Upcoming Film Scores becomes MovieScore Magazine

Upcoming Film Scores moves to a new home: MovieScore Magazine! From now on, please visit http://www.moviescoremagazine.com on a daily basis for the latest film scoring assignment news, as well as a news on upcoming soundtrack album releases, industry news, events, etc. Thanks for you all who has visited, followed and supported Upcoming Film Scores and I hope that you will all enjoy MovieScore Magazine! Please note that the Upcoming Film Scores blog will not be updated from now on, so be sure to change your bookmarks! - Mikael Carlsson

Klaus Badelt: Shanghai

Klaus Badelt is the new composer signed to score Swedish director Mikael Håfström’s upcoming romantic thriller Shanghai. Badelt, who is best known for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Poseidon, The Time Machine, is the third composer on this film. He is replacing UK composer Alex Heffes who, in his turn, had replaced Gabriel Yared, the composer who scored Håfström's 1408. Shanghai is a 1940s period piece starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, John Cusack, David Morse, Yun-Fat Chow and Li Gong. It tells the story about an American who travels to Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor, discovers that his friend has been murdered and unveals a big secret that his own government is hiding. Film is slated to premiere later this year.

John Debney: Iron Man 2

Although the news has been out there for a while, Upcoming Film Scores have awaited confirmation on John Debney's signing to score Iron Man 2 before publishing it here. Now we have it, as the film now is included in Debney's official resumé from the Gorfaine-Schwartz Agency. The first film was scored by Ramin Djawadi which resulted in a rock-influenced score, while Debney is best known for his rich orchestral style. Both films are helmed by Jon Favreau who has been working with Debney on his other features Elf and Zathura. Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson, will premiere in May next year.

Hans Zimmer: Inception

Warner Bros. has revealed in a recent press release that Hans Zimmer is composing the score for Christopher Nolan's upcoming science fiction opus Inception, starring Leonardo di Caprio, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine and Tom Berenger. This means that Nolan continues his working relationship with Hans Zimmer after their two Batman films together rather than returning to David Julyan, who scored his other films, including Memento and The Prestige. Principal photography on the film began a couple of weeks ago and the film is scheduled to premiere next summer.

Mark Isham: Fame

The remake of the 1980 megahit Fame will feature original score music by Mark Isham, the composer and jazz musician who is best known for his music for Crash, Quiz Show and Blade. Fame, which premieres on September 25, is directed by feature film newcomer Kevin Tancharoen, whose resumé includes directing Britney Spears' "Onyx Hotel" tour, choreographing her "Me Against the Music" video, remixing projects for Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson, and directing Michael Jackson's 45th birthday celebration. The remake of Fame features Naturi Naughton, Kay Panabaker and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle - and original 1980 star Debbie Allen as the school's prinicipal. The Fame soundtrack album, featuring songs performed by the film's stars, is coming out on August 25 on Lakeshore Records.

David Newman: The Spy Next Door

David Newman is currently working on the score for Brian Levan'ts new action comedy, The Spy Next Door, starring Jackie Chan, Lucas Till and Bill Ray Cyrus. This is their fourth feature film together - they first worked on The Flintstones in 1994, and Newman has since then also scored Levant's Jingle All the Way, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas and Are We There Yet? The Spy Next Door is a Lionsgate/Relativity Media film about a babysitter who find himself fighting secret agents after one of the kids inadvertenly downloaded a secret code. Film is slated to hit theatres on January 29 next year. David Newman's other 2009 credits, so far, are My Life in Ruins and Crazy on the Outside.

Christophe Beck: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Chris Columbus' upcoming fantasy adventure Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Chief, gets an original score by Christophe Beck (The Hangover, Elektra, The Sentinel). Columbus' 1492 Pictures produces for a theatrical release via Fox 2000 Pictures in February next year. Based on Rick Riordan's best-selling children's novel, the plot is about a 12-year old boy who discovers that he's the son of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to rescue his mother and return Zeus' stolen lightning bolt (!). The cast features Rosario Dawson, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson.

Joseph LoDuca: Spartacus (tv)

Joseph LoDuca, who just received an Emmy nomination for his Legend of the Seeker music, continues his long-time working relationship with producers Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi. He is going to score their next television project, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, for Starz Media. Starring Andy Whitfield in the title role and featuring John Hannah and Lucy Lawless, the fantasy action series will debut on the small screen early next year. Joseph LoDuca's history with Raimi/Tapert goes back to the 1980s and the Evil Dead trilogy. His other feature film credits include Brotherhood of the Wolf, Boogeyman and The Messengers.

Craig Armstrong: Clash of the Titans

The remake of the 1981 fantasy adventure Clash of the Titans, currently in post-production for a Warner Bros. release in March next year, will get an original score by Craig Armstrong. The film is directed by Louis Leterrier, who previously worked with Armstrong on The Incredible Hulk last year. Clash of the Titans is based on the greek myth about Perseus and his quest to save Princess Andromeda. The film stars Liam Neeson as Zeus, Ralph Fiennes as Hades and Sam Worthington as Perseus. The 1981 original starred Laurence Olivier and featured an epic orchestral score by Laurence Rosenthal. Scottish composer Armstrong is best known for his musical contributions to Love Actually, Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet.

