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Author	Topic: KING KONG 2005. Who should score?

PeterK FishChip	Peter Jackson finally got his wish and will be directing this forthcoming version for Universal Pictures, a film which looks to be quite amazing considering all the LOTR players and locations involed. Production shooting starts in New Zealand January 2004. The same visual effects team from LOTR are signed on, and thus one can only wonder if Jackson will have Howard Shore compose the score? LOTR was a challenging project for Shore for sure, but King Kong appears to be even moreso, considering the ground Shore will be treading (or "re-treading in some sense).... to most movie critics, Max Steiner's original music for the 1933 version popularly and essentially gave birth to motivic movie music as we know it today. What do you think? I am excited, no matter who scores this one... uhhhh, except maybe one or two composers.
posted 03-30-2003 09:51 PM PT (US)

dgoldwas Oscar® Winner	Well, that's awesome that he finally got his go-ahead. The script was pretty tight (but needs a bit of a clean-up), and the production artwork / model mockups I've seen indicate that this film should be pretty kickin'. As for the score, hmm.... I'm probably going way out on a limb here, but I would love to see an adaptation of Steiner's score, ala what Elfman did for PSYCHO. (Heck, let Elfman do it.) Dan
posted 03-30-2003 09:59 PM PT (US)

TimT Oscar® Winner	I'd be interested in hearing, Maurice Jarre or John Scott (remember he scored King Kong 2!) or even Alan Williams. And if the film's sensibilities call for a more classic approach to the original movie, then I nominate composer Carl Davis. Oor Es Mayr Eem from Ararat (Mychael Danna)
posted 03-30-2003 10:00 PM PT (US)

Crono/Kyp Oscar® Winner	Well you'd think after LOTR Jackson could do anything he wanted Go Shore --Brian
posted 03-30-2003 10:04 PM PT (US)

rkeaveney Oscar® Winner	Danny Elfman is a big fan of Max Steiner's original score and I think Jackson, who worked with Elfman on THE FRIGHTENERS, will give him the chance to unleash similiar bombast. Ryan
posted 03-30-2003 10:23 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	Brian, of course! His relationship with Shore must be completely unbreakable, but is it not too early to start flooding Jackson's mailbox with letters about the dreaded Max Steiner "curse" that will come over Shore? A severe case of composer's block will darken Shore's mind and thunder will rumble to death any melodic developments.... Ouch! That said, two words for everyone now: Basil Poledouris How incredible would this be?
posted 03-30-2003 10:25 PM PT (US)

HadrianD Oscar® Winner	Forget about who will compose the score, let's talk about how we would want it to sound like. I want a full on brass-to-the-wall score with pounding timpanis. Hmmm, kinda like how they did the Godzilla series....
posted 03-30-2003 10:45 PM PT (US)

MMM Oscar® Nominee	Sorry, but the most qualified person is the one and only John Morgan, for reasons that should be apparent to all those in the know. His personal style coupled with his unequalled love of KONG would result in a monumental piece of work, even if the film is a disgrace.
posted 03-31-2003 12:00 AM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by PeterK: *The same visual effects team from LOTR* are signed on, and thus one can only wonder if Jackson will have Howard Shore compose the score?** But WETA were founded by PJ and have been working with him since The Frighteners or Heavenly Creatures (whichever came first, don't remember right now). And so far PJ has been using a different composer for each of his movies (counting LOTR as one). I'd be happy to see Shore back, but I'm quite confident that Jackson will make the/a right decision, whether he picks Shore or someone else.
posted 03-31-2003 02:47 AM PT (US)

Lou Goldberg Oscar® Winner	Who should score? No one. Yet another King Kong movie. Who gave this dumb idea a green light? Haven't they learned from bombs like Godzilla and Dracula 2000 that these creaky old critters are best left to RIP. And what the fork is he supposed to climb his time, the 9/11 memorial? Ugh.
posted 03-31-2003 03:09 AM PT (US)

