We don’t know what role Arnett will be playing in the film, though apparently the amount to be reshot is minimal and the movie is still expected to wrap its production in the coming weeks.
While both Pascal and Gilroy –– thanks to their work in the ‘Star Wars’ galaxy –– are used to secrecy, this one is wrapped in even further layers of mystery. But a few details have emerged.
Gilroy has said in the past that it’ll focus on a cellist who moves back to Los Angeles and decides to make music for movies. The film explores why he came back and why he went away, delivered in a nonlinear, music-driven structure.
The whole movie is told through music cues, which trigger flashbacks spanning the last 20 years.
Oscar Isaac had been attached to the main role, but his busy schedule meant that he recently had to drop out. Ironically, Pascal, who might be one of the other busiest actors on the planet, had free time.
Arnett has been drawing some awards buzz for his role in Bradley Cooper’s ‘Is This Thing On?’ though has so far not scored any trophies.
He has a small recurring role on ‘The Morning Show’ and variety of projects in development, including TV series ‘Fish Out of Water’ and ‘Temporary Humans.’
When will ‘Behemoth!’ be in theaters?
Searchlight hasn’t yet said when ‘Behemoth!’ will arrive on its release schedule; the switch between actors is not expected to impact the timing since what needed to be re-shot was relatively small.
While both Pascal and Gilroy –– thanks to their work on ‘Star Wars’ –– are used to secrecy, this one is wrapped in even further layers of mystery. But a few details have emerged.
Gilroy has said in the past that it’ll focus on a cellist who moves back to Los Angeles and decides to make music for movies. The film explores why he came back and why he went away, delivered in a nonlinear, music-driven structure.
The whole movie is told through music cues, which trigger flashbacks spanning the last 20 years.
Oscar Isaac had been attached to the main role, but his busy schedule meant that he recently had to drop out. Ironically, Pascal, who might be one of the other busiest actors on the planet, apparently has free time, and the cameras are rolling now.
And beyond ‘Behemoth!’, she’s also attached to new thriller ‘Monkey Hill.’
When will ‘Behemoth!’ be in theaters?
Searchlight hasn’t made an actual announcement about the release date for this one. Given that it has only just started shooting, that’s not surprising. But with that cast and director, we wouldn’t be shocked if this ended up positioned as an awards contender for later in 2026.
Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton are aboard ‘The Invite.’
Olivia Wilde is directing it, and the cameras are rolling.
Rashida Jones and Will McCormack adapted the script from a Spanish movie.
Olivia Wilde continues to keep her directorial career bubbling along. Following on her 2022 effort ‘Don’t Worry Darling,’ the actor/filmmaker has narrowed in her next gig, which is already shooting in Los Angeles.
Wilde is both calling the shots for, and appearing in, new comedy ‘The Invite’ and she’s gathered quite the starry cast to lead it.
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Via Variety, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton are all aboard the film, which reunites Wilde with FilmNation, the company behind her directorial debut, ‘Booksmart.’ Annapurna Pictures’ Megan Ellison, David Permut and Patrick Chu are executive producing.
According to the official synopsis, Wilde’s latest directorial effort is about a couple who invites the neighbors over, igniting an evening full of unexpected twists and turns, revealing deeply repressed emotions and unexplored sexuality.
The story has its origins in 2020 Spanish film ‘Sentimental’ (AKA ‘The People Upstairs’), which was written and directed by Cesc Gay.
It has been adapted a variety of times before, including into 2022’s Italian version ‘Vicini di casa,’ 2023’s Swiss effort ‘The Neighbors from Upstairs,’ 2024 French remake ‘Maybe More’ and that same year, a Czech movie called ‘V dobrém i zlém.’
In addition to this latest project, Wilde also has other directorial gigs in development, including Universal Pictures’ Christmas comedy ‘Naughty’ and Warner Bros.’ ‘Avengelyne,’ a film adaptation of the ’90s comic book character, both of which boast the support of Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap production company.
