James Newton Howard has signed on to score the upcoming drama Concussion. The film is directed by Peter Landesman and stars Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Luke Wilson, Arliss Howard, Paul Reiser, David Morse and Albert Brooks. The movie centers on Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who discovered football-related brain trauma in a player and fought to bring awareness to the public. Landesman has also written the screenplay based on the GQ article Game Brain by Jeanne Marie Laskas. Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Blade Runner, Alien) is producing the project with Giannina Facio (Tristan + Isolde), David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman and Elizabeth Cantillon (The Banger Sisters). Newton Howard has previously scored Landesman’s directorial debut Parkland. Concussion is set to be released on December 25, 2015 by Sony Pictures.
Also coming up for the composer is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. He has also scored thriller Cut Bank, which will be available on DirecTV on February 26 and come out in select theaters on April 3 by A24 Films. The composer also composed the music for Ed Zwick’s Pawn Sacrifice starring Tobey Maguire, which premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and will be released on September 18, 2015 by Bleecker Street.
Thank goodness there’s news about James. I feel relieved now.