David Hirschfelder has composed the music for the upcoming Australian drama Healing. The film is directed by Craig Monahan and stars Hugo Weaving, Xavier Samuel, Don Hany, Xavier Samuel, Jane Menelaus, Anthony Hayes, Mark Leonard Winter, Robert Taylor and Justine Clarke. The movie tells the story of a real-life prison inmate’s last 18 months before release after serving a 16-year term as he is sent to a low-security, pre-release prison farm, where a senior officer has established a unique program to rehabilitate broken men. Monahan has co-written the screenplay with Alison Niselle and is also co-producing the project with Tait Brady (The 25th Reich). Hirschfelder has previously scored Monahan’s two last features The Interview and Peaches, both of which also starred Weaving in the leading role.
Category: Film Scoring Assignments
Martin Léon Scoring ‘The Good Lie’
Martin Léon is reuniting with director Philippe Falardeau on the upcoming indie drama The Good Lie. The movie marks the filmmaker’s first English language project and stars Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll, Sarah Baker and Brit Arnold Oceng. The film follows a young refugee of the Sudanese Civil War who wins a lottery for relocation to the United States with three other lost boys and develops an unlikely friendship with a brash American woman assigned to help them. Margaret Nagle (Warm Springs, Boardwalk Empire) has written the screenplay. Molly Smith (Beautiful Creatures, P.S. I Love You), Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill are producing the project for Black Label Media, alongside Brian Grazer & Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, 24) and Karen Kehela Sherwood (Blue Crush) for Imagine Entertainment.
Mark Orton Scoring ‘My Old Lady’
Mark Orton is the composer of the upcoming comedy drama My Old Lady. The film marks the directorial debut of Israel Horovitz (screenwriter of Sunshine, Author! Author!) and stars Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas and Dominique Pinon. The movie is based on a play by Horovitz and centers on a man from New York who travels to Paris to liquidate a valuable apartment he has inherited from his estranged father and meets a refined old woman, who turns out to be his father’s lover, living in the apartment with her daughter. Orton relied on violin, cello and accordion to score the drama produced by Rachael Horovitz (Moneyball), Gary Foster (Daredevil, Sleepless in Seattle, The Score), Nitsa Benchetrit and David Barrot.
‘War Story’ to Feature Music by Evanescence’s Amy Lee and Dave Eggar
Amy Lee has announced on Twitter that she has co-scored the upcoming indie drama War Story with Dave Eggar. The film is directed by Mark Jackson and stars Catherine Keener, Hafsia Herzi, Vincenzo Amato, Donatella Finocchiaro and Ben Kingsley. The movie follows a war photographer who retreats to a small town in Sicily after being held captive during the conflict in Libya. Jackson has also co-written the screenplay with Kristin Gore (David O. Russell’s unreleased Nailed). Gore and Keener are also producing the project with Shona Tuckman (Finding Joy) and Matt Ratner. The drama marks the film scoring debut of Lee who is best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence.
Dario Marianelli to Score ‘The Boxtrolls’
Dario Marianelli has signed on to score Laika Entertainment’s upcoming 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature The Boxtrolls. The movie is directed by Anthony Stacchi (co-director of Open Season) and Graham Annable (story artist on Coraline and ParaNorman) and features the voice talent of Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan. The film is based on the novel Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow and takes place in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era where people believe the Boxtrolls crawl out of the sewers at night and steal their children and cheeses, when in reality they’re a cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs.
Christopher Drake to Score Kevin Smith’s ‘Tusk’
Kevin Smith revealed on his official blog (via Slashfilm) that composer Christopher Drake is composing the score for the upcoming horror film Tusk. The movie is written and directed by Smith and stars Justin Long, Genesis Rodriguez, Michael Parks and Haley Joel Osment. The film follows a podcaster who sets out to interview an eccentric, reclusive old seafarer, only to find himself a plaything in the gruesome plot of a deranged killer. Sam Englebardt (Diary of the Dead) and William D. Johnson (Paranoia, Byzantium) are producing the Demarest Pictures production, alongside Shannon McIntosh for Smith’s Smodcast Pictures.
Marco Beltrami Scoring ‘November Man’
Marco Beltrami has been tapped to score the upcoming action thriller November Man. The film is directed by Roger Donaldson and stars Pierce Brosnan, Olga Kurylenko, Luke Bracey, Will Patton and Bill Smitrovich. The movie follows an ex-CIA operative who is pitted against his former pupil on a race to find a woman who is hiding from her past and who holds the key to an international conspiracy. Michael Finch (Predators) and Karl Gajdusek (Oblivion, Last Resort) have written the screenplay based on the book There Are No Spies by Bill Granger based on his 13-part November Man series. Beau St. Clair (The Thomas Crown Affair, Laws of Attraction) of Irish Dreamtime and Sriram Das (Veronika Decides to Die) of Das Films are producing the project.
Hanan Townshend Scoring Terrence Malick’s ‘Knight of Cups’
Hanan Townshend is reuniting with director Terrence Malick on the upcoming drama Knight of Cups. The film is also written by Malick and stars Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Joel Kinnaman, Teresa Palmer, Wes Bentley, Imogen Poots, Nick Offerman, Isabel Lucas, Antonio Banderas, Jason Clarke and Freida Pinto. Recent reports indicate that not all listed actors will make the final cut of the movie. No specific plot details have been revealed yet. Sarah Green (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, Mud) is producing the project with Nicolas Gonda (The Tree of Life, The New World). Townshend has previously scored Malick’s last feature To the Wonder. He is the first composer to collaborate with Malick more than once.
Erran Baron Cohen to Score Courteney Cox’s ‘Just Before I Go’
Erran Baron Cohen has signed on to score the upcoming comedy drama Just Before I Go. The film marks the directorial debut of actress Courteney Cox (Friends, Scream) and stars Seann William Scott, Kate Walsh, Olivia Thirlby, Garret Dillahunt and Kyle Gallner. The movie follows a depressed man who heads back to his hometown to right some wrongs before committing suicide. David Flebotte (Boardwalk Empire, Desperate Housewives, Will & Grace) has written the screenplay. Cox is also producing the project for her Coquette Productions company with David Arquette and Thea Mann (Cougar Town), alongside Gabriel Cowan & John Suits (Bad Milo, Static) of New Artists Alliance.
Mark Mancina to Return for ‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’
Mark Mancina is set to return to compose the score for Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue. The sequel to this summer’s animated feature Planes is directed by Bobs Gannaway (Secret of the Wings, Stitch! The Movie) and features a crew of elite firefighting aircraft devoted to protecting historic Piston Peak National Park from a raging wildfire. Dane Cook will once again be voicing the film’s main character of Dusty. He is joined by Julie Bowen who will appear as the voice of the new character Lil’ Dipper. The full voice cast has yet to be announced. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter is executive producing the DisneyToon Studios production. Mancina’s music for the first Planes movie is now available on Walt Disney Records (click here for the album details).