SFT Oscar® Winner	I agree with Lou here. Yet ANOTHER remake?? Who needs it? Get some new material folks! SFT
posted 03-31-2003 03:42 AM PT (US)

Timmer Oscar® Winner	With Jackson at the helm I have high hopes for this. I would go with the 'K' on this one and hope it would be Basil Poledouris but Shore would be fine too! John Barry did a fantastic score for the crappy (but guilty pleasure of mine) 1976 remake.
posted 03-31-2003 04:25 AM PT (US)

jonathan_little Oscar® Winner	I think it's time to dust off those 1933 tracks and expand them to 5.1 digital surround!
posted 03-31-2003 05:07 AM PT (US)

John F Oscar® Winner	Track the film with Barry's cues from the 70's remake- the music was far superior then the film it was written for... maybe this new remake will be a worthy contender for Barry... John F
posted 03-31-2003 05:17 AM PT (US)

ManOfSorrows Oscar® Winner	Peter Dasent
posted 03-31-2003 06:30 AM PT (US)

Dinko Oscar® Winner	I'll agree with the anti-remakers who say this movie is useless. But... since I have nothing better to do, I'll just go ahead and name the two people I always name for this type of question: William Ross or Christopher Stone.
posted 03-31-2003 07:13 AM PT (US)

JJH Oscar® Winner	Brian Tyler NP -- Lust for Life
posted 03-31-2003 07:35 AM PT (US)

Kevin Oscar® Winner	And maybe they can get Madonna to do the title song!!!!
posted 03-31-2003 07:48 AM PT (US)

dgoldwas Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Marian Schedenig: *WETA were founded by PJ and have been working with him since The Frighteners* or Heavenly Creatures (whichever came first, don't remember right now). Heavenly Creatures came first. quote: And so far PJ has been using a different composer for each of his movies (counting LOTR as one).** Not true; he's used Peter Dasent multiple times. Dan
posted 03-31-2003 09:17 AM PT (US)

Mark Olivarez Oscar® Winner	Well at first I wasn't too sure about this remake, I read an early version of the script and really didn't care for it too much. However my mind changed after viewing the first two installments of LOTR. King Kong is a classic and the 1976 film, minus Barry's wonderful score, let me down in a big way. After watching my beloved Godzilla turned into a cowering iguanna and Might Joe Young tanking I pray that my opinion of Peter Jackson does not suffer and he can deliver a re-make worthy of the original. I would like to see Howard Shore or Basil Poledouris get this scoring assignment. Yes John Morgan would be a nice choice to take a shot as well. Based on his score for The Lost World I would be in heaven if John Williams could do it but I know that's wishful thinking. I would like to see an original score composed for this film. Steiner's score is a classic and should be left for the film it was intended for.
posted 03-31-2003 09:47 AM PT (US)

Camillu Oscar® Winner	The only reason Elfman could use Hermann's score for Psycho was because it was a shot-for-shot remake. I'm quite sure Jackson is going to give us his own vision of King Kong, so that would need a new score. I think Shore can tackle anything you hand him at this point, but would also be interested in seeing Williams, Silvestri, Poledouris, Arnold, Jones or mostly Goldenthal have a shot. Don Davis could also work wonders IMO. As long as it's fully orchestral. Give the ape the symphonic score he deserves (which is why I wouldn't be too keen on Elfman, judging from his recent work). [Message edited by Camillu on 03-31-2003]
posted 03-31-2003 10:07 AM PT (US)

lancer Oscar® Winner	well, once again im probably getting my hopes up way to high, but I think poledouris could work wonders with a movie like this. maybe, bruce broughton, alan silvestri, or don davis.
posted 03-31-2003 10:46 AM PT (US)

