"Big news! James is now working on Peter Jackson's King Kong. It will open on December 14."

According to Soundtrack.Net:

"Sources in the film music industry have indicated to SoundtrackNet that Howard Shore's score to Peter Jackson's King Kong has been dropped. Hired to replace him is composer James Newton Howard. Due out on December 14, the film requires over two hours of music, which must now be written over the next few weeks.

And with the exception of a few films it's also not a good sign for the movie either when a score is replaced this late in the game.

Sooo... let's see. It seems to me that most of the time when a recorded score is pulled it's because test audiences say something bright like "the score is old-fashioned" in between other comments like "the acting stinks", "the plot is senseless" and "the effects are poor". Since the studio can't reshoot the whole movie, they change the score and magically everything is perfect again.

As for replacing Shore with JNH... :shrug: Either way, I don't care.
[/HYPOTHESIS MODE]

It's pretty hard to believe this is true. Not after the Jackson-Shore relationship seemed to be going so well. I'll believe it a little later, if or when it gets confirmed.

CONFIRMED: JAMES NEWTON HOWARD TO SCORE 'KING KONG'
10/14/05, 6:25 pm EST - Xoanon

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Pictures confirmed today that James Newton Howard will compose the original score for the dramatic adventure "King Kong," which is directed by triple Academy Award(R) winner Peter Jackson. Mr. Howard replaces Howard Shore, who is leaving the project.

Peter Jackson made the following statement: "I have greatly enjoyed my collaborations with Howard Shore, whose musical themes made immeasurable contributions to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. During the last few weeks, Howard and I came to realize that we had differing creative aspirations for the score of 'King Kong.' Rather than waste time arguing with a friend and trying to unify our points of view, we decided amicably to let another composer score the film. I'm looking forward to working with James Newton Howard, a composer whose work I've long admired, and I thank Howard Shore, whose talent is surpassed only by his graciousness."

"King Kong" will be released December 14, 2005.

________________________________________

Still not convinced.

EDIT: found it

Convinced now.

EDIT 2:
I got an email from Dan Goldwasser confirming the news, also saying recording dates had already been set.

Waterworld is pretty good as well although I find most of his big action themes to be a bit on the cheesy side.

I like most of JNH's music but he's not someone I get excited over when I see his name in the credits.

Sorry guys, this was such an anticipated score for me that I was counting down those days until December 6th. I know that a lot of you share my dislike of this change; because I can't be the only one.

If Jackson's statement is just fluff for niceness' sake, we're looking at a picture that has test screened poorly, most likely by Universal execs, and at such a late stage in the game, the only thing "fixable" now is the music.

In actuality, the situation may be a combination of all of the above. In any event, this is a nasty thing. Universal should know that Shore is a big name now, and to do this will harm their film (which is probably a piece of crap, if these are the measures they think will fix it). I doubt U will approve any release of Shore's score, and I doubt Shore will be as naive as Yared and post the thing on his website or make promo CDs!

--Bri

quote:

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Originally posted by Crono/Kyp:
Wow...I though the score was recorded already? Looks like Decca also updatted their site (re JNH) with the CD still coming on Dec 6th.

--Bri

[Message edited by Crono/Kyp on 10-14-2005]

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Jesus, it seems like things are travelling really fast on this news! None of this is really helping any PR for the film.

In case you guys didn't catch it, WETA has also updated the look of Kong. Check this link and scroll down a bit to see the comparison of the original Kong back when the first teaser was unveiled and the new look. It is quite a big change.

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=21556

NP: Shore's The Fly (************/************)

Jack Black as Carl Denham

Adrien Brody as Jack Driscoll

It requires a certain amount of screen presence 'heft' to construct the dramatic tension of the lead characters... and I was surprised early on at these picks, especially Jack Black.

If perchance we end up with a weak screenplay, limited acting, and wanting effects... then no composer alive or otherwise could compose the music to salvage it.

Jackson, like Ray Harryhausen before him, considers watching KONG to be one of those seminal film experiences, something that made him want to make movies himself.

So KONG is a Jackson vanity project, something the director wants to make that he's rewarded with for doing commercial fare. Or, in other words, no one would have made KONG if Jackson hadn't already made the 3 LOTR films. The studio may be throwing Jackson a bone to keep him happy, but KONG's a film Jackson has a personal investment in seeing done his way.

I consider Shore to be a better composer than JN Howard but Howard has some good scores under his belt too, one shouldn't forget that. Of course, I'm a little like Dinko here. [You know, shrug. Not moved enough by the film or either composer to care deeply. And I agree with Scorro that I just don't see Jack Black as Carl Denham or Adrian Brody as Jack Driscoll. I'm not sure who I would have picked, but not these guys.]

The only real drawback is that Howard has to write a replacement score in a brief time period and under dictate and pressure. Even there one never knows. I wrote some of my best papers the night before they were due in class.

I guess we'll have to wait for The True Gen about how the replacement came about. Maybe it's as we suspect, that the score is fine but that the film is bad and some suits want to "fix" things. If that's true, I'm sure they're fixing a lot of details and it may not be Jackson's film any more.

