In my gig as a professional writer of words about movies, spoilers come with the territory. I do my best to avoid any rumors I can, but I also try to avoid any early content released by studios, like individual scenes dropped on social media, and especially music. I like to experience the whole movie for the first time if I can. Of course, that aimed-at pureness rarely happens, and such wasn't the case with Michael Giacchino’s theme for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Of course, I can’t be too bummed that I’ve already heard the theme, because it’s an incredible piece of music that, after hearing it the first time, I've intentionally listened to multiple times since. (Not too much.) Still, even I wasn’t ready to hear it performed by an actual choir, an aural experience that now has me even more excited for the rest of the score and the entire movie. Check it out.

A Brazilian Fantastic Four fan account posted the short clip of this chorus performing the Fantastic Four theme, and Ben Grimm's hat's off to them. Hearing the voices sing the name of the superhero team is already impressive in the trailers for the film, but somehow it’s even more powerful watching people actually do it.

I’ve been excited for The Fantastic Four: First Steps in a way I haven’t been for a lot of the MCU movies post-Endgame. That’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed them, but little had me excited to see them, and few of them gave me much reason to think about them again after they were over.

Fantastic Four and its retro-future aesthetic just gives the entire movie a different feel, and right now, anything different just seems like it could be better. The potential for Fantastic Four to give new life to the MCU, and to even do more for Disney as a whole, cannot be undersold. The same is true of the score. While Michael Giacchino has scored MCU movies before, none of them sound like this.

Based on the hype surrounding the new movie, I don’t appear to be the only one especially excited to see the Fantastic Four movie, and considering the history of Fantastic Four movies, that alone is an accomplishment. Considering that neither of the two MCU movies released earlier this year were likely the hits Marvel Studios was hoping for, there’s likely a lot riding on this new entry.

With a little more than two weeks before the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, I’m still going to be working to avoid last-minute spoilers. I’m going to try to avoid hearing any more of the movie score if I can. Although I expect I’ll be listening to the theme quite a few times before I go see the movie on July 25.

For fans of both the MCU and the horror genre, Disney+’s Agatha All Along has been a perfect crossroads of freaky fun and Marvel magick, and has given audiences revamped reasons to follow along. That said, we’d all love to see the comic-centric studio add more spooky and scary offerings to its slate for the 2025 TV season and beyond, such as another standalone special (or more) from Gael Garcia Bernal’s Werewolf by Night. But could it happen?

That’s one of many questions fans have been asking ever since the first special aired back in October 2022, serving as the first fully black-and-white MCU project. (At least until the color version was added for those with Disney+ subscriptions.) The all-time great composer Michael Giacchino, who directed the Werewolf by Night special, spoke with Brandon Davis about his upcoming work on Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four: First Steps and other projects, and when the topic of seeing more from Bernal’s Jack Russell came up, here’s how he answered:

Ah, ye olde glory days of 2022, when it seemed like a no-brainer that Kevin Feige would continue supporting MCU horror by bringing Man-Thing back to be the new leader for Avengers: Doomsday and other upcoming Marvel movies. Wait, that might have just been in my head and not what everyone else was thinking. But the general point there is, in the two years since Werewolf by Night came out, Marvel has tightened its proverbial pursestrings and became more conservative with its development slate.

We’d love to think that Deadpool & Wolverine’s mega-earnings is a sign of only good things to come all around, but the studio has been sitting on and reconfiguring a lot of upcoming TV projects as of late, from Ironheart to Eyes of Wakanda to Daredevil: Born Again. Which isn't to say those shows are being shelved or anything, but just that more discretion is being taken.

To that end, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is the only other release currently sharing the Marvel Studios Special Presentations banner with Werewolf by Night, despite the studio making it seem as if this would be a regularly occuring place to find lesser-highlighted comic favorites. Sure, there's a rumored special that was supposedly filmed to revolve around Mephisto, but given how many unproven rumors have surrounded that character, it's not safe to put all those goose eggs in basket.

I think it’s arguable-to-fair to say that horror projects aren’t at the forefront of Marvel’s interests, since Mahershala Ali’s long-awaited Blade reboot has been gestating for years without an official production start. And I'm still waiting on some kind of Ghost Rider return, especially if Diego Luna returns to the role. If they can bring Robert Downey Jr. back to play Doctor Doom, getting Luna back on a motorcycle should be child's play. (Let's get Chucky in the MCU while we're at it.)

For now, not even the first special's director has a clue of what's happening with the character, but here's hoping something changes...or transforms...on that front in the near future.

Like so many Marvel fans, I’ll never forget sitting in a theater for both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. If you saw the two Marvel movies in order you doubtless had a similar experience to mine: Never have two movies felt more like an event in my lifetime than getting to behold how the many threads set up over the matter of a decade transformed into a satisfying and– somewhat Shakespearean – finale that had my jaw ajar. While I’ve always treasured those theatrical moments as a closing chapter to an incredible era of action cinema, when I witnessed Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience at the Hollywood Bowl over the weekend, it brought my fandom to a whole new level.

CinemaBlend was invited to share in the high energy of seeing a retrospective of the Infinity Saga with 15,000+ fans, and it has just become a new core memory for me. The music experience performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic across two nights is the first of its kind for the franchise. I gained an even deeper appreciation for the MCU’s legacy thus far, especially in terms of its collection of powerful movie themes, and I need to talk about the best moments from the music-filled evening.

The Night Began With The Marvel Studios Theme Being Performed Live, And I Was Nerding Out 

The show started with Marvel boss Kevin Feige coming to the stage to present the event by offering the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s distinguished conductor Gustavo Dudamel a “vibranium” baton to wield across the two and a half hour live event. (And, I must also point out that the harp on stage was fabulously painted withIron Man colors!)

With that, the experience got underway with a live performance of the “Marvel Studios Theme,” that we’ve heard many times over at the start of MCU movies and TV shows. It set the tone for a beautiful night out by elevating the piece in brand new ways. The opening is seriously never going to be the same again with any upcoming Marvel movies I see from now on.

I Was Bursting With Nostalgia Over The Formation Of The Avengers

The show then proceeded to go from the first Iron Man and work its way to the historical first Avengers film where the original team collided to fight Loki. Now, that movie came out more than a decade ago. Sure, a decade might be nothing to some people, but as a 28-year-old, I realized during the show that I’ve been following these characters grace the big screen for over half of my life now.

Not only are they part of pop culture, but they are woven in the fabric of my (and so many fans in attendance) upbringing and lifetime. It was really special to see the first flight of Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man with a live orchestra soundtracking it or even Chris Evan’s Cap having his first hero moments before the concert victoriously built up to “The Avengers Theme”. All while fans of literally all ages oohed and ahhed.

The Spider-Man Theme Got Me Super Emotional 

Now, it should be noted that the concert experience didn’t go through every one of the 23 Marvel movies in the Infinity Saga. It completely skipped over the Iron Man, Thor and Captain America sequels along with Age of Ultron and gave heroes like Doctor Strange, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel short and sweet tributes. But, honestly that was alright with me given the gorgeous way my favorite MCU hero, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was highlighted. I’ve always loved Michael Giacchino’s score for Homecoming and on, but after seeing the other themes prior live just before it, I could really hear why it’s so special.

It’s a softer piece of music than the others, implementing a lot more strings and that really encapsulates how unique and human Peter Parker is in relation to the other heroes. I had tears in my eyes as the orchestra played the Spidey segment, especially considering they showed his “Come On, Spider-Man!” moment from the end of Homecoming.

My Appreciation For Black Panther In The MCU Soared Into The Stars 

During the show, I also made up my mind that Black Panther’s music is the studio’s greatest achievement in terms of this medium once this part of the concert was unveiled. The music is much different from everything we heard before that and brings new meaning to “epic superhero music” that I really felt the emotion of as scenes of the movie played on the screen.

Plus, a musician with the talking drum came out to round out the orchestra in a really stunning way. I still cannot believe Chadwick Boseman died four years ago, and I cannot imagine the role being recast – as the internet has been discussing lately.

I Was Very Happy To See Black Widow Be Given A Tribute By The Orchestra 

While the first half of the concert focused on introducing all the heroes, the second half was about saying goodbye to the Infinity Saga, particularly through highlighting the best scenes from Infinity War and Endgame. More on that in a bit, but first, here’s something I wasn’t expecting from the concert: a Black Widow tribute section!

As Marvel fans know, Natasha Romanoff dies in Endgame while she and Hawkeye are on Vormir to retrieve the Soul Stone. I’ve never been able to pick out any sort of Black Widow piece of music if I’m being honest, but I loved how the Hollywood Bowl concert dedicated an entire piece of music to the character’s memory. It was seriously beautiful and moving as it showed scenes from throughout her time in the MCU.

Somehow, My Experience With The Infinity War And Endgame Battles Got Elevated 

Something I’ve yet to talk about the experience was how interactive the whole thing felt. No, it wasn’t simply a movie screen and some instruments, there was a lot more going on than that! For one, the massive crowd was given these light up bracelets that would change colors depending on the scenes we were watching. Also, there was projections around the rim of the historic bowl and lights across the stage that would go along with the scenes being showcased as well.

This was very much effective during the entire show, but specifically when we got to the famed Infinity War and Endgame battles. While Thanos was collecting the stones, the rim of the bowl showed which stones he had acquired. It added a lot more emotion to the scene where Thanos takes the Mind Stone from Vision, leading half the universe to turn to dust. I never thought I would have a better experience than the first time I watched those movies, but the concert gave each scene a new weight that just hit harder!

