Alex Heffes has been hired to score the upcoming drama Queen of Katwe. The film is directed by Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, The Namesake, Amelia, Monsoon Wedding) and stars Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo. The movie is based on Tim Crothers’ 2011 ESPN The Magazine article and book The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster and tells the story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutes who became a Woman Candidate Master after her performance at the World Chess Olympiad.
Category: Film Scoring Assignments
The Newton Brothers Scoring ‘Urge’
The Newton Brothers have been tapped to score the upcoming thriller Urge. The film marks the directorial debut of producer Aaron Kaufman (Machete Kills, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) and stars Pierce Brosnan, Ashley Greene, Alexis Knapp, Justin Chatwin, Danny Masterson, Bar Paly, Alexis Knapp, Chris Geere and Nick Thune. The movie follows a group of young friends who experiment with a new designer drug that perilously diminishes one’s ability to control destructive urges. Skip Williamson & Mark Neveldine (Crank, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Gamer) are producing the project.
Todd Phillips’ ‘Arms and the Dudes’ to Feature Music by Cliff Martinez
Cliff Martinez has composed the music for the upcoming comedy Arms and the Dudes. The film is directed by Todd Phillips and stars Miles Teller, Jonah Hill, Ana de Armas and JB Blanc. The movie is based on a Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson and follows two unlikely arms dealers who received a $300 million contract to supply weapons for U.S. allies in Afghanistan and soon found themselves in danger abroad and in trouble back home because they were completely out of their depth. Phillips is also producing the project with Scott Budnick, Mark Gordon (Saving Private Ryan, Speed, Steve Jobs) and Bryan Zuriff (Ray Donovan, The Details).
Dominic Lewis to Score ‘Henchmen’
Dominic Lewis is set to score the upcoming animated feature Henchmen. The film is directed by Adam Wood and features the voice talent of James Marsden, Thomas Middleditch, Rosario Dawson, Jane Krakowski, Alfred Molina, Rob Riggle, Craig Robinson & Nathan Fillion. The animated comedy follows a new recruit to the Union of Evil, where he is assigned to a motley crew of blue-collar workers that is assigned to the Vault of Villainy where he accidentally steals the ultimate weapon. Wood has also written the screenplay with David Ray and Jay D. Waxman. Aaron Gilbert (A Single Shot, Daydream Nation, Welcome to Me) and Luke Carroll (Escape from Planet Earth) are producing the project for Bron Studios.
RZA Scoring ‘Meet the Blacks’
RZA is composing, performing and producing the original music for the upcoming comedy Meet the Blacks. The film is directed by Deon Taylor (Supremacy, Chain Letter) and stars Mike Epps, George Lopez, Mike Tyson, Bresha Webb, Zulay Henao, Gary Owen, Charlie Murphy, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, Perez Hilton, Paul Mooney, Andrew Bachelor, Lil Duvall, DeRay Davis and Lavell Crawford. The movie is a spoof of the hit film series The Purge. Taylor is also producing the Hidden Empire Film Group production with Roxanne Avent and Shannon McIntosh (The Hateful Eight, Tusk). RZA also serves as an executive producer on the project.
Radiohead’s Philip Selway to Score ‘Let Me Go’
Radiohead drummer Philip Selway is set to make his film scoring debut on the upcoming British drama Let Me Go. The film is written and directed by Polly Steele and stars Juliet Stevenson, Jodhi May, Lucy Boynton, Karin Bertling, Stanley Weber, Eva Magyar, Simona Hughes and Elizabeth Webster. The movie is based on the memoirs of Helga Schneider and centers on four generations of women from the same family who suffer from a trauma created over 70 years ago during the darkest period of World War II. David Broder is producing the project with Lizzie Pickering.
Jeff Russo to Score HBO’s ‘Crime’ and ‘Behold My Heart’
Jeff Russo is set to score the upcoming HBO original miniseries Crime. The show is written by Richard Price (Ransom, Shaft, Sea of Love) based on the British TV series Criminal Justice and stars John Turturro, Riz Ahmed, Michael Kenneth Williams, Amara Karan, Jeannie Berlin, Glenne Headly, Bill Camp, Payman Moaadi and Poorna Jagannathan. The show follows an ambulance-chasing New York City attorney who gets in over his head when he takes on the case of a Pakistani man accused of murdering a girl on the Upper West Side. Steve Zaillian (Schindler’s List, Moneyball, Searching for Bobby Fischer) is executive producing the project with Price, Criminal Justice creator Peter Moffat and Jane Tranter (Rome, DaVinci’s Demons).
Joseph Bishara to Return for ‘The Conjuring 2’
Joseph Bishara has been hired to score the upcoming horror sequel The Conjuring 2. The film is directed by James Wan (Furious 7, Saw) and stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga who return as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Frances O’Connor, Madison Wolfe, Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley, Benjamin Haigh, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon Delaney, Franka Potente and Simon McBurney are co-starring. In the second installment, the Warrens travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Jeff Grace Scoring Kelly Reichardt’s ‘Certain Women’
Jeff Grace is reteaming with director Kelly Reichardt on the upcoming indie drama Certain Women. The film is written and directed by Reichardt and stars Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, James Le Gros, Jared Harris and Lily Gladstone. The movie centers on the lives of three women in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail. Neil Kopp (Wendy and Lucy, Paranoid Park), Vincent Savino & Anish Savjani (Green Room, Blue Ruin) are producing the project. Todd Haynes (Carol, Far from Heaven) is among the film’s executive producers.
J. Ralph Scoring Brian Oakes’ ‘Jim’
J. Ralph is composing the music for the upcoming documentary Jim. The film is directed by Brian Oakes and centers on the life and work of American journalist James Foley, who was killed by ISIS terrorists in 2014. Seen through the lens of his close childhood friend, the movie follows Foley as he moves from the front lines and devastated neighborhoods of Syria into the hands of ISIS. Eva Lipman and George & Teddy Kunhardt are producing the project. J. Ralph’s previous scoring credits include Lucky Number Slevin, The Cove and last year’s Meru and Racing Extinction. He also received an Academy Award nomination for writing the song Before My Time from the documentary Chasing Ice.