There’s also a new, untitled comedy project she’s been writing with ‘Booksmart’ collaborator Katie Silbermab.
(L to R) Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Rogen is enjoying success with his Apple TV+ Hollywood satire ‘The Studio,’ which he co-created, co-directs and stars in as a newly crowned studio head wrangling with the division between art and business in his job.
The show features an appearance by Wilde, playing a version of herself.
And, as with many of his colleagues, there are a number of projects in development.
When will ‘The Invite’ accept an invitation to appear in theaters?
At this stage, the movie has yet to lock down a distributor, so we’re guessing a deal is forthcoming or the rights will be available at an upcoming film market.
Given the name cast, we doubt it’ll take too long for it to be snapped up.
(L to R) Ike Barinholtz and Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
‘The Studio’ receives 6 out of 10 stars.
Arriving on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes on March 26th (a further eight arrive weekly), ‘The Studio’ represents Hollywood poking fun at itself and looking for ways to show how ridiculous the business of moviemaking can be.
It’s also the latest comedy from prolific duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who emerged from the Judd Apatow school of laughs to essentially build their own creative empire.
(L to R) Sarah Polley, Catherine O’Hara and Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Hooray for Hollywood! It’s a viper’s nest of giant egos, entitled talent, sweaty executives, million-dollar (and sometimes billion-dollar decisions), drugs, parties, glad-handing, disagreements about edits and a hundred tough decisions a day.
There’s a movie in danger of going over budget! A star who just wants their way! A corporation really hoping that its latest film is a hit with the sort of audiences who don’t really care what it’s about, just that they recognize the names!
If the scenario sounds familiar, it’s because it’s been seen in a swathe of movies and TV shows, most notably in the likes of 1992 Robert Altman effort ‘The Player’ and more recently with HBO’s ‘The Franchise,’ which tweaked the nose of the superhero film industrial complex (though couldn’t land all its punches and has been summarily cancelled after one season).
‘The Studio’ is essentially a blend of the two –– an old-school Hollywood farce but crossbred with current concerns such as exploiting IP.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Bryan Cranston and Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg alongside Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck and Frida Perez (Gregory and Huyck took the lead as showrunners since Rogen was starring and co-directing every episode with Goldberg), this initially comes across as Hollywood Satire 101. So many of the beats feel familiar, even down to Rogen’s Matt Remick, the movie-obsessed executive who thinks his knowledge of Hollywood history will help him succeed in his dream job, only to be hamstrung by corporate concerns and uncooperative above-the-line folk.
Trouble is, that carries over a lot into the rest of the series; while a couple of the characters are interesting and original, most are archetypes we’ve watched so many times before: the harried junior executive, the wacky PR person, the aggrieved former studio head.
And as one episode in particular later on (one of the better examples of the show having a viewpoint), it can be hard to care too much about people struggling to make movies at this sort of level; worried for their jobs they might be, but they’re still earning big bucks.
(L to R) Seth Rogen and Ron Howard in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Even as Rogen and co. try to make their issues relatable, they can’t quite get there. The show does at least have a few solid laughs, and as the season goes on, the focus shifts slightly to other aspects of the job (as mentioned, a later episode has Rogen’s Matt trying to defend his position that his job is as stressful as, say, a doctor’s), and the characters start to bed down and work more smoothly.
Still, the final couple –– about which we won’t directly talk –– do fall back into old, predictable and somewhat tiresome patterns.
Rogen and Goldberg are experienced directors at this point, with several movies under their collective belt. With a hefty Apple TV+ budget to spend, they’re clearly happy to experiment to a limited degree, pulling off continuous tracking shots here and there and giving the show some visual panache.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Chase Sui Wonders and Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
As the heart of the series, Rogan is a variation on his relatively easygoing screen persona, albeit thrown into a tough new situation. He does sweaty, sweary desperation well, but is still overshadowed by some of his co-stars.