Rupert Gregson-Williams: Grown Ups

Rupert Gregson-Williams continues his working relationship with director Dennis Dugan. Their third film together, after I Now Pronounce Your Chuck and Larry and You Don't Mess With the Zohan, is Grown Ups, which is also a comedy. Starring Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Salma Hayek and Maria Bello, the film centers around the reunion of five friends who went to high school thirty years ago. Adam Sandler also wrote the screenplay together with Fred Wolf. Columbia Pictures will release film on June 25 next year.

James Michael Dooley: Dorothy of Oz

James Michael Dooley, whose recent credits include Disney's direct-to-video The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning as well as the theahtrical thriller Obsessed, will do the music for the animated Dorothy of Oz, a family movie currently in post-production. It's directed by Dan St. Pierre, the production designer-turned-director behind Everyone's Hero and the upcoming Sheepish. Alpine Pictures produces for release next year. The voice cast includes Martin Short and Jim Belushi.

Aaron Zigman: I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Aaron Zigman continues his current working relationship with Tyler Perry and will score his upcoming Madea comedy I Can Do Bad All By Myself. Zigman has scored a handful of Perry's films, including Meet the Browns, Madea Goes to Jail and The Family That Preys. I Can Do Bad All By Myself is based on Perry's play and stars himself as Madea together with Taraji P. Henson, Adam Rodriguez, Brian White and Mary J. Blige. Lionsgate releases the film on September 11.

John Debney: Valentine's Day

John Debney is set to score his fifth film for veteran director Garry Marshall, following two Princess Diaries films, Raising Helen and Georgia Rule. The new title is Valentine's Day, which is yet another romantic comedy in Debney's filmography. This one features an all-star cast including Julia Robert, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher and Emma Roberts. New Line Cinema produces for a Warner Bros. release on February 12 next year.

Brian Tyler: Law Abiding Citizen

According to the Gorfaine-Schwartz Agency, Brian Tyler is attached to F. Gary Gray's thriller Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler, Michael Gambon, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb and Christian Stolte. Gray previously worked with composers Anne Dudley (American History X, A Man Apart) and John Powell (The Italian Job, Be Cool); Law Abiding Citizen is his first with Brian Tyler. The script is by Kurt Wimmer, telling the story about a man who takes justice into his own hands targeting the district attorney who is reponsible for setting the killer of his family free. Brian Tyler has also done the music for George Gallo's Middle Men, starring Giovanni Ribisi, Luke Wilson and James Caan. His other recent scores include Dragonball: Evolution and Fast & Furious, and coming soon is The Final Destination.

Marcelo Zarvos: Remember Me

Brazilian composer Marcelo Zarvos will compose the music for drama Remember Me, featuring Twilight star Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan. Allen Coulter, for whom Zarvos previously scored Hollywoodland, directs the feature for a Summit Entertainment release in February next year. Zarvos also has the score for Please Give, an indie comedy directed by Nicole Holofcener, coming up. His recent films include Brooklyn's Finest and What Just Happened.

Michael Price: Wild Target

British composer Michael Price goes has spent a lot of time in the "wild" lately. Recently, romantic comedy Wild Child, featuring a score by Price, premiered world-wide, and now the busy composer has completed the score for Wild Target, an action thriller directed by Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny, The Whole Nine Yards, The Distinguished Gentleman). The film stars Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Rupert Grint and Rupert Everett and is produced by UK's Magic Light Pictures and Matador Pictures. Michael Price is a versatile composer who has also assisted David Arnold on several of his scores and worked as a music editor on films such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Children of Men.

Thomas Newman: The Debt

British director John Madden's upcoming film, The Debt, will get an original score by Thomas Newman. The dark drama, which stars Sam Worthington, Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson, tells the story about a Nazi war criminal who is pursued by a group of agents. Just like another film Newman has been in involved in recently, Brothers, The Debt is a US remake of an award-winning foreign film. Brothers, remade by Jim Sheridan, was originally a Danish film by Susanne Bier, and The Debt a film from Israel directed by Assaf Bernstein in 2007. Miramax should release The Debt some time next year. Thomas Newman is also doing the music for Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.

Jonathan Goldsmith: Casino Jack

Casino Jack, George Hickenlooper's upcoming thriller starring Kevin Spacey and Hayden Christensen, gets an original score by Jonathan Goldsmith, a composer who is best known for his intimate score to Sarah Polley's Oscar-nominated Away from Her. Casino Jack, also known as Bagman, tells the true story of American lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, who was sentenced to prison after his fraudulent dealings with Indian casinos. Film will premiere some time next year. According to Evolution Music Partners, Goldsmith also recently finished the score for Stephen Kay's thriller Cell 213, starring Bruce Greenwood.