Making its U.S. premiere on Thursday, October 31 on the Sundance Channel is the French zombie drama The Returned (Les revenants) created by Fabrice Gobert and starring Anne Consigny, Clotilde Hesme and Guillaume Gouix. The show’s original music is composed by the Scottish post-rock band Mogwai. Sub Pop Music has released an album featuring the band’s score for the show. Visit Amazon to listen to audio clips and download the music. The eight-part series is set in a French mountain town where a seemingly random group of people find themselves in a state of confusion as they attempt to return to their homes. The Returned will air Thursday nights on the Sundance Channel. To learn more about the series, Sundance Channel’s official show website.
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Pharrell Williams Joins Hans Zimmer to Co-score ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’
Pharrell Williams revealed in a recent interview with Billboard that he has joined composer Hans Zimmer to score the upcoming superhero film sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Zimmer has previously been announced as the composer of the movie directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Paul Giamatti, Denis Leary, Colm Feore, Chris Cooper, Sally Field, Chris Zylka, Marton Csokas and Felicity Jones. The sequel is produced by Avi Arad (X-Men, Iron Man, Hulk) and Matt Tolmach. Zimmer and Williams are taking over scoring duties on the series from James Horner who composed a widely acclaimed score for last year’s reboot. Williams has previously co-composed the Zimmer-produced score for the first Despicable Me and also contributed songs and themes for its sequel.
Marc Canham Scoring ‘Final Girl’
Marc Canham has recently scored the upcoming psychological thriller Final Girl. The film marks the directorial debut of photographer Tyler Shields and stars Abigail Breslin, Wes Bentley and Alexander Ludwig. The movie follows a teenage girl new in town who is lured into the woods by a group of senior boys to be the victim in their final initiation. Adam Prince has written the screenplaynbased on story by Steve Scarlata, Alejandro Seri and Johnny Silver. Prospect Park’s Jeff Kwatinetz and Rob Carliner (Crazy Heart, The Apostle, Assassination Tango) are producing the project for Prospect Park, alongside Jack and Joseph Nasser for Nasser Entertainment.
Weekly Film Music Roundup (October 25, 2013)
Two new movies are opening nationwide this weekend:
Opening in most theaters is the comedy Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa directed by Jeff Tremaine and starring Johnny Knoxville who punks strangers while in character as senior citizen Irving Zisman. The film’s original musis is composed by Sam Spiegel whose music has previously been featured in some of the other Jackass features and Koool G Murder who is the brother of the film’s co-writer and producer Spike Jonze. No soundtrack album has been announced. To learn more about the comedy, check out our previous news article.
Also opening wide is the thriller The Counselor directed by Ridley Scott, written by Cormac McCarthy and starring. Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt. Daniel Pemberton (The Awakening) has composed the film’s original score. Milan Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details. Also click here to check out a video featurette about Pemberton’s work on the project and visit ASCAP’s We Create Music blog and The Hollywood Reporter for interviews with the composer and to listen to a couple of tracks from the score.
Lucas Vidal to Score ‘Tracers’
Lucas Vidal has been hired to score the upcoming action thriller Tracers. The film is directed by Daniel Benmayor (Bruc, The Manhunt) and stars Taylor Lautner as a New York City bike messenger who is in debt to an organized crime gang and escapes into the world of parkour after meeting a beautiful stranger. Marie Avgeropoulos and Adam Rayner are co-starring. The movie’s screenplay is written by Leslie Bohem (Dante’s Peak, Daylight), Matt Johnson (Into the Blue), Kevin Lund and T.J. Scott. Mary Bowen and Wyck Godfrey (Twilight series, Dear John, Safe Haven) are producing the project for Temple Hill Entertainment.
‘Quai d’Orsay’ Soundtrack Announced
Quartet Records will release a soundtrack album for the political satire Quai d’Orsay. The album features the film’s original music written by Academy Award-nominated composer Philippe Sarde (Tess, The Tenant). The soundtrack will be released next month and is now available for pre-order on the label’s official website. Quai d’Orsay is directed by Bertrand Tavernier (‘Round Midnight, Coup de torchon) and stars Thierry Lhermitte, Raphaël Personnaz and Niels Arestrupt. The movie follows a dashing, globetrotting French foreign minister whose charm and insouciance mask his utter and complete incompetence. The comedy premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and will be released in France on November 6, 2013.
‘Cuban Fury’ to Feature Music by Daniel Pemberton
Daniel Pemberton has composed the score for the upcoming British comedy Cuban Fury. The film is directed by James Griffiths and stars Nick Frost, Chris O’Dowd, Olivia Colman, Rashida Jones, Ian McShane, Rory Kinnear, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Alexandra Roach. The movie follows a down-on-his-luck man who reignites his long-dormant passion for salsa dancing after falling for his gorgeous American boss. Jon Brown (Misfits, Fresh Meat) has written the screenplay. James Biddle and Nira Park (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul) are producing the project for Big Talk Productions. Pemberton has previously collaborated with the producers on Big Talk’s In Fear, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and which will open in British theaters next month. Cuban Fury is set to be released on February 14, 2014 in the UK.
Varèse Sarabande Celebrates 35th Anniversary with Halloween Concert Gala
This past Saturday night, film music record label Varèse Sarabande hosted their 35th Anniversary Halloween Concert Gala at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California. The concert was hosted and produced by Robert Townson and performed by the Golden State Pops Orchestra (GSPO) and Chorale. Highlights included a suite from the comic book film adaptation of Ghost Rider, which Golden Globe-nominated composer Christopher Young (The Shipping News, Spider-Man 3) arranged specifically for the concert and which featured a full orchestra, chorus and a heavy metal band led by Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. The performance was received with a standing ovation by the audience. Additionally, Oscar nominee Marco Beltrami (3:10 to Yuma, World War Z) made his concert conducting debut with a suite of his scores for Alex Proyas’ I, Robot and Knowing, as well as Guillermo del Toro’s Mimic and Hellboy.
‘Nebraska’ Soundtrack Details
The details for the soundtrack album for Alexander Payne’s comedy drama Nebraska have been revealed. The album features the film’s original music composed by Mark Orton (The Good Girl) of the Californian acoustic chamber music group Tin Hat. The soundtrack will be released on November 19, 2013 by Milan Records and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Listen to a track from the score after the jump. Nebraska stars Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Stacy Keach, June Squibb and Bob Odenkirk. The movie follows an old man with increasing dementia who goes on a road trip from Montana to Nebraska with one of his sons to collect a sweepstakes prize he thinks he has won. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and will be released on November 15, 2013 by Paramount Vantage.
Pino Donaggio’s ‘Patrick’ Score to Be Released
Quartet Records has announced a soundtrack album for the horror thriller Patrick. The album features the film’s original score composed by Pino Donaggio (Dressed to Kill, Carrie, Blow Out) and performed by the City of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra. The soundtrack is set to be released in January of 2014. Patrick is directed by Mark Hartley and stars Charles Dance, Sharni Vinson, Jackson Gallagher and Rachel Griffiths. The film is a re-imagining of the 1970’s Australian feature of the same title about a comatose hospital patient who harasses and kills through his powers of telekinesis to claim his private nurse as his own. The premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival this past summer and was just released in Australia. Phase 4 and Uncork’d Entertainment have recently picked up domestic distribution rights and are planning a release on VOD and in theaters in early 2014.