Ike Barinholtz is good value as Sal Saperstein. Matt’s friend and fellow executive jockeying for position. In true Barinholtz style, he’s more of a “bro,” all about the party lifestyle and social climbing, but with a quivering vein of vulnerability.
As ambitious young corporate ladder-climber Quinn Hackett, Chase Sui Wonders can be more of a sympathetic character, since she doesn’t hold so many of the cards. While her storyline is sometimes predictable, she’s fun in the role.
Kathryn Hahn naturally steals scenes as Maya, the hyperactive, foul-mouthed marketing guru at the studio. It’s the sort of supporting comedic role that Hahn shines in, and she makes the most of the character.
(L to R) Seth Rogen and Catherine O’Hara in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Catherine O’Hara falls into a similar category of reliable performer, and here she’s Patty Leigh, the one-time studio head forced out and now ploughing her own course as a powerhouse producer. O’Hara brings just the right level of bitterness and comic creation to the role.
Playing Griffin Mill, the boss of the studio even above Matt, Bryan Cranston is sadly saddled with the sort of blowhard corporate type we’ve seen so many of in the past. And naming the character after Tim Robbins’ role in ‘The Player’ just calls more attention to how this variation doesn’t quite work.
On the cameo front, at least the ones we can talk about, Nicholas Stoller offers solid entertainment value playing a slightly more eager-to-please version of himself, while Martin Scorsese is largely there because he’s a Hollywood titan and is good at being gruff when needed.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
While it can’t compete with the best of those, when it switches focus slightly, it does offer more value. And if its comedic levels aren’t always the highest, it does have some solid gags and situations.
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What’s the plot of ‘The Studio’?
Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) is the newly appointed head of Continental Studios. He attempts to save the floundering company in an industry undergoing rapid social and economic changes.
So when he returns with a new project, you know he’ll be provocative once more. And from the sounds of ‘I Want Your Sex’, which has enlisted ‘Licorice Pizza’ breakout Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde to star, it definitely falls into that category.
“When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.”
Yup, definitely not a lightweight rom-com where you can predict every plot turn, there.
Who else is working on ‘I Want Your Sex’?
The cast of ‘Now Apocalypse’. Photo: Starz.
Araki has co-written the script with Karley Sciortino, who has worked on movies including ‘Slutever’ and ‘Now Apocalypse’) and it’s described as “blithely exploring desire, domination and fantasy.”
And producers include Seth Caplan, a past winner of the John Cassavetes Award at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, alongside Araki, Sciortino, and Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler.
Where else have I seen Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman?
Cooper Hoffman in ‘Licorice Pizza.’ Photo: United Artists Releasing.
As for Hoffman –– who also happens to be the son of acclaimed, late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman –– he’s already started to make his own mark on movies, kicking off his career with, as mentioned, Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 drama ‘Licorice Pizza.’
‘I Want Your Sex’ is scheduled to start shooting this October in Los Angeles, so when it’ll be released is anyone’s guess (plus it still has to line up distribution), though Araki might be looking to goose the 2025 awards season.
Olivia Wilde as Quorra in ‘Tron: Legacy.’ Photo: Disney.
Olivia Wilde is aboard to direct an adaptation of Rob Liefeld’s ‘Avengelyne’.
‘Barbie’s Margot Robbie is producing via her LuckyChap company.
The movie will be shopped to studios and screeners.
Here’s a compelling package that will soon be looking to find some support. Olivia Wilde, the director of ‘Booksmart’ and ‘Don’t Worry Darling’, is aiming to hop on the superhero genre train, signing on –– at least per The Hollywood Reporter –– to direct an adaptation of Rob Liefeld’s ‘Avengelyne’ character.
