Oscar-nominated film composer Elliot Goldenthal has been inked to score Barry Levinson’s “Sphere” and two projects for director Neil Joran – Warner Bros.’ “The Butcher Boy” and DreamWorks’ “Blue Vision”.
“Sphere” and “Butcher Boy” mark Goldenthal’s eighth and ninth films in a row for Warner Bros.
The score for Levinson’s film, an underwater adventure thriller starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson and based on a novel by Michael Crichton, is due for completion in November and scheduled for release Dec. 12.
“I’m going for an environmental theme,” Goldenthal said. “The music should have a feeling of imbalance, claustrophobia, and paranoia.” Goldenthal said he will use a full orchestra and home-made electronics to achieve his desired goals.
Goldenthal and Jordan are reteaming on “The Butcher Boy”. Goldenthal, who received Academy Award nominations for his two other Jordan projects, “Michael Collins” and “Interview with the Vampire”, looks forward to working with the Irish director again.
“We have gotten to know each other’s moves,” Goldenthal said. “We don’t have to sit and worry about every scene. We know each other.”
On “The Butcher Boy”, about the disintegration of a child’s psyche in Ireland during the Cuban missile crisis, Goldenthal said he was going for “an orchestral and demented ’60s pop sound.” The film stars Stephen Rea, Fiona Shaw, and Sinéad O’Connor.
Goldenthal said he will also work on Jordan’s next project for DreamWorks, “Blue Vision”, starring Annette Bening, Aidan Quinn, and Robert Downey Jr.
Goldenthal said he will begin scoring “Blue Vision” in March. The film, now shooting in New England, tells a horror story about a woman who, following a family tragedy, discovers she shares the same psychic vision as a serial killer.
In addition to his film work, Goldenthal is writing a trumpet and piano concerto with Wynton Marsalis and his ballet, ‘Othello’, just opened at the San Francisco Ballet.
Goldenthal’s previous film credits include “Batman & Robin”, “A Time To Kill”, “Heat”, “Cobb”, “Alien 3”, and “Drugstore Cowboy”, among others.