Nicholas Britell has taken over scoring duties on the upcoming historical drama The Free State of Jones. The film is written and directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) and stars Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Mahershala Ali. The movie is set during the Civil War and tells the story of a poor Southern farmer who leads a group of anti-slavery Confederate deserters in Jones County and turns them against the Confederacy. Ross is also producing the project with Scott Stuber (Ted, Role Models, Identity Thief) and John Kilik (The Hunger Games series, Babel, 25th Hour). Britell is replacing composer Howard Shore who was previously attached to score the film. The Free State of Jones is set to be released on May 13, 2016 by STX Entertainment.
Britell’s latest project, The Big Short starring Steve Carell, Christian Bale & Ryan Gosling is currently playing in limited release and will expand nationwide next week.