And if that wasn’t enough, Wilde has the backing of Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap company, which, let’s not forget, most recently brought us the mega-hit and Oscar-winning ‘Barbie’. While Robbie isn’t currently attached to star (she already has her iconic comic book role in Harley Quinn, don’t forget) she may end up taking a role.
Avengelyne as a character debuted in 1995 and was co-created by ‘Deadpool’s Rob Liefeld alongside Cathy Christian and Tony Lobito.
She’s an angel who fights the forces of evil and often finds herself face-to-face with demons and monsters. She was the most feared warrior in Heaven’s Warhost, having single-handedly broken into Pandemonium, the outer fortress of Hell, to confront the Devil himself.
But now, she finds herself a fallen angel, banished from Heaven by God after being tricked into questioning his love for humans. Stripped of all her angelic abilities other than her great strength and her blood, which, once extracted from her body, could be used as a weapon or a miracle once empowered by quoting verses from the Bible, Avengelyne uses her powers to fight demons on Earth and is being groomed to be humankind’s last hope in a coming Armageddon.
Here’s what Liefeld has said about her in the past:
“Avengelyne resonated so powerfully with the audience because her story of redemption is one that is so relatable. A fallen angel, sentenced to redeem herself by serving humanity, Earth is a foreign environment to her, she must adapt in order to save herself as well as mankind. Her dilemma provides humor amidst the larger plot engine driving her journey.”
Who else is involved with ‘Avengelyne’?
‘Invasion’ series creator Simon Kinberg.
Alongside Robbie, the project has Simon Kinberg, no stranger to superhero movies himself, attached as a producer via his Genre Films company.
And there is reportedly a well-known writer making a deal to crank out the script, though their identity is unknown right now.
What’s next for ‘Avengelyne’?
Rob Liefeld’s ‘Avengelyne’. Photo: Image Comics.
According to the Reporter’s story, the project will be taken out soon to gauge interest from studios and streamers. Given the talent involved (especially the ‘Barbie’ connection), we’d expect this to find a home relatively quickly.
The only issue might be the creeping feel of superhero fatigue, and female-focused genre titles such as ‘Madame Web’ underperforming at the box office.
Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Crown’ season 4. Photo: Des Willie.
Preview:
Gillian Anderson is the latest person cast in ‘Tron: Ares’.
Shooting has now kicked off on the movie following a delay.
The movie should be on screens next year.
It has been a long road to the screen for the third ‘Tron’ movie. In development since the second film, 2010’s ‘Tron: Legacy’, arrived, ‘Tron: Ares’ (as it is currently called) has faced multiple challenges so far, not the least of which was being shut down before it could begin shooting last year when the writers and actors’ strikes hit.
But now, it has turned a corner (or swerved on a right angle given how the iconic Light cycles work), and the cameras are finally rolling on the long-anticipated sequel, which follows both ‘Legacy’ and the 1982 original ‘Tron’, which sees humans drawn into a virtual world.
Now, with Jared Leto starring as a character called Ares, it looks like the opposite will be happening, and Gillian Anderson is the latest addition to the cast, playing an unknown role.
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What’s the story of ‘Tron: Ares’?
A scene from ‘Tron: Legacy’ directed by Joseph Kosinski.
Written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne, the script follows Leto’s computer program Ares on a journey from the digital world to that of humans.
There’s no word yet on whether Jeff Bridges (who starred in the original and also showed up in ‘Legacy’) or ‘Legacy’ stars Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde will be back, though we’d especially have to doubt Wilde’s return for anything other than a cameo given her busy directing career.
“Today was supposed to be our first day of principal photography on ‘Tron: Ares’ (a movie subsequently about AI and what it means, and takes, to be human). Instead, we are shut down with over a hundred and fifty people laid off. It’s indefinite, which makes it exponentially harder for everyone. The AMPTP, SAG-AFTRA and WGA need to speed up the negotiating process and not leave the table until it’s done. This is Hollywood. We close deals for breakfast. Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating. It’s time for diplomacy so we can get back to work –– under conditions that are fair to everybody.”
