Activision will release a soundtrack album for the first-person shooter game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The album includes the main theme composed by Trent Reznor (The Social Network), as well as more than 2 hours of the game’s score composed by Jack Wall (Mass Effect, Myst III & IV). The soundtrack will be released digitally on November 13, 2012 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Audio clips, as well as a video featuring footage from the recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London (via IGN) are available after the jump. Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the ninth title in the Call of Duty series and the sequel to 2010’s Black Ops game (scored by Sean Murray and Kevin Sherwood). The video game will be released for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows on November 13, 2012. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ Soundtrack Announced
Posted: October 31, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music NewsTags: Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Jack Wall, score, Soundtrack, Trent Reznor
David Wittman Scoring ‘Empire State’
Posted: October 30, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring AssignmentsTags: David Wittman, Dito Montiel, Empire State
David Wittman is currently scoring the upcoming heist drama Empire State. The film is directed by Dito Montiel and stars Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Emma Roberts, Nikki Reed, Chris Diamantopoulos, Michael Angarano, Jerry Ferrara, Paul Ben-Victor, Shenae Grimes and Greg Vrotsos. The movie is set in the 80s and follows two childhood friends from Astoria, N.Y., who plan to rob an armored car depository. Adam Mazer (Breach, You Don’t Know Jack) has written the screenplay and Randall Emmett & George Furla (16 Blocks, Rambo) are producing the Emmett/Furla Films with Sandy Kyrkostas. Wittman has previously co-scored Montiel’s other three features A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Fighting and The Son of No One with Jonathan Elias. Empire State is expected to be released in 2013 by Lionsgate.
Emily Wells’ Original Song ‘Becomes the Color’ from ‘Stoker’ Released
Posted: October 30, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music AlbumsTags: Emily Wells, Park Chan-wook, Stoker
Milan Records has released the original song Becomes the Color performed by violinist/singer Emily Wells from the psychological thriller Stoker. The one-track single is now available to download on Amazon. Listen to the full track after the jump. As previously reported, the label will release a soundtrack album for the film featuring Wells’ song, as well as Clint Mansell’s score and additional music by Philip Glass on February 26, 2013. Stoker directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney and Jacki Weaver will be released on March 1, 2013 by Fox Searchlight. Read the rest of this entry »
Aaron Zigman Scoring ‘Escape from Planet Earth’
Posted: October 29, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring AssignmentsTags: Aaron Zigman, Escape from Planet Earth
Aaron Zigman is scoring the upcoming animated 3D family comedy Escape From Planet Earth. The film is directed by Cal Brunker and features the voice talent of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, James Gandolfini and Craig Robinson. The movie is set on the planet Baab, where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova is a national hero to the blue alien population. Brunker has written the script with Bob Barlen based on a screenplay by Tony Leech & Cory Edwards (Hoodwinked!). Luke Carroll and Catherine Winder (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) are producing the Rainmaker Entertainment production and Harvey and Bob Weinstein are executive producing. Read the rest of this entry »
‘California Solo’ Soundtrack Details
Posted: October 29, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music AlbumsTags: Adam Franklin, California Solo, Robert Carlyle, score, Soundtrack, T. Griffin
The details of the soundtrack album for the indie drama California Solo have been revealed. The album features the film’s title song California Solo written by Adam Franklin and performed by actor Robert Carlyle, as well as the movie’s original score composed by T. Griffin. The soundtrack will be released digitally on November 1, 2012 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Audio clips are available after the jump. California Solo is written and directed by Marshall Levy and stars Carlyle as a Britpop ex-rocker who now works on a farm, gets caught driving drunk and faces deportation after living in Los Angeles for many years. Alexia Rasmussen, Kathleen Wilhoite, A Martinez, Michael Des Barres and Danny Masterson are co-starring in the movie, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Read the rest of this entry »
Rupert Gregson-Williams to Score ‘Grown Ups 2’
Posted: October 28, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring AssignmentsTags: Adam Sandler, Dennis Dugan, Grown Ups 2, Rupert Gregson-Williams