Gae Oscar® Winner	Are there any websites dedicated to this new remake? Personally, I'd love to see this happen as the original King Kong film is a personal favourite and I reckon Peter Jackson would this time around do another remake real justice at last. Funnily enough, I was only thinking recently that I'd love to see a remake of this classic using modern special effects technology and an updated storyline. What brought this on was after seeing the "Cave Troll" in LOTR which was amazing and looked like the original ape in "Mighty Joe Young" in style and movement, I felt that a new Kong would look great done the same way. Couple this with the Jungle set and Spinosaurus/T-Rex fight from Jurrasic Park III and the atmosphere and look of the film would be stunning. I personally would love to see a modern re-arrangement/re-imagining of Steiner's classic score just out of curiosity to see what could be done with it. Whatever way you look at it though, unlike the sceptics of this remake I welcome any movie of this escapist nature and I'll be adding another DVD/Score to my collection no doubt when the film comes out. Gae [Message edited by Gae on 03-31-2003]
posted 03-31-2003 02:05 PM PT (US)

Dylan Oscar® Winner	John Morgan
posted 03-31-2003 03:41 PM PT (US)

dgoldwas Oscar® Winner	I might be off here, but why John Morgan? He does excellent reconstruction work, and what he and Stromberg did with KING KONG was great stuff.... and while I really enjoyed his contributions to Stromberg's scores to the Atomic Bomb documentaries, what else has he done that has everyone shouting his name? Dan
posted 03-31-2003 04:24 PM PT (US)

Squiddybop Oscar® Nominee	Hmm, a score for a film about a larger than life behemoth creating destruction an a grand scale...how about Mychael Danna?
posted 03-31-2003 04:32 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	LOL, bop! Why not, eh? Seems like he should have some free time now.... dgoldwas, the one person who has more emotional connection to KING KONG, and who also happens to be a film composer, is John Morgan. Sure, Elfman wrote some liners for the Rhino issue of Steiner's King Kong parading his love for the movie and score, but this pales in comparison to Morgan's affection for the stuff. Now, if Jackson comes out and says his version will be a remake ("shot for shot" or whatever), there is no one better for the job than Morgan. He has more intimate knowledge of Steiner's score than anyone on the planet. He was even hanging around when the other Steiner re-recorded Max's score in 1976. But since you've read the script, and you know this one is not a Psycho-1998-type of remake of the classic, (which puzzles me then why you'd say a 1998-Psycho-type adaptation by Elfman would be neat), this won't be happening for these obvious reasons. Unfortunately in Hollywood, the best people for the behind-the-scenes job are rarely hired these days, as studios fill in the formulas to come up with the best equation. It would be neat if Morgan got this job, but the reality is off.... just about as off as Poledouris working on this. But we can all hope.... which is all we're supposed to be doing right now.
posted 03-31-2003 04:47 PM PT (US)

dgoldwas Oscar® Winner	PeterK, All you argument did is tell me why John Morgan should oversee an adaptation of Steiner's score. Intimate knowledge of that piece of work is not a qualifying reason to be hired onto a film that (as you yourself say) is not a shot-for-shot remake (ala PSYCHO). Dan
posted 03-31-2003 08:23 PM PT (US)

Dylan Oscar® Winner	Dan, I guess you would have to listen to John Morgan's scores for "The Aftermath," "The Magic Treasure," and "Demon in the Bottle" to really get the gist of what he has to offer (the latter two are unreleased films {though a suite from Demon is contained on his promo}, and the first I mentioned is an out of print b-movie, so good luck). His work, in my opinion, is truly excellent, certainly the most authentically Herrmann/Steiner-esc. music from a composer living today. Much greater attention and admiration should be brought to this underused talent. I believe he is the soul composer living today who truly has the ability to reach Herrmann and Steiner, and come out with an old-fashioned orchestral score sincerely reminiscnet in the style of those men, yet entirely authentic in it's own right. He is certainly best known for his reconstruction work on the Marco Polo score cds, but it is unfortunate that many (too many) haven't had the opportunity to hear his film scores. I believe that if he had the opportunity to score King Kong, the end product would be one of the most extravagant and memorable film scores of our time. Dylan [Message edited by Dylan on 03-31-2003]
posted 03-31-2003 09:18 PM PT (US)