When will ‘Tron: Ares’ be in theaters?
Disney has yet to confirm whether the film –– which will require plenty of post-production work –– will maintain a 2025 release date, but the fact that it’s now shooting is a hopeful sign.
Olivia Wilde has found a potential new directing job in Christmas comedy ‘Naughty.
It’s being described as ‘Bridesmaids’ at the North Pole.
Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap company will produce the movie.
Olivia Wilde broke out big as a director thanks to ‘Booksmart’ back in 2019, though her cache took a hit after the reviews and controversies of ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ (it’s worth noting that the thriller did make $87 million off of a $20 million budget).
She is still, however, a sought-after filmmaker, and has a few projects in the works (more on that lower down the page) and is adding another potential to the list, agreeing to make Christmas comedy ‘Naughty’, at least according to a report from Deadline.
The film follows Mallory, whose only hope of securing custody of her son from her gaslighting trash-bag ex is to find Santa Claus and convince him to testify in her divorce hearing.
Given how ‘Cocaine Bear’ turned out, we’d expect this to be another wild comedy with a lot of ludicrous behavior.
Who is producing the new film?
Actor/Producer Margot Robbie attends the ‘Barbie’ Press Junket Photo Call at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Photo by Eric Charbonneau.
The biggest element to make this one attractive to potential buyers besides the presence of Wilde is word that Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap company is attached to produce the movie.
LuckyChap is behind the year’s biggest box office hit and buzziest movie in ‘Barbie’ (which starred Robbie) and also Emerald Fennell’s follow-up to ‘Promising Young Woman’, ‘Saltburn’, which is on limited release now before going wider on December 22nd.
Whether Robbie ends up acting in the movie remains to be seen –– she hasn’t appeared in every project from the company. But the lead role here is clearly something she could make work.
It remains to be seen which company might pick this one up –– expect plenty of interest from the usual studios and streaming services.
What else is Olivia Wilde working on?
Olivia Wilde in ‘Meadowland.’
Wilde has a few other projects on her To Do list, including sports biopic ‘Perfect’ about gymnast Kerry Strug, which stars Thomasin McKenzie and McKenna Grace and should be shooting in 2024.
There are others in development, including an untitled new comedy that reunites her with ‘Booksmart’s Katie Silberman and a yet-to-be-released movie in Sony’s Spider-Man adjacent universe.
And on the TV front, she’s been linked to adaptations of Jennifer Egan’s novels ‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ and ‘The Candy House’.
Peters, who for a few years was best known as Quicksilver in the ‘X-Men’ movies that kicked off with ‘First Class’ (he joined for ‘Days of Future Past’), has more recently made his name starring for Ryan Murphy as Jeffrey Dahmer in ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,’ and in several seasons of ‘American Horror Story’.
He’s also been seen in movies such as ‘ Kick-Ass’ and ‘Elvis & Nixon,’ and appeared alongside Kate Winslet in limited series ‘Mare of Easttown’.
What’s the story of ‘Tron: Ares’?
No details have been released about the potential plot for this one, but it’ll likely pick up some strands from 2010’s ‘Tron: Legacy’, which saw the return of Jeff Bridges from the 1982 original and starred Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. Jesse Wigutow has been writing the script, though any forward movement on that is on hold because of the writers’ guild strike.
‘Legacy’ director Joseph Kosinski talked up the idea of a sequel around that movie’s release, but development stalled out and he moved on to other things, including a slightly successful other legacy sequel called ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’
Leto’s name was first mentioned back in 2017, when he tweeted his excitement to be part of a follow-up movie.
Here’s his announcement:
“I am so very excited and proud to confirm that YES––I will be starring in ‘Tron’. We will work as hard as we possibly can to create something that I hope you all will love. We have some very special ideas in store for you all… See you in the grid! I’m struck with such gratitude for the opportunity to bring this movie to life, especially as both the original video game and the film affected me so deeply as a young child. The fact that I get to be a part of this new chapter is mind-blowing.”