However, if Jackson is still in charge, it seems a little unlikely that Jackson would ok a score replacement without a fight if he really liked the Shore score since KONG's a personal project.

Maybe we should take Jackson at his word that he really doesn't think the Shore score works, that it isn't Max Steiner enough or something, and rather than insult Shore by telling him to try again and re-score it the way he wants it, he's starting fresh.

I don't know Shore but I can't imagine he wouldn't try to give Jackson what he wanted. The way Jackson puts it in his statement, it's like Shore had ideas of his own he didn't want to change and so he got the boot. Now I can relate to that myself since I always fought with editors and liked doing things my own way but I'm surprised to hear composers for hire are like this after working 30 years in the business (if you catch what I'm saying here).

Like I said, hopefully someone will talk in a few months and explain the thing to us away from the smokescreen of these perfumed press releases.

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkA:
This statement may fool the general public, but to those of us who slavishly follow movie scoring we know this is B.S.

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You know what, you must be right. The real statement should have read: "Shore and I f--king hate each other, I can't believe how we both disagreed so damn much that after years of intricate personal collaboration, we mutually decided we're both tossers, and we'll both go back to our own respective hell-holes of obscurity, and I'm going to get Newton-Howard to score this gargantuan dud that's waiting to happen."

However if they wanted to replace him so badly,then James Newton Howard is a great choice,and still looking forward to this score,as for Howard Shore's score,it will eventually come up in Ebay or something as usually.

As for the movie,i never had any intention in seeing it,and now more then ever...

NP - Vertical Limit (oh my...what a coincidence)

You know what, you must be right. The real statement should have read: "Shore and I f--king hate each other, I can't believe how we both disagreed so damn much that after years of intricate personal collaboration, we mutually decided we're both tossers, and we'll both go back to our own respective hell-holes of obscurity, and I'm going to get Newton-Howard to score this gargantuan dud that's waiting to happen."

Or...maybe Jackson's telling the truth, and the rest of us know that sometimes creative differences happen.[/B]<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh come on Lancelot, you really believe that after $2 million spent on the music, including converting a theater into an elaborate sound stage, and after months of direct communication and work on this score, and as you said "years of intricate personal collaboration" that Jackson said to Shore "Well you know Howard all this time I thought I was going to love it, based on your synth demos that you have created and the multiple ideas we have talked about, but now I just hate it." Don't you think that this splitting apart for "creative differences" would have occurred in June instead of October?

[Message edited by MarkA on 10-15-2005]

[Message edited by MarkA on 10-15-2005]

quote:

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I assume that Shores score was too static for the action on screen. If you listen to the action pieces in Lord of the rings ,they are pretty static.Theres is not a lot going on in counterpoint and such things. I assume that they want a more "mickeymousing score" with more dynamic and kynetic action music and when you listen to J.N. Howards adventure and action scores like Atlantis the action pieces are more chaotic and mickeymousy.

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Good point. I havent heard enough of Shore's score to make judgement on any static quality but its a possibility. What worked so well with Steiner's score is that it had leitmotifs that augmented the onscreen animation and gave, what are essentially inanimate objects, a soul and real emotions in his music. Perhaps a more "mickey-mousing" and "leitmotif" type of score is needed here after all. What a coincidence that the term "mickey-mousing" was used extensively in commenting about the original....the classic "mickey-mousing" scene being when Steiner used pizzicato strings to fit the footsteps of the chief of the natives as he walked towards Denham and Gang.

Gae

Again, according to Thaxton, Shore had followed Jackson's wishes by giving him a kind of Steineresque score. And chances are Jackson heard piano and synth mock ups of it before they went to record it and spend so much cash on the film music budget.

It's possible the film is still good or atleast so-so but the suits don't like the retro sound and want it to sound like everything else. I guess we'll know when it comes out what the reviewers think. It's either a good film or it's Psycho directed by Gus Van Sant.

Still, I just can't see the clowning Jack Black I know from High Fidelity, School of Rock, and Tenacious D as a tough, fast-talking world explorer. Merian C. Cooper must be spitting in his grave.

To paraphrase Thaxton, it sounded from the press release that Jackson had his balls in a vice. So chances are that there were no creative differences between Shore and Jackson. That the suits just don't like Shore's music and are imposing JN Howard on the film. Jackson probably has no like for Howard despite what is said in the release but has to take him. If he'd always liked the guy he would have hired him in the first place, right?

I'm not going to pass judgement until I hear the music and see the film. JNH might do a great job.

But I'm wondering (as are a few others) how long until they announce the release date for the film has been changed. Don't think they aren't considering it.

And I wouldn't count on the score being released on the 6th of December like announced. If it is, we'll get a disc with the tracks only on the CD, and not in the liner notes or back cover (anyone remember "Hook?")

quote:

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Originally posted by zimmerito:
its not very hard to think that maybe James hire some MV guy for additional music.
Don't u think?

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Doubtful. JNH might be writing the music, but I think PJ might have a say if James NH goes out and hires "talent." Why ruin the music? Kong is the last film that needs to be "scored by committee."

Let's have a great score instead.

Did anybody else click on the link to the updated Kong image? This is also something to suspect with the advent of the last-minute composer switch.