Plus, Michael Giacchino Surprised The Audience With His Brilliant Fantastic Four Theme 

The show ended with a beautiful fireworks display that paid tribute to each Avenger and brought me right back to seeing Endgame for the first time. But, in Marvel branding, there was also an “end credits” of sorts for the show right after that. Michael Giacchino himself unexpectedly came on stage to interrupt a group of fans starting to leave the venue and ask if they had just four more minutes to spare. And by four he meant that he had the orchestra play the theme for next summer’s Fantastic Four: First Steps. Sure, it previously debuted at D23, but seeing the orchestra play the piece live got me more excited one of 2025’s movies than I had expected to be.

The tune felt completely sci-fi, epic and bouncy. It made me feel like the movie is going to be really fun and otherworldly to the other MCU movies we’ve seen so far. While I felt mostly nostalgic during the concert, the finale made me feel more hopeful for what’s next in the Multiverse Saga!

Marvel has made so many quintessential themes from the franchise over the years, but have never been on center stage quite the same way as this. I hope these two nights are not the only times Marvel does the Infinity Saga Concert Experience, because it was one for the books!

I’m going to put my cards on the table, folks: even as someone who’s feeling a certain degree of superhero fatigue, it’s hard not to look forward to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The upcoming Marvel movie reintroduces Marvel's First Family in a story that’s starting to sound like a retrofuturist’s dream come true. So of course, I’m deeply invested in where this goes, as that particular label is one I hold dear.

What we know about the MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot has also freshly clued us into the fact that veteran Marvel composer/geek at large Michael Giacchino will be scoring this new project. Thanks to a recent conversation with Giacchino, we have the knowledge of three key influences he’s drawn from for the project’s score; as well as how much has already been recorded.

The Three Influences Michael Giacchino Has Used To Shape Fantastic Four: First Steps Score

Sitting down with the Academy Award-winning composer of scores for pictures like Up, the Kelvin Timeline Star Trek trilogy and the Jurassic World trilogy, is always an absolute honor. This time around, Giacchino was on hand to promote his new vinyl Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen - Volume 1, which can currently be pre-ordered on Amazon in physical media, as well as streamed through major music platforms.

Serving as a greatest hits collection of sorts, the first of the two volume collection reinvents cues from important projects in Michael Giacchino’s career through the lens of the Exotica genre. The exercise is an exciting return to projects of the past, in a sound that must have given Giacchino quite the workout when it came to dreaming up his Fantastic Four: First Steps score.

Speaking with CinemaBlend on the matter, Michael Giacchino revealed his pitch to write the music came from the following combination of influences:

All of you movie music fans out there are probably as excited as I am about what’s being promised in that quick description of that new Fantastic Four sound. But just in case you’re still wondering why this is so exciting, allow me to present the first of two musical examples to help you imagine what’s in play.

For starters, please listen to this suite from Bill Conti’s score to The Right Stuff, which covers quite a bit of ground from the 1983 motion picture’s soundscape:

This initial tentpole for the MCU’s upcoming musical score is a pretty important one. That much is true after taking a look at that Fantastic Four announcement art, which absolutely hits all of the hallmarks Michael Giacchino laid out above. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are all depicted in the ‘60s retro future charm you’d hope to see in such a project.

The Right Stuff suite above recalls those early Space Race days that director Matt Shakman’s movie is going to try and invoke. But, of course, this is going to take place on a parallel Earth where the Fantastic Four are their universe’s only heroes. So some liberties can be taken by Michael Giacchino and all involved. That’s been hammered in for a while now, as the musical accompaniment has been in progress for a surprising amount of time.

Michael Giacchino’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Score Is Further Along Than You’d Think

It’s been quite a wait for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as the film was first announced as one of the titles on Disney’s 2020 slate of upcoming movies and TV shows. While MIchael Giacchino hasn’t been on the project quite that long, he’s been on board long enough to have some music already worked out. Continuing his story about where things currently stand, CinemaBlend learned the following from the Ratatouille maestro:

That patience is going to be the key to MCU fans toughing out the wait to hear The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ main theme. While we did hear some snippets during Marvel’s Galactus drone show at San Diego Comic Con, the only people that have truly experienced this theme were the ones who were sitting down to that Hall H panel last Saturday.

Which brings us back to just how much of this Fantastic Four delight has been scored and recorded. With a year of time on his hands to work towards the big debut that came with San Diego Comic Con’s big unveiling, this is what Michael Giacchino already has in the can:

The world of film music is usually on a pretty short schedule when it comes to making the sounds we’re bound to be humming on our way out of the theater. A case where something like Mr. Giacchino’s work for The Fantastic Four: First Steps allows for this much lead time is extremely seldom, but it can pay off in so many ways if it’s allowed.

Judging by what we heard during that drone show footage, I’d say the payoff is definitely beginning to show. It’s also the way into that other influence that Michael Giacchino cited in his new Marvel score, Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade. Thanks to the clip of that soundtrack provided below, you can begin to piece together just what our new Fantastic Four music might sound like in the MCU:

There’s a lot of mystery that remains surrounding The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and we’ll see more of it unveiled as we get closer to its July 25, 2025 release date. In the meantime, you can stream Michael Giacchino’s Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen - Volume 1, as it’s currently available for your listening pleasure, with the physical release on CD and Vinyl set for September 13th. And of course, if you want to check out the full rundown of upcoming 2025 movies, we’ve got a guide that’s absolutely fantastic to behold.

A movie’s musical score is as important as any other component in its arsenal, and the world undoubtedly recognizes John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and the late James Horner as leading practitioners of this medium. However, there are plenty of others who deserve that same sort of regard, and this list will help you get acquainted with their names and their works! 

Michael Giacchino

Starting off as the composer for video games like Medal of Honor, Michael Giacchino soon jumped to TV and film with the respective scores for J.J. Abrams’ Alias and The Incredibles. Also known for his work in the Jurassic World trilogy, as well as the later sequels for Caesar’s Planet of the Apes Trilogy, Giacchino’s resume is wide-spanning and impressive.

Wendy Carlos

Primarily known for her work on The Shining and A Clockwork Orange, Wendy Carlos helped push the soundscape of movie scores through electronic elements. Delivering some of the most unconventional film scores ever, Carlos is also well known for her work on Disney’s cult classic Tron. 

Alan Silvestri

With noble horns and jarring motifs on percussion and piano, Alan Silvestri is a name you’d recognize if you’re a fan of director Robert Zemeckis. Frequent collaborators on films such as the Back to the Future Trilogy and Forrest Gump, you could pick his themes out of a lineup very easily. Though let’s not forget, this is also the man who delivered not only the iconic MCU theme from The Avengers but also the double album that is Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. 

Laura Karpman

Composer Laura Karpman is another versatile music maker who runs the gamut of projects. Looking at her credits one can easily spot her score for The Marvels, as well as her 2024 Oscar nomination for her work on American Fiction. Those projects couldn’t be further apart, as the former is a rollicking adventure score that tips its baton to Jerry Goldsmith, while the latter is a low-key jazzy affair that matches the tone of Cord Jefferson’s well-tuned comedy. 

Jerry Goldsmith

One of the legends of film scoring, composer Jerry Goldsmith can always use some more love behind his name. Whether it’s his work tacking franchises like Planet of the Apes and Star Trek, as well as the classic 1999 remake of The Mummy, the “Cult of Jerry” is always ready to praise his genre-spanning works that combine lush traditional orchestrations with elements of electronic experimentation.

Natalie Holt

Time and the Multiverse are hard concepts to create musical themes to, but composer Natalie Holt did just that with her work on the Disney+ subscription driver Loki. Other notable works from Holt’s catalog are the score to the limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as the Hulu original film The Princess; each of which has allowed Holt to go big, and sometimes weird, with her musical gifts.

John Barry

Composer John Barry’s work on the bulk of the Bond scores, up to and including The Living Daylights, is arguably his most notable contribution to the world of film music. However, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Barry also lent his talents to sweeping dramas like Out of Africa, as well as deep-cut genre favorites like Disney’s sci-fi mind-bender The Black Hole. While the late Monty Norman’s “James Bond Theme” is still 007’s calling card, John’s influence is still a driving force through those earlier eras. 

Bear McCreary

SyFy’s Battlestar Galactica is the project that put Bear McCreary’s music on the map, and if his run ended there it’d be enough to celebrate his works. Thankfully, we have everything from 10 Cloverfield Lane and Godzilla: King of the Monsters and his work on the God of War reboot games to hammer home just how awesome Bear’s ability to lock in on uniquely novel angles for scoring truly is.

David Arnold

David Arnold’s work throughout Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond movies, as well as the first couple of Daniel Craig entries, have made him indispensable in the 007 canon. Combine that claim to fame with scores on Stargate, Independence Day, and even Prime Video’s Good Omens, and you’ve got a tableau of sonic wonder that’s a pretty adventurous deep dive. 

Ludwig Goransson

Much like the Russo Brothers’ rise from sitcoms and rom-coms to MCU helmers, composer Ludwig Goransson’s transition from scoring duties on Community into the worlds of movies like Black Panther, Tenet, and Oppenheimer is something that still takes people’s breath away. 