Garth Davis, the director behind ‘Lion’ and 2018’s ‘Mary Magdalene’ was mentioned as a potential filmmaker, though despite aggressively pursuing the job, he’s since dropped off the project.
Rønning, the Norwegian filmmaker who made his name co-directing voyaging movie ‘Kon-Tiki’, has become a reliable go-to director for Disney.
As of right now, ‘Tron: Ares’ does not have a release date. And given the potential for actors to strike once the SAG-AFTRA contract runs out at the end of this month, we don’t expect that to change for a while yet. Shooting is scheduled for August, but we’ll see if it pans out.
A scene from ‘Tron: Legacy’ directed by Joseph Kosinski.
‘Babylon’ follows the rise and fall of a group of characters during Hollywood’s transition from silent film to talkies in the 1920s.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Babylon?’
‘Babylon’ stars Brad Pitt as movie star Jack Conrad, Margot Robbie as young actress Nellie LaRoy, Diego Calva as assistant turned producer Manny Torres, Jean Smart as journalist Elinor St. John, Jovan Adepo as musician Sidney Palmer, Li Jun Li as performer Lady Fay Zhu, and Tobey Maguire as gangster James McKay.
How many 2023 Academy Award nominations did ‘Babylon’ receive?
‘Babylon’ has received three 2023 Academy Award nominations including Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score for composer Justin Hurwitz.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with two-time Academy Award winning composer Justin Hurwitz about his Oscar nominated work on ‘Babylon,’ collaborating with his friend director Damien Chazelle, watching dailies and creating music for the elephant.
‘Babylon’ Composer Justin Hurwitz.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to Damien Chazelle’s screenplay for ‘Babylon’ and the themes that you wanted to explore with the score?
Justin Hurwitz: So I got the draft in fall of 2019, and I was just so entertained by it. I mean, my jaw was kind of on the floor for a lot of these scenes, and there were great monologues and really beautifully written emotional scenes as well. So it was just such a great read. The first thing I thought was, “Oh, my God, there’s going to be a lot of music in this movie.” So Damien and I started talking about it.
Of course it’s set in old Hollywood, but what got me excited about it was right off the bat, Damien said he didn’t want the music to sound like 1920s jazz. He didn’t want it to sound like old movie music. He wanted to do something very different than that. So that got me excited, because I was thinking the same thing as I was reading the script. I was thinking super entertaining movie, but I don’t want to have to write period music, and luckily he didn’t want to do that either.
Director Damien Chazelle on the set of ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: You’ve composed all of director Damien Chazelle’s previous movies. Can you talk about collaborating with him, your working relationship, and how the process of scoring one of his films works?
JH: Well, so much of it feels exactly like it did when we were 20-years old working on the ‘Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench,’ which was our student film that kind of ballooned into a small feature. Just the process of sitting at the piano, coming up with ideas, making voice notes, sending idea, after idea to Damien getting, “No, no, no, maybe, no, no, no,” before you finally get, “Yes, I love it, that’s the one.” I rely on him so much to help steer me into my best ideas, and that has never changed. Even the process of sitting at the piano and making little MP3s hasn’t changed. But we’ve gotten more efficient over the years at certain things.
I love the way we have sort of developed it in post-production where we get offices next to each other so he can cut the movie with (editor) Tom Cross for a year or so, and I can be there the entire time, literally sharing a door. We have a suite with a shared door, so I can be in their room all the time and Damien’s coming into my room. We’re just going back and forth working on picture and music. That’s a process we’ve kind of refined over the years, and I love it. Probably my favorite time is when we’re in post, and we’re all under one roof, and we can finish the movie together, and the score can really take shape and come together. So that’s something that we learned from the past couple of movies, and we’ve sort of fallen into those practices.
