hoffman, which premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, as well as the comedy Jenny’s Wedding starring Katherine Heigl and the drama Price of Desire.