Joseph Trapanese

Collaborating on Daft Punk’s score to Tron: Legacy was all Joseph Trapanese needed to put himself into the canon of modern composing greats. Reprising his duties with the Tron: Uprising series, and the Disney World variant of Tron Lightcycle/Run, that reputation only grew. Along the way credits for the TV series The Witcher and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, as well as continued collaboration with director Joseph Kosinski, have kept Trapanese busy in the best ways possible.

Hildur Guðnadóttir

Hildur Guðnadóttir is a composer who lives and breathes the avant-garde. Nowhere does she better show those skills than in her film work for Joker (which netted her an Academy Award win) and A Haunting in Venice, as well as her haunting score for HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries. Hildur’s soundscapes are atypical of traditional scoring, resulting in music that puts a premium on atmosphere.

Terence Blanchard

A jazz musician by trade, trumpeter Terence Blanchard is the musical force behind several of Spike Lee’s most iconic films. Adding even more flavor to his body of work is the fact that Blanchard has given projects like Disney’s The Princess and The Frog and HBO’s Perry Mason reboot lush soundscapes with his jazzy sensibilities. The latter in particular saw him deliver a tremendous modern spin to Fred Steiner’s classic theme tune.

John Powell

What do Ben Affleck’s memory loss, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s action-comedy marriage story, and Toothless the Dragon have in common? The fact that Paycheck, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy are all just a handful of composer John Powell’s stellar sonic works. Chances are if you’re a fan of some of the best action movies ever seen, Mr. Powell’s propulsive compositions have made their way to your ears quite often.

Marco Beltrami

Horror is a genre that composer Marco Beltrami is very comfortable in, thanks to composing for the first four Scream movies, as well as 2004’s Hellboy. Outside of that profile, Beltrami’s collaborations with director James Mangold and co-composer Buck Sanders have netted him a varied array of musical genius outside of that realm, especially through efforts composed for Ford v. Ferrari and Logan. 

Joe Hisaishi

Employing sweeping melodies that heavily engage both the strings and the piano, composer Joe Hisaishi is best known for his works in the world of director Hayao Miyazaki. His themes for projects such as Howl’s Moving Castle have become trend-worthy hits, with his other works from Spirited Away and The Boy and the Heron, among others, continuing to build his reputation. 

Ramin Djawadi

Where does a composer like Ramin Djawadi go after kickstarting their career as the first musical voice of the MCU in Iron Man? Apparently, the answer is “everywhere” in this case. Ramin’s collected works include long-term series like Game of Thrones, The Strain, and Westworld to films such as 

Thomas Newman

Composer Thomas Newman comes from a family that’s steeped in Hollywood musical history; most notably father Alfred and cousin Randy. The American composer has tackled everything from The Shawshank Redemption to Wall-E, with two James Bond films to his credit thanks to Skyfall and Spectre. With a healthy appreciation for electronic elements present alongside traditional orchestrations, Thomas’ work spans eras of sonic history.

Howard Shore

A former Saturday Night Live musical director, composer Howard Shore eventually jumped into cinematic music through his collaborations with director David Cronenberg. Running the table with chilling scores like the one for Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly to lighter comedic fare like That Thing You Do!, Howard has had a career of great versatility. But of course, his greatest claim to fame would be the Wagnerian efforts he put into Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogy scores. 

Trent Reznor And Atticus Ross

Some people are probably still surprised to hear Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ names attached to film music. However, the Nine Inch Nails stalwarts continue to make headway in the world of film music, after an impressive debut with 2010’s The Social Network. Throughout their collective body of work, collaborations like their work on Soul with Jon Baptiste, as well as the very danceable score to Challengers, have further developed their reputation for intrepid exploration in the world of sound. 

Danny Elfman

Going from pop icon to cinematic music master seems to be a fun pipeline to travel if you can handle the jump. Composer Danny Elfman had a huge helping hand through his work with frequent collaborator Tim Burton, who selected the Oingo Boingo frontman to score his directorial debut Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Getting his foot in the door, Elfman would eventually become a trusted musical voice for director Sam Raimi, tackling two-thirds of his Spider-Man trilogy with his trademark mix of kitchen sink weirdness and memorable, traditional melodies.

Nami Melumad

A collaborator of composer Michael Giacchino, Nami Melumad has netted experience in the Medal of Honor video game series, as well as a co-composer on Thor: Love and Thunder. Melumad has also made a name for herself in Television, as the composer for both Strange New Worlds and Prodigy in the Star Trek legacy. 

John Debney

A seasonal heavy hitter, every Halloween and Christmas happen to be the perfect showcases of John Debney’s music. Through both Hocus Pocus films and the Jon Favreau Christmas classic Elf, Debney has a hold on shaping so many memories when it comes to those holidays in particular. John’s history with Disney is also fun to reflect on, as it produced the insanely catchy “Run Llama Run” on The Emperor’s New Groove soundtrack.

Brian Tyler

One of the early musical voices in the MCU, composer Brian Tyler actually gave Marvel Studios its initial opening fanfare. Strangely enough, that happened after Tyler delivered notable contributions with the score to Timeline, as well as kicking off his Fast Saga history with 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Delivering the musical madness of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s score as well, Brian knows how to bring an epic home on the music sheet.

Rachel Portman

As the first female composer to win an Oscar, Rachel Portman’s career has already been enshrined in the history of Hollywood. That fact only enhances the wealth of her musical contributions, as Portman has lent her pen to the music for the films Emma, The Cider House Rules, and Chocolat.

Mica Levi

An expert on non-traditional film scoring, Mica Levi has made their career creating melodies for equally unique films. Levi’s best known for their scores to Jackie and Zola, as well as frequent collaborator Jonathan Glazer’s films Under the Skin and The Zone of Interest. 

Pinar Toprak

Captain Marvel and PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie composer Pinar Toprak has some pretty super credits in her career. At the same time, romantic comedies like The Lost City and Shotgun Wedding, as well as whimsical adventures like Slumberland, have helped Toprak vary the musical stylings that she’s experimented with. Pinar even wrote the fanfare used for Skydance Production’s logo animation.

Sarah Schachner

As an arranger/programmer for composer Brian Tyler, Sarah Schachner started her career lending a hand on films like Iron Man 3. So it only made sense for Sarah to branch out into her own composing career, which saw her skills put to the test when scoring 2022’s smash hit in the Predator saga, Prey! 

Shirley Walker

Though Shirley Walker may be best known for her abilities shown in scoring both Batman: The Animated Series and its companion Superman series, her film career also netted some sparkling gems. The late composer was the woman behind scoring the first three Final Destination films, as well as the Chevy Chase sci-fi comedy Memoirs of the Invisible Man. And true to form, Shirley also scored Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, complimenting her work on the animated series.

John Carpenter

Not only is John Carpenter a master of horror, he’s also a musical whiz! Creating the score and theme for his original 1978 hit Halloween, Carpenter was known to score his own films from time to time, which resulted in memorably gritty scores like the ones for They Live and Christine. 

Anne Dudley

The Art of Noise’s Anne Dudley rocketed to movie music stardom through her Oscar win for The Full Monty, but that was only the beginning. Working with director Paul Verhoeven on later films such as Elle and Bendetta, as well as providing the score to the cinematic oddity Monkeybone, Dudley’s kept her resume in exciting form for some time.

Quincy Jones

When you hear the name Quincy Jones, music hit-making is certainly the first image that’s conjured. But what you may not know is that his scores on the original Italian Job and The Color Purple are another level of variety in his iconic career. Also, if you count giving the Austin Powers series its opening theme, that’s another credit to keep in mind.

Bernard Herrmann

Directors and composers can be quite inseparable, as seen in the case of the mythical pairing of Bernard Herrmann and Alfred Hitchcock. Herrmann’s pen gave us the infamous “shower theme” from Psycho, Vertigo’s hypnotic opening tune, and the musical suspense that is The Man Who Knew Too Much’s “Storm Clouds Cantata.”

Now that we’ve run through some of the best composers you may not have known by name, feel free to adjust your playlists accordingly. You never know what epic and/or moving cues you’ve been missing from your life until you truly look. 

As Cloverfield confounded audiences that saw its memorable and nameless teaser trailer, no one knew what to expect from what some consider to be one of the best sci-fi movies of the modern era. Those expectations were equally open behind the scenes too, as director Matt Reeves and writer Drew Goddard had crafted the 2008 blockbuster's story just weeks before it was set to shoot. While that trailer unspooled with Transformers in 2007, Cloverfield’s script was still in progress. 

For such an unconventional movie, there were a lot of twists and turns to be navigated, one of which landed Cloverfield a Michael Giacchino overture. As crazy as it may seem, that very piece of music wasn’t a given considering the found footage nature of the project. But when Matt Reeves heard the finished product, it led to an emotional reaction that sticks with him to this day.

How Michael Giacchino Landed Cloverfield's Music Duties

Initially, there was no plan for music to be a part of Cloverfield, as again, this was a found footage adventure. So if it wasn’t for Giacchino asking to do the music for the picture, we may have never been treated to the beauty of “Roar! (Cloverfield Overture).”

Speaking with Matt Reeves on behalf of the 4K Steelbook release of the Paramount film, marking its 15th anniversary since first debuting in theaters, we talked about how that piece of music came to be. Here’s what Reeves told CinemaBlend about how Clover got its “Roar!”: 

Playing over the end credits, Cloverfield’s overture sounds like a tribute to the work of composer Akira Ifukube, who gave the classic Godzilla franchise its own iconic theme. If the film actually had a soundtrack playing over its events, this is definitely what you’d expect to hear from a monster movie with a Michael Giacchino score. 