Damien is full-time with Tom Cross, the editor, so they’re working together, and then Damien’s full-time with me, really. So that’s why we have these shared offices. So he can be very hands-on with the editing and very hands on with the score. What’s great about Damien is he has such a specific vision, and he’s such a specific filmmaker. He knows what he wants visually, sonically, everything, but he also lets creative people do what we do.
So it’s this very tricky balance and I think he’s found the right balance. He does it very well, and you don’t want to work with a filmmaker that doesn’t know what they want. It’s good to work with filmmakers that are very specific, and very hands on, but they need to give the latitude to the collaborators to come up with their own ideas, and explore, and be creative people of our own. So Damien does both of those things very well.
(L to R) Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Do you watch dailies and take inspiration from the actor’s performances for the score?
JH: Absolutely. There were kind of two phases of scoring this movie. We had to create about an hour of music in pre-production before we could even shoot the movie. So I was doing tons and tons of demos. We were building that for about a year and a half. We were in the studio recording that. All of that was before the movie was shot. I was going off of the script, and I was going off of Damien’s storyboards. He makes literally thousands of pages of hand-drawn storyboards, and he cuts animatics and we build to that.
Then the movie’s shot, and I’m on set. So I’m there experiencing the feeling of the shoot and the scene. The performance is actually live in front of the camera. Then we have post-production and I made about another hour of music in post-production. At that point, that’s more of the traditional film scoring approach, where I’m watching the dailies, the cuts, the scenes, and then the entire cuts.
For that last hour of score, these are the scenes that you have to just watch, and you have to just respond to what’s in the scenes. So the Manny/Nellie cues, those relationship cues, you just have to watch and respond to the rhythms of the dialogue, and the feeling of it, and the way it’s cut, and what you’re seeing in the design of it all. There were plenty of cues of that sort. So there is really kind of two totally different approaches to this movie. The hour of music we did before it was shot, and then the hour of music we did after it was shot, and it’s about two hours of score in total.
I mean, it’s so well planned because like I said, Damien has storyboarded this thing down to the fraction of a second. While I’ve been building the demos, he’s been building the storyboards. He’s like, “Give me two more seconds here, cut a half second from there.” It’s like we are refining this. Of course things change, and that becomes part of my job. I said, an hour of music is created beforehand. I’m still rebuilding that music through post-production as well, because as the cut comes together, we are lengthening, or shortening, or rebuilding, and moving things around. Things are always changing. But I don’t think there were any pieces of music that we recorded that just got cut from the movie or anything that was that drastically rethought when it comes to those pre-recorded tracks.
MF: Finally, what was it like scoring the scenes with the elephant?
JH: Well, I wasn’t on set for the actual defecation scene. But the elephant does burst into the party a little bit later. That was fun because the track “Voodoo Mama” is the track that’s going on, and that’s where Nellie, Margot Robbie’s character is dancing, crowd surfing, and completely owning this room. It’s a real fun jazz band meets rock and roll, meets dance music sort of track. That track, as soon as the elephant bursts through the door, takes a big turn into circus music. So we have kazoos and slide whistles, and the band starts playing almost like a circus band in with all these crash symbols and circus sort of music. So the track takes a big turn there, and that was a very fun genre to play in.
We actually use circus sounds throughout the score. We bring a lot of those sounds back even during some of those really intimate Manny/Nellie cues. Those cues are kind of this mixture of three pianos that have this very fragile, broken, half out of tune quality. But in those cues, sometimes we pull in little circus sounds as well because their relationship is a bit of a circus, and it’s just sort of a motif in this movie. So we had a lot of fun with many different colors in this score, including circus colors.
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
‘Babylon’ is produced by Paramount, Marc Platt Production, Material Pictures, C2 Motion Picture Group, Wild Chickens and Organism Pictures. ‘Babylon’ debuts on digital and streaming January 31st, and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD beginning March 21st.