Skycar12 Oscar® Nominee	hehe...the first thought that came to mind was John Barry....label once again is Mask, numbered MK 704...only kidding. Actually it's hard to say who should compose the score, until more about the script is known. Will the movie be pure action or more on the romantic side. For pure action..either Basil Poledouris or John Morgan. Romantic...John Barry or maybe even George Fenton. If the script was part action/romantic...probably Howard Shore.....but then.......here is a golden opportunity for Jerry Goldsmith to get a well deserved oscar. NP: Explorers - Goldsmith
posted 03-31-2003 09:39 PM PT (US)

PeterK FishChip	OMG, dgoldwas. You show an uncanny knack for understanding. Fantastic!
posted 04-01-2003 01:37 AM PT (US)

Alexborn007 Oscar® Winner	I don't think anyone noteworthy should compose it. Give it to a new guy and see what direction they can take with it. Personally, I don't think KKong should be remade AT ALL. Kaiju (monster) movies just don't work in America anymore. Godzilla failed, Mighty Joe Young had Bill Paxton, and the closest we get to sucessful ones are the Jurassic Park series (although they are not technically kaiju). So, I say good luck to Peter Jackson as it will take a budget and vision of mass proportions to realize this one. Even then, it may not appeal to the public.
posted 04-01-2003 03:29 AM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Alexborn007: Kaiju (monster) movies just don't work in America anymore. But only the money is from America...the rest is from New Zealand.
posted 04-01-2003 05:38 AM PT (US)

Dinko Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Marian Schedenig: But only the money is from America...the rest is from New Zealand. Perfect combination. Money from America, talent from elsewhere. Except what do you do when Universal Pictures is a division of Frenchie VivendiUniversal? Or when Columbia/TriStar is Japanese? Where does the money come from, then?
posted 04-01-2003 06:16 AM PT (US)

dgoldwas Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by PeterK: *OMG, dgoldwas. You show an uncanny knack for understanding. Fantastic!* Right... and you show an uncanny knack for letting things go. Dan
posted 04-01-2003 07:07 AM PT (US)

1helluvamusicfan Oscar® Nominee	hmmmmmmmm, dangerous journey mr. jackson is embarking on, I think... Couldn't he just do The Hobbit and leave it at that!
posted 04-01-2003 08:48 AM PT (US)

Beatty Oscar® Winner	Goldsmith, by a damn dirty ape's paw! No one has better monkey movie cred. Planet of the Apes! Escape from Planet of the Apes! Link! Congo! Baby, Secret of the Lost Legend (It's the same thing!) Um, Fierce Creatures ... I think there was a monkey in Innerspace and Coma ... Link, people! LINK!
posted 04-01-2003 05:26 PM PT (US)

Has'ta Oscar® Nominee	Poledouris would be awesome, Peter. But seriously, what are the odds? I mean, hell, how long has it been since Poledouris scored a picture?
posted 04-01-2003 09:09 PM PT (US)

Lou Goldberg Oscar® Winner	Who should score? I should. Me and the kazoo band are gettin' real good and we'd come up with better stuff than most of these here Hollywood com-poseurs. I read that Jackson has been wanting to do this for some time. Go figure. While I was impressed with Heavenly Creatures, I did not care for the LOTR stuff. Jackson is over-rated as a director. So, a poor subject and and a so-so director=waste of time for all concerned. Bah, humbug.
posted 04-02-2003 02:55 AM PT (US)

Dinko Oscar® Winner	quote: Originally posted by Has'ta: I mean, hell, how long has it been since Poledouris scored a picture? A year. He scored The Touch. And wasted everyone's time at it too.
posted 04-02-2003 06:10 AM PT (US)

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