Matt Reeves’ account above is pretty accurate, but there’s another version of the story that adds some extra context. When I interviewed Michael back in 2020, on behalf of his album Travelogue Volume 1, I took the time to ask about his own memories of becoming a part of the Cloverfield experiment. As you’ll read below, the really fun part about how Giacchino tells the story is the reason why he asked to create “Roar! (Cloverfield Overture)”:

All involved have a lot of pride for how “Roar!” ties the entirety of Cloverfield together. That said, if there was anyone who appreciated it the most, it was definitely Matt Reeves. You can’t blame the man either, as the intense experience of production on his third directing gig was something he had never experienced before. That fact would eventually hit him during post-production, and just about when he was finally exposed to “Roar! (Cloverfield Overture)” in the context of the full movie.

Why Matt Reeves Had Such An Emotional Reaction To Roar! (Cloverfield Overture)

As Cloverfield’s iconic marketing campaign continued to weave its spell, the movie itself moved through its paces at breakneck speed. With a soon-to-be blockbuster in his hands, Reeves found himself in the same maze of post-production editing and mixing every director has to endure to create a finished film. That experience, and Michael Giacchino's music, led to the following story about Matt Reeves putting it all together: 

Even as a viewer, getting to the end of Cloverfield and hearing that epic booming music was something that cemented it all as a memorable theatrical experience for the ages. While the viewer may feel exhausted from taking the journey for different reasons that Reeves had directing it all, the musical finale from Michael Giacchino hits the same way. 

The more we learn about just how this 2008 hit came together, the clearer it becomes that this movie was a product of love, speed and ingenuity. For a film that started without a script, in a format that wasn't used to including big-time special effects, and within short and tight constraints, it seems as if it was as much of an adrenaline rush to watch as it was to make. Michael Giacchino got his monster movie score, and it only lead to even greater projects, including Giacchino's directing duties on Marvel's Werewolf By Night. 

15 years later, and with a direct sequel to Cloverfield currently in development, we might just find out more about what happened during and after the events of the original film. Perhaps there’s an opportunity in there to flesh out the themes of that score that never was, provided Michael Giacchino isn’t too busy with his own monster movies to return. In the meantime, fans of Cloverfield can pick up that 4K Steelbook reissue at their earliest convenience, as it’s currently on shelves. 

Projects that come out of Marvel Studios are typically filled with all varieties of Easter eggs and special references to the existing canon, but there are some that feature a few more “layers” than others. This story is about one of them.

For the upcoming Marvel Studios special presentation Werewolf By Night, director Michael Giacchino has brought together a wonderful and talented ensemble of actors – including Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly, and Harriet Sansom Harris – but if you’re a hardcore Marvel nerd, there is one name that might stick out among the cast: Kirk Thatcher. In the horror-centric Disney+ original, Thatcher stars as a monster hunter named Jovan, but some of you may note that this is his second time appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (having previously cameoed in Spider-Man: Homecoming), and his previous appearance in the franchise happens to have a funny and weird connection to Star Trek.

This past weekend, I participated in the virtual press day for Werewolf By Night, and it was while interviewing Michael Giacchino that I asked about Kirk Thatcher’s involvement in the project. As it turns out, the composer-cum-director and actor are close pals, and it was actually because of their pre-existing relationship that Thatcher made his aforementioned cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming (a film that Giacchino composed the score for). Said the filmmaker,

For those of you who don’t quite remember Kirk Thatcher in Spider-Man: Homecoming, nobody has the right to berate your memory. He appears in an early montage in the Marvel blockbuster while the web-slinger is performing friendly neighborhood hero tasks. He appears in the moment with Zach Cherry, who notably requests that Spider-Man do a flip while standing on a nearby rooftop. You can see him in the screengrab below sporting a big white beard:

You’ll notice that the character – credited as “Punk on Street” – is carrying a boom box on his shoulder, and that’s where the Star Trek connection comes in. Back in 1986, Kirk Thatcher made his feature film debut with a small role as Punk On Bus in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Walter Koenig’s favorite Star Trek movie). He appears as a punk who is annoying fellow passengers on public transit by blasting music, and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock memorably knocks him out with a Vulcan nerve pinch:

Years after the Spider-Man: Homecoming cameo, Michael Giacchino was hired by Marvel Studios to direct Werewolf By Night, and his high opinion of Kirk Thatcher’s acting skills led the filmmaker to personally ask Kevin Feige if he could cast his friend:

That just leaves us with the last big question: is Kirk Thatcher’s “Punk on Street” from Spider-Man: Homecoming actually Jovan from Werewolf By Night in disguise (perhaps on the streets of New York hunting monsters)? I asked Michael Giacchino what he thinks, and he said,

Fans will have the opportunity to connect the dots when Werewolf By Night arrives on October 7 exclusively for Disney+ subscribers.

Check out our Upcoming Marvel Movies and Upcoming Marvel TV guides for all of the information you’re looking for when it comes to the future of the MCU, and our Marvel Movies In Order feature is a perfect tool to use for your next big rewatch.

The music score of a film can make all the difference in how it makes us feel while we’re watching a sequence. Sometimes it can be easy to forget, but that’s seldom the case when Michael Giacchino is behind the music. In the last two decades, he has become one of the most popular composers of movie themes and scores. His work is incredibly prolific, as it spans from Pixar films to action franchises and superhero flicks. 

Having felt "total freedom" putting together the score for the now-released The Batman, based on a character previously composed by Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, I felt it was time to take a look back at Michael Giacchino’s body of work and determine his 10 best scores – with the caveat that he has great TV scores as well (I’m not over his Lost themes) that I’m leaving out for this particular list. 

The Incredibles

2004's The Incredibles was the first film Michael Giacchino scored (if you can believe it). Right off the bat, after getting his start on TV with J.J. Abrams’ Alias and Lost, this is a bold and super fun score that has a massive presence in the feeling of the action-animated flick that was directed by Brad Bird. 

The Incredibles score is a full orchestral jazz piece, which is pretty rare for a movie to go to, but worked super well for setting the tone of the film. My personal favorite music moment is “100 Mile Dash,” where the music actually helps inform Dash’s feelings as he walks on water for the first time with limited dialogue. 

Ratatouille 

For a long time, I felt Ratatouille wasn’t getting the love it deserved, but then TikTokers created a collaborative musical during the pandemic as a tribute to it. The 2007 Pixar movie about a little French rat who can cook includes a breathtaking score by Giacchino as well. 

The sequence that best showcases how great Giacchino’s music is in it is early on when Remy finds himself in Paris, and scurries through the walls of the city. The score perfectly whisks us into Remy’s perspective as a huge dreamer of French cooking and culture through his little eyes. 

Star Trek

In 2009, Michael Giacchino re-teamed with J.J. Abrams to bring back the U.S.S. Enterprise back to the big screen for Star Trek. The iconic franchise was already well-known for its theme music, but the composer found a beautiful way to set the film apart with its sweeping score. 

This Star Trek score is everything. It’s incredibly epic, full of wonder and adrenaline that fuels the new take on the science fiction franchise. These movies would absolutely not be the same without Giacchino’s score as a character. 

Up

Up’s opening scene will go down in history as one of the best moments in cinematic history, and the score behind it has a lot to do with what makes it so great. The beautiful Pixar theme, which you’ll also hear nowadays while strolling through Disney Parks, is a lesson in how music can guide us through an emotional storyline. 

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Michael Giacchino’s 2009 score takes the same melody and moves it from a happy, carefree one of Carl and Ellie’s younger years as the animation tells the story of the couple’s lifetime together. I'll go as far as to say it's one of the best pieces of movie music of all time. 

Inside Out 

Michael Giacchino hit another home run with Pixar with 2015’s Inside Out. The movie about the emotions that live inside your head has some fun-loving energy to it most movies from the animation house do, but Giacchino’s score brings it to another level through its ethereal sound. 

“Bundle of Joy” is an especially memorable moment on the soundtrack, but the entire score contributes to an incredibly emotional experience that balances adventure with the film’s underlying themes of moving away from childhood. 

Doctor Strange 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is packed full of heroic scores, but overall, let’s be honest, there isn't a ton of distinctive music from the universe, aside from the Avengers theme. That all changed when Michael Giacchino came on board to do the score for 2016's Doctor Strange.

The “Master of the Mystic” is an especially fun piece of music that not only makes Doctor Strange a distinct Marvel character, but helps add personality to the movie itself. And on other films, when Strange comes on screen, it's always fun hearing a callback to the theme established in this film. 

Rogue One

If tackling Pixar films, Star Trek and Marvel wasn’t enough, Michael Giacchino was also commissioned to do the score for the 2016 Star Wars spinoff film Rogue One. It’s a tall order considering that up to that point, John Williams typically did music for the franchise and has created some all-time great themes over the years. With Rogue One, Giacchino really knocked it out with this emotional, yet truly epic score. 

Rogue One feels like a homage to the kind of movie score music Star Wars is known for, whilst bringing Michael Giacchino’s sensibilities into the equation. The score acts as another key element to the story that feels like it encapsulates Jyn’s specific journey in the Star Wars universe.