Rupert Gregson-Williams has been hired to score the upcoming comedy sequel Grown Ups 2. The film is directed by Dennis Dugan (Big Daddy, Just Go With It) who directed the first installment and reunites cast members Alan Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph and Maria Bello. They are joined by Taylor Lautner, David Henrie, Oliver Cooper, Nick Swardson and Cheri Oteri. Sandler is producing the Happy Madison Productions film with Jack Giarraputo (50 First Dates, Anger Management). Gregson-Williams has previously written the music for the 2010 original film about a group of childhood friends who reunite as adults after their high school basketball coach dies. Read the rest of this entry »
Weekly TV Music Roundup (October 28, 2012)
Posted: October 28, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in TV Scoring AssignmentsTags: Beauty and the Beast, Blake Neely, CBS, Claude Foisy, Emily Owens M.D., The CW, The Mentalist, Transcenders
Airing tonight is the 100th episode of the CBS hit drama The Mentalist. Blake Neely (Arrow, The Pacific) has been written the music for the entire series, beginning with the pilot episode in 2008. For the landmark episode – a flashback to the main character Patrick Jane’s (played by Simon Baker) first few days in the California Bureau of Investigation – Neely’s score employs a poetic 100 different instruments, and treats central character themes like debut statements. Neely’s music is mainly electronic, with live instruments layered in. Neely’s palette for the series has been defined both by musical voices he chooses not to include (brass, clarinet), as well as the use of several unorthodox instruments. The 100th episode of The Mentalist airs tonight on CBS. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Sparkle’ Score Album Released
Posted: October 27, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music AlbumsTags: Salaam Remi, score, Soundtrack, Sparkle
Madison Gate Records has released a score album for the musical drama Sparkle. The album features the film’s original score composed by Salaam Remi. The soundtrack is now available digitally on iTunes, where you can also listen to audio clips. A CD-R version is available to order on Amazon. A separate soundtrack album featuring the film’s songs by Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks and CeeLo Green was released this summer. Check out our previous article for the full details. Sparkle directed by Salim Akil (Jumping The Broom) and starring Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Omari Hardwick and CeeLo Green opened in theaters this summer and will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 30. Read the rest of this entry »
Weekly Film Music Roundup (October 26, 2012)
Posted: October 26, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Music NewsTags: Akira Yamaoka, Chad Fischer, Chasing Mavericks, Christopher Young, Cloud Atlas, Deborah Lurie, Fun Size, Jeff Danna, Johnny Klimek, Orbital, Pusher, Reinhold Heil, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, The Black Tulip, Tom Tykwer
Four new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
One of the most talked about and ambitious film of the season is the epic adventure drama Cloud Atlas directed by Tom Tykwer and Andy & Lana Wachowski and starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Xun Zhou, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant. The film’s music is composed by Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil. WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the score earlier this week. For the full album details and to listen to audio clips, check out our previous article. Also visit Film Music Magazine for an audio interview with the composers and ASCAP’s website for another interview with Klimek and Heil.
Also opening wide is the horror sequel Silent Hill: Revelation 3D based on the video game, directed by Michael J. Bassett and starring Sean Bean, Deborah Kara Unger, Radha Mitchell, Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington, Carrie-Anne Moss and Malcolm McDowell. Jeff Danna and Akira Yamaoka who preciously scored the first installment in the series have written the music for the film. Lakeshore Records will release a soundtrack album digitally on October 30 and physically on December 18. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details. Read the rest of this entry »
James Newton Howard to Score Disney’s ‘Maleficent’
Posted: October 26, 2012 by filmmusicreporter in Film Scoring AssignmentsTags: James Newton Howard, Joe Roth, Maleficent, Robert Stromberg
James Newton Howard has signed on to score the upcoming fantasy movie Maleficent. The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar, Alice in Wonderland) and stars Angelina Jolie as the green-skinned wicked witch from Disney’s 1959 animated feature Sleeping Beauty. The movie tells the fairy tale from the perspective of Aurora’s evil nemesis, revealing the back story that led her to curse the girl as a baby. Elle Fanning portrays Princess Aurora and Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple, Sam Riley, Miranda Richardson and Imelda Staunton are also starring. Linda Woolverton (Alice in Wonderland) has written the screenplay. Read the rest of this entry »
