Harry Escott has recently recorded his music for the upcoming British spy thriller Damascus Cover. The film is directed by Daniel Zelik Berk and stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Olivia Thirlby, John Hurt, Igal Naor, Jurgen Prochnow and Navid Negahban. The movie is based on Howard Kaplan’s best-selling 1977 novel and follows a spy who navigates the precarious terrain of love and survival during an undercover mission in Syria. Berk has also co-written the screenplay with Samantha Newton. Hannah Leader & Huw Jones are producing the project for Big Book Media, alongside Joe Thomas (The Man Who Knew Infinity).
Category: Film Scoring Assignments
Jed Kurzel to Score ‘Blackbird’
Jed Kurzel has signed on to score the upcoming drama Blackbird. The film is helmed by theater director Benedict Andrews and stars Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed and Tara Fitzgerald. The movie centers on the confrontation between a middle aged man and a young woman who had an illicit affair 15 years earlier, for which the man was arrested and imprisoned. David Harrower has written the screenplay. Patrick Daly and Jean Doumanian (August: Osage County, Celebrity, All the Real Girls) are producing the WestEnd Films production.
Meg Ryan’s ‘Ithaca’ to Feature Original Score and Song by John Mellencamp
Singer/songwriter John Mellencamp has composed the score for Meg Ryan’s directorial debut Ithaca. He also wrote an original song for the coming-of-age drama, which stars Sam Shepard, Hamish Linklater and Alex Neustaedter, as well as Tom Hanks who appears in a small role. The World War II-set film is based on Pulitzer Prize winner William Saroyan’s 1943 novel The Human Comedy and follows a 14-year old bicycle messenger who is delivering telegrams from the Secretary of War and informing the families in their small town of the death of their loved one on the front lines. Erik Jendresen (Killing Lincoln, Band of Brothers) has written the screenplay and is also producing the project with Janet Brenner (The Last Five Years) and Laura Ivey.
Alan Silvestri to Score Robert Zemeckis’ Untitled World War II Spy Drama
Alan Silvestri mentioned in an interview with Nerdist that he is set to reteam with Robert Zemeckis on the director’s upcoming currently untitled World War II spy drama. Brad Pitt and Mario Cotillard are attached to star in the film, which follows an Allied counter-intelligence agent who falls in love with during a dangerous North African mission and is quietly notified that the woman he has married and had a baby with is likely a Nazi spy. Steven Knight (Eastern Promises, Locke, Dirty Pretty Things) has written the screenplay. Zemeckis is also producing the Paramount, New Regency and GK Films production with Graham King (The Departed, Hugo, Rango) and Steve Starkey (Cast Away, Matchstick Men).
Ryuichi Sakamoto to Collaborate with Alva Noto & The National’s Bryce Dessner on ‘The Revenant’
Ryuichi Sakamoto has announced on Twitter that he is collaborating with Carsten Nicolai aka Alva Noto and Bryce Dessner on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s upcoming dramatic thriller The Revenant. The movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter is based on the novel of the same title by Michael Punke and follows legendary explorer Hugh Glass who is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. Nicolai is a German electronic music artist who previously worked together on several records with Sakamoto. Dessner is best known as a member of the Grammy Award-winning band The Nationals.
Terrence Malick’s ‘Voyage of Time’ to Feature Music by Ennio Morricone
According to Wild Bunch (via The Playlist), Ennio Morricone is composing original music for Terrence Malick’s upcoming documentary Voyage of Time. The film is described as a “celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse”. Brad Pitt will be narrating a 40-minute version, which is set to be released in IMAX theaters and Cate Blanchett is providing narration for a feature version of the movie. Pitt is also producing the project with Dede Gardner (12 Years a Slave,World War Z), Nicolas Gonda (To the Wonder, Knight of Cups), Sarah Green (Mud, Sarah Green), Grant Hill (The Thin Red Line, V for Vendetta), Bill Pohlad (Into the Wild, Love & Mercy) and Sophokles Tasioulis (Earth, Deep Blue).
Todd Haberman Co-Scoring ‘Hemlock Grove’ Season 3
Todd Haberman has joined composer Nathan Barr to co-score the third season of the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove. The show based on the novel by Brian McGreevey is executive produced by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever, The Green Inferno) and stars Famke Janssen, Landon Liboiron, Bill Skarsgard, Madeleine Martin and Camille De Pazzis. In the new season, the town’s grim secrets continue to unravel at an alarming pace as Olivia, Roman, Peter and Shelley are introduced to mysterious new people while facing dangerous and unexpected obstacles. Charles H. Eglee (Dexter, The Shield, Dark Angel) returns as the project’s showrunner.
Steve Jablonsky to Score Peter Berg’s ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Steve Jablonsky is reteaming with director Peter Berg on the upcoming action drama Deepwater Horizon. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Dylan O’Brien, Gina Rodriguez and Kate Hudson. The movie centers on the true events that occurred on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, which killed 11 men working on the platform and injured 17 others. Matthew Sand (Ninja Assassin) and Matthew Michael Carnahan (World War Z, State of Play) have written the screenplay based on the 2010 New York Times article Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours by David Barstow, David Rohde & Stephanie Saul. Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers, G.I. Joe, Salt) and Mark Vahradian (RED, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) are producing the Summit Entertainment and Participant Media production with Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson (The Gambler, Entourage) and David Womark (Life of Pi).
The Newton Brothers Scoring Mike Flanagan’s ‘Hush’
The Newton Brothers have composed the music for the upcoming horror thriller Hush. The film is written and directed by Mike Flanagan and stars John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Kate Siegel (who also co-wrote the screenplay) and Samantha Sloyan. No plot details have been announced yet. Trevor Macy (The Raven, The Cold Light of Day) is producing the project for Intrepid Pictures, alongside Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge) for his Blumhouse production company. The composers have previously collaborated with Flanagan on the features Oculus and the upcoming Before I Wake.
Christopher Young to Return for ‘The Monkey King 2’
Christopher Young has composed the music for the upcoming 3D fantasy action adventure sequel The Monkey King 2. The film is directed by Cheang Pou-soi who previously helmed the first installment and stars Aaron Kwok, Gong Li, Feng Shaofeng, Xiaoshenyang and Him Law. The movie is based on the famed 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West and tells the story of how the Monkey King protected the monk Xuanzang from being eaten by a shapeshifting demoness three times on a journey to collect the Buddhist sutras from India. Robert Morris and Michael Wehrhahn are producing the project.