The Batman 

Giacchino has done it yet again with a career-best score in The Batman. Once again, the composer rises to the occasion, despite this not being the first theme for the hero in the cape and cowl. The latest score from the composer is creepy and gothic, but also reflects the epic scale of a Batman flick: 

Coming fresh off of The Batman, which is three hours long, I must say the music is among the most affecting pieces of music I’ve heard in a theater in some time. After sitting with the music as the movie unfolds, you feel as though the drums are pulsing through you hours after watching it. 

Michael Giacchino has an insanely impressive body of work so far. We didn’t even touch on Mission: Impossible, the MCU Spider-Man movies or Coco. We’ll look forward to what else the composer has to offer moving forward. Check out the composer on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast and stay up to date with the upcoming movies being released in the coming months. 

For all the Marvel content that has hit the big screen and Disney+ in this year alone, it’s been some time since we caught up with Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. Last we saw the God of Thunder, he was boarding the Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship following the insane events of Avengers: Endgame. But fear not! When fans yell “Another!” in the MCU it often arrives and soon enough, many of us will be seeing Thor: Love and Thunder… and hearing it too. 

The fourth Thor film wrapped production over the summer, and ahead of its release this upcoming summer, it’s in the editing room. We now know who will be composing the score for Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Drumroll please. Take a look at the announcement: 

Mr. Michael Giacchino took to Twitter to share that he has taken up his next assignment, and it is, in fact, Thor: Love and Thunder. Giacchino is one of the most iconic composers of our time. Along with recently doing the scores for Marvel films, such as the Tom Holland Spider-Man films and the first Doctor Strange movie, he’s also the man behind the music of The Incredibles, Inside Out, the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies and, arguably most memorably, Up. 

Michael Giacchino recently wrote on the new theme and score for the upcoming The Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson, as well as Jurassic World Dominion , and now we know we’ll also hear a new score from him for Thor: Love and Thunder. It definitely comes as a surprise since Mark Mothersbaugh did the score for Thor: Ragnarok, Brian Tyler did The Dark World and Patrick Doyle did the first Thor movie. 

Taika Waititi worked Michael Giacchino for the first time in 2019 for his Oscar-winning movie Jojo Rabbit, so perhaps his involvement in the upcoming Thor installment was just a phone call away. Giacchino always does something different with each project he gets his hands on, and I'm certainly excited to hear his take on Love and Thunder. The logo has a bit of an ‘80s rocker vibe, so I wonder if that’s an influence that will carry into the movie and music. 

The plot details of Thor: Love and Thunder are thin for the moment, but we do know that along with Chris Hemsworth starring, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is back and now the King of Asgard. The movie will see the long-awaited return of Natalie Portman as Jane Porter, who will transform into The Mighty Thor, and Christian Bale will play the villain role of Gorr the God Butcher. The Guardians of the Galaxy will be involved in some capacity, and Greek mythology has entered the chat with Russell Crowe playing Zeus. 

There’s a lot to be excited about Thor: Love and Thunder and the addition of Michael Giacchino just added to the hype. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 8, 2022. 

Music is an important component to setting the mood in a franchise like Jurassic World. Much like John Williams’ work on the first two Jurassic Park films, composer Michael Giacchino’s efforts in the sequel film series have inspired tears and awe in the hearts of Jurassic fans. However, as you’ll hear in this new Jurassic World: Dominion track shared by director Colin Trevorrow, the other half of the series’ spectrum of emotions, pure fear and terror, is still very much represented.

Recently, Michael Giacchino announced that he’d concluded the 10-day virtual scoring session for Jurassic World: Dominion on social media. After a little under two weeks of nursing, rehearsing and getting notes from Kermit the Frog, the entire score for next summer’s would-be blockbuster is now in the can. Which means that Colin Trevorrow can now have it playing while he’s gaming, as noted in this Instagram post:

Oh yes, Mr. Trevorrow, that Jurassic World: Dominion music does work. It works at keeping fans awake at night, wondering which dinosaur is attached to this musical signature, and why it’s moving so fast! It’s no surprise that Michael Giacchino’s music is enough to push along a moment of pure adrenaline and whip it into an even greater frenzy. And make no mistake, this music is going to kill in a movie theater.

What's even more exciting is how this, for now, untitled Jurassic World: Dominion track stacks up with Mr. Giacchino’s previous work in the series. This song seems to be building on motifs that were central to the suspenseful themes from 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. While that could be chalked up to merely good old fashioned thematic callbacks, the recurring string motif feels like a more vicious deployment of the rumbling you’ll hear in “This Title Makes Me Jurassic” from the previous score.

A lot of teases have come out of the Jurassic World: Dominion scoring sessions, as Michael Giacchino’s shown everything from special guests in his study to the return of his punny. But to get to hear a sample so early, with Jurassic World: Dominion’s theatrical release pushed to June 2022, is something absolutely stunning. Which makes it hard not to stop playing this music on repeat, and in turn, brings us to the final destination of dinosaur nightmares.

Speaking of “dinosaur nightmares,” that brings us to one final piece of Jurassic World music that still looms tall in the canon of Maestro Giacchino’s work thus far. Heard in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the theme to the Indoraptor felt like real “wrath of the gods” material. In turn, that somewhat sets the high bar for musical terror that Jurassic World: Dominion will have to clear in order to really send us running from the Rexes. In short, if Michael Giacchino has written something so terrifying for this threequel that it tops “World’s Worst Bedtime Storyteller,” we’ll preorder our night lights now.

Jurassic World: Dominion opens its gates to the world on June 10, 2022. So surely between now and then, we’ll find some time to sleep without worrying if a Velociraptor has gotten into the house. But seeing how Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ended, that’s more of a valid concern than you’d think.

As with so many big movies, Jurassic World: Dominion, the third movie in the latest big Jurassic Park trilogy was delayed due to global pandemic. It was originally set to come out just next month, but instead we'll be waiting another year as the movie is now set to be released in June of 2022. And while the movie is still so far away it also has never felt closer, as composer Michael Giacchino has now confirmed that the recording of the movie's score is now complete.

Yesterday film composer extraordinaire Michael Giacchino said he was working on his final day of a 10-day stretch recording the music for Jurassic World: Dominion, which means that now that work is done and the score for the next Jurassic World movie, Dominion, is now complete. I can't really read music, but I guess if you can you'll even get a sneak peek as to what the movie will sound like. It also means that the movie is almost done.

Traditionally, the scoring of a movie is done with a live orchestra in a recording studio together, while a rough edit of the film plays overhead. This is done so that the music can be recorded in synch with the actual movie, and nothing is done too fast or too slow. This likely means that while some post production details like digital effects might not be completed, something close to the final edit of the movie has been done. Jurassic World: Dominion may not be coming out for more than a year, but it's seemingly very near to be ready to release.

The movie had it's release date ultimately pushed back a full year, but the production of the movie itself wasn't delayed nearly that long by the pandemic, and so the film was ultimately going to be "done" much sooner. Many movies are in a similar position. Films like the next James Bond and Black Widow that were on the verge of release when things shut down have been ready for release for a year but still have not seen the light of day. Many movies that were able to get back to production have since wrapped up even though new release dates are far down the road in some cases.

Jurassic World: Dominion certainly will be ready for release long in advance of its current date. The biggest hurdle now is simply all the other movies that have been waiting in line. Release calendars end up getting laid out far in advance because studios want to give their movies the best chance for success. This means avoiding direct competition with other studios as much as possible but also avoiding competition with itself. Universal doesn't want to release two of its movies so close together that one damages the box office of the other.

It's still possible we could see release dates change and maybe Jurassic World: Dominion could even move up the calendar. While movies do appear to be on the way back, there's still a lot of uncertainty.

The Jurrasic Park franchise keeps evolving, and Jurrasic World: Dominion is looking like another insane dinosaur epic. Jurassic World: Dominion, which has been delayed and recently given a status update by its director featuring Kermit the Frog, is bringing back the original protagonist of the films. The new photos from the film's composer tease the return of Sam Neill’s Alan Grant, a move that has received praise from the new school cast.

Alan Grant, Played by Sam Neill, the original hero of the first Jurassic Park, is set to return in Jurrasic World: Dominion. The renowned paleontologist is reentering the franchise and is set to play a significant role in the new movie. Composer for the film, Michael Giacchino hs teased Sam Neill’s return with a recent photo on Instagram:

Michael Giacchino posted a picture of a score he is working on, which is presumably the theme for Sam Neill’s Alan Grant. The sheet music is titled “Alan F or Granted” is a cheeky way to tell fans that this piece of music is specifically for the iconic Alan Grant. Composer Michael Giacchino is clearly just as excited as fans are for the return of the OG hero of Jurassic Park.

The musical cues in the Jurrasic movies have always been exceptional. The score beautifully marks the wonder of seeing the dinosaurs for the first time and the horror of when everything inevitably goes wrong. The composer is undoubtedly excited to write a piece of music for the return of Sam Neill’s Alan Grant and craft a memorable musical moment for the film.

Of course, Sam Neill isn't the only original Jurassic Park actor expected to appear in Jurassic World: Dominion. He'll be joined by OG heroes Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern. What's more BD Wong will once again reprise his role as Dr. Henry Wu. It seems Colin Trevorrow's blockbuster will be the Avengers of Jurassic movies, and fans can't wait.

Sam Neill has marked his return to the Jurassic franchise with an awesome post. He recently remarked on how confused he was filming a cameo for Thor: Ragnorok and has been having some fun with fellow Jurassic Park OG Jeff Goldblum about Thor: Love and Thunder rumors. Sam Neill has had a news-packed 2021 already, and Jurrasic World: Dominion is still far away from releasing.

