Luis Bacalov is the composer of the upcoming romantic comedy Elsa & Fred. The film is directed by Michael Radford (1984, The Merchant of Venice) and stars Christopher Plummer, Shirley MacLaine, Marcia Gay Harden, Scott Bakula, Chris Noth, Jared Gilman, James Brolin, George Segal, Wendell Pierce, Reg Rogers and Erika Alexander. The movie is an English-language remake of the Spanish-Argentine film of the same title directed by by Marcos Carnevale and follows a lively retiree in New Orleans who falls in love with a widower who moves into her apartment building. Radford co-wrote the screenplay with Anna Pavignano based on the 2005 film and the director is also producing the project with Ed Saxon (The Silence of the Lambs, Adaptation), Ricardo Kleinbaum, Matthias Ehrenberg (Sex, Shame and Tears) and Argentinean producers Nicolas Veinberg and Jose Levy.
Category: Film Scoring Assignments
Yodelice Scoring Guillaume Canet’s ‘Blood Ties’
French singer/songwriter Yodelice has composed the music for the crime thriller Blood Ties. The film is directed by Guillaume Canet and stars Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, James Caan, Noah Emmerich, Lili Taylor, Domenick Lombardozzi, John Ventimiglia and Griffin Dunne. The movie marks the French director’s English language debut and follows two brothers, on either side of the law, who face off over organized crime in Brooklyn during the 1970s. Canet co-wrote the screenplay with James Gray (We Own the Night, Two Lovers) and is also producing the project with Alain Attal & Hugo Selignac (Tell No One), Christopher Woodrow (The Immigrant) and John Lesher (End of Watch).
Mark Mancina Scoring Disney’s ‘Planes’
Mark Mancina is currently scoring Disney’s upcoming animated feature Planes. The film is directed by Klay Hall and follows a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer and who must overcome a fear of heights. The movie’s voice cast includes Dane Cook, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Cedric the Entertainer, Val Kilmer, John Cleese, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Carlos Alazraqui, Priyanka Chopra, Roger Craig Smith, Gabriel Iglesias, Oliver Kalkofe and Sinbad. Traci Balthazor-Flynn is producing the project and John Lasseter (Toy Story, Cars) is executive producing. Check out the film’s latest trailer, which features original music by Mancina, after the jump.
Joseph Trapanese to Score Disney’s ‘Echo’
Joseph Trapanese has signed on to score Walt Disney Pictures’ live-action adventure Echo. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Dave Green who is best known for helming numerous commercials and music videos, as well as comedic short films, including Pinkberry the Movie. The movie has been described as a “wolf adventure”, but no specific plot details have been revealed yet. The film’s cast includes Teo Halm, Astro and Reese C. Hartwig. Henry Gayden wrote the screenplay and Andrew Panay (Wedding Crashers, When in Rome, Van Wilder) is producing the project. Echo marks Trapanese’s first major studio feature assignment on his own. He previously co-scored this year’s Oblivion with Anthony Gonzalez of M83 for Universal Pictures and also collaborated with Daft Punk on Disney’s TRON: Legacy.
Mark Isham Scoring ‘Homefront’
Mark Isham is scoring the upcoming action thriller Homefront. The movie is directed by Gary Fleder (Runaway Jury) and stars Jason Statham, James Franco, Frank Grillo, Winona Ryder, Izabela Vidovic and Kate Bosworth. The film follows an ex-DEA agent who moves his family to a quiet town hoping to escape his past and finds the town to be overrun with violence, drug traffickers and an evil meth magnate. Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay and is also producing the Millennium Films production with Kevin King Templeton (The Expendables, Rocky Balboa, Rambo) and Rene Besson (Drive Angry, The Mechanic). Avi Lerner and Trevor Short are executive producing the project. The composer has also previously collaborated with Fleder on such films as Kiss the Girls, Don’t Say a Word and The Express.
Michael Giacchino to Score ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’
Michael Giacchino confirmed on Twitter that he will be scoring the upcoming sci-fi sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The film is directed by Matt Reeves who previously collaborated with the composer on Let Me In and Cloverfield. The sequel stars Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Kodi-Smit McPhee, Keri Russell and Gary Oldman. While no specific plot details have been revealed yet, the film is said to be set 15 years after the events of the 2011 film and follows Caesar who is trying to maintain dominance over his kingdom, and the scientists struggling to survive in San Francisco. Peter Chernin & Dylan Clarke (Oblivion, The Heat) and screenwrites Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa are producing the project. The original 2011 film featured a score by Patrick Doyle.
Danny Elfman to Score Errol Morris’ ‘The Unknown Known’
Danny Elfman has been tapped to score the upcoming documentary The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld. The film is directed by Errol Morris (The Fog of War, Tabloid) and draws on hours of filmed interviews and previously unpublished material from Rumsfeld’s private archive and looks at the former United States Secretary of Defense’s role in American history from Watergate to 9/11. Robert Fernandez and Amanda Branson Gill are producing the project for Moxie Pictures. The History Films, Radius-TWC and Participant Media production marks Elfman’s second collaboration with Morris following 2008’s Standard Operating Procedure.
Alexandre Desplat to Score Stephen Frears’ ‘Philomena’
Alexandre Desplat is reteaming with director Stephen Frears on the upcoming tragic comedy Philomena. The film starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan is based on the book The Lost Child of Philomena Lee: A Mother, Her Son and a 50 Year Search by BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith and tells the true story of an Irish woman seeking the illegitimate son she was forced to put up for adoption in the U.S. Coogan co-wrote the script with Jeff Pope and is also producing the BBC Films, Pathe and British Film Institute production with Gabrielle Tana (The Duchess, Coriolanus) and Tracey Seaward (The Queen, Dirty Pretty Things). Desplat has previously collaborated with Frears on the Academy Award-nominated drama The Queen, as well as Cheri and Tamara Drewe.
Theodore Shapiro to Score David Frankel’s ‘One Chance’
Theodore Shapiro is reuniting with director David Frankel on the upcoming comedy biopic One Chance. The film stars Tony Award-winner James Corden, Alexandra Roach, Mackenzie Crook, Julie Walters and Colm Meaney. The movie tells the true story of Paul Potts, a bullied shop assistant, who performed as an amateur opera singer at night and became a YouTube phenomenon following his appearance on the reality show Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. Justin Zackham (The Bucket List, The Big Wedding) wrote the screenplay and Harvey and Bob Weinstein are producing the project with Mike Menchel, Brad Weston (Footloose), Kris Thykier (Kick-Ass, Stardust) and Simon Cowell (American Idol).
Sean Callery Scoring ‘Backstrom’ Pilot
Sean Callery has scored the pilot for the CBS drama Backstrom. The show based on the Swedish book series by criminologist Leif G.W. Persson is created by Hart Hanson and follows on an overweight, offensive, irascible detective as he tries, and fails, to change his self-destructive behavior. The pilot stars Rainn Wilson, Dennis Haysbert, Mamie Gummer, Kristoffer Polaha, Page Kennedy, Beatrice Rosen, Thomas Dekker and Camryn Manheim. Hanson is executive producing the project with Persson and Niclas Salomonsson. Callery has previously collaborated with Hanson on the Fox hit drama Bones and its spinoff The Finder.