Jurassic World: Dominion may have been pushed back to 2022, but it still has fans excited for the new entry into the franchise that promises to keep upping the ante after 2018’s Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom. With the return of Sam Neill’s Alan Grant into the fold, the bridge between the original movies and the reboots is being steadily established, and the future of the franchise is looking exciting.

When friends get together, there’s no telling what sort of fun and games can be had by all involved. So the news that the iconic duo of composer Danny Elfman and director Sam Raimi are reuniting for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is pretty cool. With their heads together on such movies as Darkman, the first two Spider-Man movies, and Oz: The Great and Powerful, it’s a partnership that’s had a fantastic track record throughout decades of shared history. But despite the good news, I’m still rather bummed out about this announcement, because there’s a flip side to its announcement. It means that previous franchise composer Michael Giacchino isn’t returning.

This isn’t an unconfirmed piece of news either, as Inverse scored this vital piece of information when speaking with Mr. Elfman about another project. In fact, he’s doing some “bits of pre-work” right now on the music for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the ball is already rolling. But there’s an interesting paradox of feelings when it comes to this whole scenario. So I’d like to talk out why it’s cool, but also why it’s kind of sad. So let’s start off with the positive, as again, this isn’t a deal breaker in the slightest.

Perhaps the best part about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness bringing Danny Elfman into the fold is that, much like Michael Giacchino, he’s a man of musically eclectic tastes. His work isn’t afraid to swing for the fences and use some uber-trippy material as inspiration, which goes hand in glove with Mr. Giacchino’s work on Doctor Strange. So if this is one of those scenarios where the latter composer’s work on Spider-Man 3 , as well as his gig scoring Matt Reeves’ The Batman, prevent him from tackling both works, then grabbing Danny Elfman is making the best out of this particular situation.

Circling back to the Danny Elfman/Sam Raimi machine, there’s some amazing work that comes from that particular pairing. You’re probably thinking of the Spider-Man theme right now, and I wouldn’t blame you. In the early days of that crucial era of comic book movies, two themes arguably reigned triumphant at the box office: the Elfman Spider-Man theme, and John Ottman’s X-Men theme that originated in X2: X-Men United. For the first time ever, Peter Parker’s high-flying heroics and personal perils had a musical voice, and it was through the work done with this very tune:

So with all of the good in Danny Elfman’s hiring for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, why am I so bummed? Well, it’s not the fact that I’m not a Danny Elfman fan, because I do love the man’s work. No, it’s because of one simple concept I was really hoping would come to fruition through Michael Giacchino’s potential work on both a Doctor Strange sequel, as well as Spider-Man 3. Which, if the current story links between both films are accurate, could have made for the ultimate double album experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As Dr. Stephen Strange and Peter Parker are supposed to be venturing into the multiverse in their own specific journeys, they’re also set to appear in each other’s respective franchises. It also just so happens that Michael Giacchino, in addition to doing work on Doctor Strange, dove into the latest era of Spider-Man music, starting with Spider-Man: Homecoming. With both worlds crossing over with one another, one gigantic musical experience was on the table for the taking; and it could have tied these movies together even tighter. Especially since Giacchino's first Doctor Strange score played out so well, as you'll hear in the selected cue below, that it could have gotten bigger and weirder.

I’m not mad that Danny Elfman and Sam Raimi are coming back together for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and I’ll certainly await the first listen to Maestro Elfman’s latest cinematic opus. And there will probably still be a strong bridge between the Elfman/Giacchino realms that just might surprise us all when the time comes. I mean, it did work out well when Henry Jackman took over the Captain America franchise after Alan Silvestri shifted away post The First Avenger.

But the thought of two Michael Giacchino scores making for a true multiversal musical masterpiece will always sit in the back of my mind, and it’s hard not to miss what could have been; even if it’s just a little bit. I guess until there’s a streaming service that taps into the multiverse of musical scores that could have been, this still sweet victory will have to do.

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A few weeks ago, during his appearance on the ReelBlend podcast, composer Michael Giacchino strongly hinted that he would be returning to Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man franchise to score the third movie, which currently is filming in Atlanta. Makes sense. He collaborated with director Jon Watts on both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and discussed at length on the show about how he evolved the hero’s main theme from one movie to the next. It’s justified that he’d get the opportunity to work on Spidey again. Well, we reported it, and now Giacchino has confirmed it:

Heading HOME again, eh? Is Michael Giacchino getting cute, and doing his best Tom Holland impersonation by revealing what the title of the third Spider-Man movie will be? Unlikely, as a Tweet would be too obvious of a place to reveal what the subhed of Spider-Man 3 will be. However, we do expect it to involve the word “Home” somehow.

One reason why we haven’t been able to give our best guesses as to what the subhed will be is the fact that we don’t have any clue what the story of this third Spider-Man film will be. When last we saw Peter Parker (Tom Holland), his secret identity was being revealed to the world by a dying Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), which could/should create all sorts of problems for Marvel’s mighty webslinger.

But the plot of the sequel remains a huge mystery, with only a few bits of significant casting at our disposal that we can use to speculate. It has been confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange will be in the movie, though we don’t know if he’s a major player, like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr. in Homecoming) or a cameo bit like he played in Thor: Ragnarok. We’ve also heard that Jamie Foxx is back as Electro, though that makes very little sense because the last time he played Electro, Andrew Garfield was playing Spider-Man for Sony. I break that down in this exclusive video:

Back to Michael Giacchino for a second. He’s a genius. Spider-Man is one of the very few Marvel superheroes who has a recognizable theme song (outside of The Avengers, as a team), and that’s thanks to the brilliance of Giacchino. His incredible work has elevated Pixar films, Star Trek films, and so much more. Listen to our entire conversation with Giacchino as part of the ReelBlend podcast:

As for more details on the third Spider-Man movie, we just have to be patient. The sequel is filming in Atlanta as we speak, though precious few details have come out. We don’t know the movie’s main villain (usually common knowledge at this point), or how significant players will be involved. We do know the movie’s release date, though, and that will be December 17, 2021.

The world knows actor Dermot Mulroney from a variety of impressive performances he’s given over his diverse resume of films. Films like My Best Friend’s Wedding to About Schmidt, and most recently Amazon’s TV adaptations of the hit podcast Homecoming and the Joe Wright film Hanna, all boast Mulroney in their casts, and the man’s made an amazing career out of such an eclectic collection of roles. But there’s another part he’s played that audiences have definitely experienced, whether they knew it or not, as not only is Mulroney an accomplished cello player, he’s also a frequent collaborator with prolific film composer Michael Giacchino.

As he’s released his sci-fi concept album Travelogue Vol. 1 onto the world, I was able to speak with Mr. Giacchino on behalf of CinemaBlend to discuss that album, as well as his career at large. Being a fan of his work since the early days of the Medal of Honor franchise, as well as the hit J.J. Abrams TV show Alias, there were a bunch of things I wanted to ask the man himself about when landing the opportunity to talk. One such subject was the fact that, quite frequently, Dermot Mulroney will actually play cello for Michael Giacchino's scores, with credits for films like Mission: Impossible III, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and even both Dawn and War For The Planet of the Apes all peppering his musical repertoire. He not only confirmed that relationship with Mulroney, but he also explained how this partnership came to be:

After digging even further into the Dermot Mulroney/Michael Giacchino connection, the results I found were quite staggering. The man has actually played on scores for John Carter, Inside Out, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland, and even Incredibles 2! And before you even ask, yes, Mulroney’s cello can be heard through the scores for both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. So if you’ve ever hoped Dermot Mulroney would join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he technically already has; and should Michael Giacchino return for the scoring duties on Spider-Man 3, he probably will again.

Mulroney has been playing the cello since the age of 7, and there’s even been an occasion where his talents in acting and music crossed over to great effect. Thanks to a handful of episodes that Dermot Mulroney starred in for Prime Video’s defunct series Mozart in the Jungle, the character of Andrew Walsh gave the actor a chance to show off those musical chops, while also indulging in his usual levels of charm and style. You can see half of that combination in the video below, as a session of Mulroney playing to a room of artists also highlights his musical acumen:

You can see how Dermot Mulroney has kept himself in the professional company of Michael Giacchino, with cello skills like that making him a valuable collaborator on the various film’s they’ve worked on together. Though, as the composer of other scores like Incredibles II and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol would soon point out, the musical side of Mulroney’s self could be the one that he finds his heart siding with the most. Giacchino explained why he feels that statement is the truth, in the following remarks:

Oh, and as you’ve probably guessed, both of those scores just mentioned also boast the Giacchino/Mulroney magic on them as well. Much as Michael Giacchino frequently pairs up with the same trusted roster of directors, his musical collaborators come from the same sort of magic that sees folks coming together to create new art on a regular basis. if you’re an avid collector of score albums from Hollywood films, and if you’ve got some Giacchino greats on hand in said collection, you might want to read the liner notes a little more carefully. You never know when you’ll next find Dermot Mulroney’s name among the musicians that brought that music to living, vibrant life.

Michael Giacchino’s Travelogue Vol. 1 is currently available on pre-order through Mondo, on both Vinyl and CD formats, which will be shipped out through November. However, if you want to listen to the album before buying it, you can currently stream it or purchase the album digitally. You can also hear his next musical score on the big screen in writer/director Thomas Bezucha’s epic western thriller Let Him Go, which opens in theaters on November 6th. Last, but not least, if you’re interested in getting more insight into the work and career of Michael Giacchino, take a listen to the latest episode of ReelBlend, where he was the honored guest of the week.

The Spider-Man movies produced by Marvel Studios and shepherded by Sony Pictures have been a truly collaborative effort. And the team has largely stayed in place from Spider-Man: Homecoming to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Director Jon Watts stayed at the helm, keeping Tom Holland in the tights and a supporting cast that includes Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau.

Now that the third movie in the MCU Spider-Man series is getting underway, we are hearing about more collaborators who are joining the fray, so when we had legendary composer Michael Giacchino on the ReelBlend podcast, we asked if he was returning for the third film, and his answer (above) all but confirms it.

Michael Giacchino has written some of the most memorable and beloved film scores of the contemporary age. His work with Pixar earned him Oscar nominations (for Ratatouille) and an Oscar win (for Up). He has collaborated on Marvel films, including Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange. But his work on the Spider-Man franchise has been a true standout.

The composer dropped the mic almost immediately, when it comes to his Spider-Man compositions, when he used the theme song from the classic 1960s Spider-Man cartoon as the opening piece of music for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Michael Giacchino actually told a funny story behind the making of that particular piece of music when he appeared on ReelBlend, explaining:

Even better, as part of the show this week (listen to it here), Michael Giacchino explained how he evolved the Spider-Man Suite that he wrote for Homecoming to sound more mature in Far From Home:

And now it sounds like he’s getting ready to do it again for Spider-Man 3… whatever that movie ends up being called. And truthfully, he’d have to. Marvel Studios gets knocked, and rightfully so, for not having signature scores that audiences can identify with their characters. But Giacchino’s Spider-Man score instantly calls to mind Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in action. He says it hasn't been announced yet, with a chuckle. Take of that what you will. But I can’t wait to see, and hear, them both in action some time very soon.

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The DC Extended Universe has had an unprecedented life in theaters, and there are some highly anticipated projects coming to theaters over the next few years. One of these movies is Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is currently in the midst of filming. Robert Pattinson's debut as Bruce Wayne might have been delayed, but excitement for the movie has been buoyed thanks to the already iconic teaser that was released at DC Fandome. Said trailer was set to a song by Nirvana, and The Batman composer Michael Giacchino recently told us exactly why this choice was made.

The Batman's first footage showed Matt Reeves' pulled back vision for Gotham City, including brief appearances of the stellar cast. The music helped to hammer the film's tone hone, with Nirvana's "Something in the Way" playing from the iconic Nevermind album. The movie's composer Michael Giacchino recently appeared on our very own ReelBlend podcast, where he revealed the thought process behind including this track. As he put it,

Sometimes things just fall into place. And for this already iconic trailer, the new musical theme that Michael Giacchino wrote for The Batman happened to fit perfectly with Nivana's "Something in the Way." And just as Matt Reeves and company planned, the brief teaser perfectly set up this new iteration of The Dark Knight.

Michael Giacchino's comments while appearing on ReelBlend shows the human nature of moviemaking. Because while the audience sees a finished product, it's ultimately made by individual artists trying their best. And sometimes serendipity can lead to movie magic, or in this case trailer magic.

After The Batman arrives in theaters, Matt Reeves will bring a prequel series to HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

As the composer mentioned, the first footage of The Batman showed what a different version of the story we'd be getting once Matt Reeves' movie hit theaters. The costumes are pulled back and realistic, and Robert Pattinson's title character was pretty brutal. As a reminder, you can check it out below.

Later in Michael Giacchino's appearance on ReelBlend, the composer went on to explain his process in writing The Batman's main musical theme. Giacchino has had a long and celebrated career in TV and film, earning an Oscar, Emmy, and Grammys in the process. He spoke about his work on The Batman, saying:

From what we've heard so far, Michael Giacchino's theme for The Batman certainly helps to set the movie's moody tone. Gotham City is a dark place, and there aren't colorful costumes or super villains. Instead characters like The Penguin and Catwoman look and feel like real people. And as for Robert Pattinson, he's got a unique look in regards to his costume and Batmobile.

Considering how popular Batman is, the Dark Knight has been adapted into film a variety of times. As such, Matt Reeves and company are tasked with having perspective that audiences haven't seen thus far. And from the look (and sound) of The Batman so far, they've done just that.

The Batman is currently set to arrive in theaters on March 4th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next movie experience.

On this week's show, we are joined by Composer Michael Giacchino discuss his original album Travelogue Volume 1. Also this week, we talk Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s Oscar chances, Anne Hathaway’s The Witches, the latest Tom Holland Spider-Man News and Oscar Issac in talks to play Marvel's Moon Knight.

This Week In movies:

• The Craft: Legacy (VOD, Oct 28)
• Holidate (Netflix, Oct. 28)
• Come Play (Oct. 30)

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 4:15 - Weekly Poll: Should MGM sell Daniel Craig's No Time To Die to a streaming service?
• 14:45 - Michael Giacchino Interview
• 51:43 - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
• 1:00:52 - The Witches
• 1:11:42 - Spider-Man 3
• 1:19:01 - Moon Knight
• 1:27:48 - This Week In Movies
• 1:30:28 - Blend Game - Halloween Movies
• 1:45:24 - Listener Review

For more ReelBlend, sign up for a premium membership. You'll get one extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes. And while you're here, browse our shop for all kinds of fun ReelBlend merchandise for dedicated Blenders to flaunt their fandom with pride.

The Batman's Michael Giacchino doesn't just know how to compose fantastic movie scores. He can also compose a pretty scathing reply to critics. The talent!

The Batman director Matt Reeves recently shared a camera test video for Robert Pattinson's Batman suit, revealing a piece of longtime collaborator Michael Giacchino's original score for the movie. The Batsuit and score have given fans a lot to talk about, and artists a lot to work with in terms of coloring the suit to show how it could look on screen.

However, for every fan there is a critic. Some Batman fans simply weren't impressed with the glimpse they saw and heard in the Batsuit video and made it known. However, it they made it known in a thread Michael Giacchino was tagged in, the Oscar-winning Up composer was often quick to reply in hilariously blunt fashion.

Here's how Michael Giacchino replied to a fan who wrote "Horrible... no thank you" in response to The Batman director Matt Reeves' tweet revealing the DP and music composer for the camera test:

Here's how Michael Giacchino replied when a fan complained at the lack of action in the Batman first look:

Here's how he replied when someone insulted not only this glimpse of The Batman score but also one of his past scores:

That was actually a gentle reply, he could've gone even saltier on that guy.

Here's how he replied to a critic/troll who insulted a fan's analysis of The Batman using the gun that murdered Bruce Wayne's parents as the Bat symbol. After the analyzing fan gave a take on that "powerful image," the troll responded with "Who fuckin cares," and Michael Giacchino stepped in to point out the obvious:

I mean, he's not wrong. The "who cares" crowd definitely needs to be reminded they care if they are commenting. Michael Giacchino added some sarcasm to this other reply, in response to more negativity to the post by the same positive fan who was analyzing the Bat symbol:

Burn! Some followers suggested Michael Giacchino stop replying to trolls, and he had a response for that too:

Yeah, why so serious? Not that all of the composer's interactions were salty. Some fans brought up Danny Elfman's score for Batman, and Michael Giacchino made it clear he was not trying to compete with it:

There's room in the DC universe for more than one creative Batman score, and it might be too soon to rank them based off this one camera test clip. But Michael Giacchino wasn't demanding everyone like his score or The Batman reveal -- he even appreciated respectful criticism:

It's true, every so often internet disagreements can be cordial, respectful, and even genuinely educational. Sometimes criticism can lead to change -- like the Sonic movie redesign -- and sometimes tense relationships between fans and filmmakers can be healed. But when a conversation stalls at "that fucking sucks," after a brief glimpse of something from the very start of production, maaaaaaybe there's more work to be done on the fan side too.

The Batman is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on June 25, 2021.

The past week has seen a flurry of casting announcements for The Batman. News about a growing cadre of villains (and a villainess) has helped bring buzz for the film to an all-time high. And director Matt Reeves has just revealed, via a very public proposal, that he’s added another exciting member to his crew: an Oscar-winning composer.

Matt Reeves found a unique way of letting the world know that he’d enlisted the help of an old friend. Both the director and composer Michael Giacchino were at an event at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 18. As part of the show, Giacchino was on stage trading good-natured barbs with fellow composer David Arnold when Reeves joined them. He then dropped to one knee and formally asked Giacchino to score The Batman -- and the composer enthusiastically accepted. The moment was captured by a handful of audience members who, naturally, excitedly shared footage of the successful (if a little "awkward," per the director) proposal on Twitter.

This won’t be the first time Matt Reeves and Michael Giacchino have worked together. The composer, a longtime collaborator of J.J. Abrams, wrote the music for Reeve’s 2008 film Cloverfield. He’s also known for numerous beloved contributions to Disney and Pixar, including the scores for films like Ratatouille, Zootopia, and Up, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Score.

At first, fans weren’t sure about Matt Reeves’ vision for The Batman, due to his controversial casting of Robert Pattinson. But whether you love The Lighthouse star or can’t stand him, you can’t argue that Reeves isn’t taking every aspect of the film seriously. In addition to assembling an ensemble of highly respected actors, he’s enlisted some of the best of the best in Hollywood to help him bring his vision to life. Most recently, we learned that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s Grieg Frasier will act as the film’s cinematographer. In other words, Giacchino will be in good company behind the scenes.

The Incredibles’ composer also has plenty of practice setting the musical mood for superheroes: he’s lent his talents to Doctor Strange and, most recently, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Even though he cut his comic book teeth in the MCU, the composer seems pretty stoked to be spending some time in Gotham City. Giacchino started dropping hints weeks ago that he’d eventually join The Batman team. On October 19, he tweeted out a very clear signal that he’s excited to be on board.

With the cast and crew rapidly being finalized, all of the pieces of The Batman are falling into place. But we’ll have to wait a while to see how they all fit together. The film is set to premiere on June 25, 2021.

Pixar, and its ever loyal animation partner Disney, have been kicking lately with the critically acclaimed Toy Story 4 and the announcement of its upcoming suburban fantasy Onward inciting mass anticipation. Most recently, they gave fans a taste of what else there is to come with the official announcement of Soul.

So far, there is very little known about Soul other than the very delicately designed title, and the film has been a mystery since IMDb had it listed only as an “Untitled Pixar Animation Project.” The plot synopsis that Disney and Pixar released with the announcement of the title barely answers any questions, either. More accurately, it just creates more questions.

As of right now, Soul is described by Disney and Pixar, via social media, as “a journey from the streets of New York City to the cosmic realms, discovering the answers to life's most important questions.” Even for a Pixar film, that is a highly ambitious, yet incredibly vague concept.

Regardless, as the case usually is with any movie from Disney and Pixar, I am very much anticipating Soul, mostly because I am curious to discover more about it. On that note, what do we know about Soul so far? Read on to find out.

When Was Soul First Announced?

Technically, Soul was first announced in early 2016 whilst Inside Out was up for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. There was no mention of a title, plot details, characters, or anything of the like. All that was known was that an idea had been pitched at Pixar.

That was, until June 19, 2019, shortly before the release of Toy Story 4, when Pixar tweeted out this special message:

As you can see, we got the title (in an eye-catching art style, to boot), but still no hints at any notable characters and a very, very vaguely stated plot description. Mysteriously dense concept aside, the reveal of Soul had fans excited to see Pixar putting out more original content in the next year, having released two sequels in two years with Incredibles 2 in 2018 and Toy Story 4 the following year.

When Is The Release Date For Soul?

As you can see from the aforementioned tweet, Soul will be arriving in theaters on June 19, 2020. This will come exactly a year after the release date’s official announcement and a little more than three months after the Disney and Pixar release of Onward, featuring the voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt.

There is actually a fun fact associated with Soul’s release date. It will be coming out exactly five years after the release of 2015’s Inside Out, which also came out on June 19 that year.

Believe it or not, this is not the first time a Pixar movie has encountered such a coincidence. In fact, Soul will be the fourth Pixar film to be released the same day as a previous Pixar film.

The first instance of this curious phenomena occurred when The Good Dinosaur was released on November 25, exactly 17 after 1998’s A Bug’s Life. The other examples of this include Coco and the original Toy Story, both released on November 22 just 22 years apart, and, most recently, Toy Story 4 was released on June 21, 2019, the same day as 2013’s Monsters University.

Who Is Director Of Soul?

Pete Docter has served co-director on three previous Disney/Pixar classics: Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out. This time, Soul will be his first solo directorial effort on a full-length animated feature.

Pete Docter, born in Minnesota in 1968, has been an animator since even before joining Pixar. He released his first short film Winter in 1988, which he followed with Palm Springs and Next Door, all of which were hand drawn.

Pete Docter joined Pixar at 21 years old in 1990 (upon late Pixar veteran Joe Ranft’s recommendation to John Lasseter) with limited abilities and having little to no experience with computer animation. However, Docter was quickly assigned larger and larger roles in the company and even became one of the key creators behind the development of Toy Story, basing the character of Buzz Lightyear mostly on himself.

Soul comes from a story conceived by Pete Docter, but there is no confirmation of who is writing the script. However, when considering the premise as Disney and Pixar have presented it and that Docter was one of the minds behind Inside Out, I imagine we are in for a philosophical, emotionally resonant treat with this one.

There is still much more to know about Disney and Pixar’s Soul before it comes out June 19, 2020. Until then, be sure to check back with CinemaBlend for more updates.

Four composers worked Spider-Man movie scores before the superhero was brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Danny Elfman for Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, Christopher Young for Spider-Man 3 (while retaining Elfman's original theme music), James Horner for The Amazing Spider-Man and Hans Zimmer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. For Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Giacchino, who made his Marvel debut last year with Doctor Strange, is putting together the tunes, and with less than a month to go until the movie's release, you can now hear the theme music that will play for the MCU's Web-Slinger.

As you can hear in the above video, Tom Holland's Peter Parker will have appropriate heroic theme accompanying him during Spider-Man: Homecoming. At over six minutes, the suite cycles through that uplifting, booming music to the softer, more mellow notes. Only time will tell whether or not it this theme will become as iconic as the Danny Elfman Spider-Man theme from last decade, but for now, it sounds like Michael Giacchino has once again done a solid job composing for an MCU hero. All this being said, we're still hoping that Spider-Man: Homecoming finds a way to include Giacchino's orchestral cover of the 1960s Spider-Man animated series theme song.

Along with releasing the "Spider-Man: Homecoming Suite", Sony also revealed the names of the other tracks that will be on the soundtrack, which is available for pre-order. However, be careful about looking at this information. Sometimes with superhero movies and other notable blockbusters (I'm looking at you, The Phantom Menace), these titles can sometimes hint at or outright give away spoilers.

Taking place a few months after Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming will follow Peter Parker as he balances his normal life as a high school student with keeping the innocent safe as Spider-Man. This will be complicated when a gang of thieves armed with advanced technology hit the scene, with its membership including The Vulture, The Tinkerer and The Shocker. Making matters worse, Peter will later have his special Spider-suit taken by Tony Stark following a failed attempt to subdue these criminals. Following his first solo MCU adventure (well, when Iron Man's not around, anyway), Spider-Man is due to return in Avengers: Infinity War next year, and Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 is already scheduled for summer 2019.

Spider-Man: Homecoming spins its web in theaters on July 7. You can also look through our 2017 movie guide to find out what other blockbusters are being released through the remainder of the year.

Spider-Man has been a superhero fixture for 55 years, and several years after the Web-Slinger made his comics debut, he starred in his own animated series, the first of many. That particular series is best remembered nowadays for two things: providing material for online memes and its iconic theme song. Regarding the latter, that music just as associated with the Web-Slinger as the 1960s Batman TV theme is with DC Comics' Caped Crusader. With Spider-Man: Homecoming only a couple months away, the movie's composer, Michael Giacchino, posted an great orchestral cover of that earworm of a theme song for the internet to enjoy!

I think we can all agree that the 1960s Spider-Man theme song has never sounded more epic. Those strings and horns could get anyone charged up for a night of web-swinging and beating up criminals in New York City. It's not actually clear whether we'll hear this cover in Spider-Man: Homecoming or if Michael Giacchino (who joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe last year to score Doctor Strange) just had the orchestra perform it as a treat for the Spidey fans on Twitter. Either way, it's excellent to listen to, and even if that isn't played during Spider-Man: Homecoming, maybe a full version could still be released on the soundtrack or as a single.

Whether you're a passionate Spider-Man fan or only have a passing familiarity with the hero, chances are good that you've heard the classic Spider-Man theme song a couple times in your life. While Michael Giacchino's orchestral cover sounds great, it isn't the first time a Spider-Man movie has covered the theme. 2004's Spider-Man 2 included a version that Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker heard performed by a street musician, which didn't sound as powerful as Giacchino's take, but was definitely more amusing.

Set a couple months after Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming will follow Tom Holland's Peter Parker using the gadgets given to him by Tony Stark to protect the innocent in New York City and elsewhere. However, when The Vulture's gang starts wreaking havoc with their advanced technology, Peter will not only have to put an end to their destructive heists, but also prove he truly has what it takes to be a superhero, which will eventually mean fighting the bad guys (including The Shocker and The Tinkerer) without Stark's technological goodies.

Spider-Man: Homecoming crawls into theaters on July 7.

The Galactic Empire was defeated a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Okay, it happened in 1983 by our perspective, but it was still a big deal. Nevertheless, the Star Wars franchise continues to revisit the Empire during the height of its power, most recently with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Seeing stormtroopers and Darth Vader again was all well and good, but one of the more subtler ways Rogue One harkened back to that dark period was by playing "The Imperial March," and one fan noticed that composer Michael Giacchino was able to sneak in that tune at the very end of the movie through another song.

"The Imperial March" was clearly heard during Rogue One when Orson Krennic was meeting with Darth Vader at the Sith Lord's castle on Mustafar, as well as when Vader watched the Tantive IV escape. However, Twitter user bobbyrobertspdx and his associate Brian N. Le were listening to the track "Hope" when they noticed that it measured up nicely with "The Imperial March." When played at normal speed, the connection isn't solid, but if "Hope" is sped up, the similarities are much more noticeable, and perfectly solidified when both pieces of music are played together at normal speed. Very sneaky, Mr. Giacchino.

"The Imperial March" is arguably the most sinister piece of Star Wars music ever composed. When that starts playing, you automatically know bad things are happening. To have "Hope" resemble the March was a clever way to both foreshadow coming peril without taking away from Rogue One's victory. Remember, Princess Leia narrowly escaped from Scarif with the Death Star plans, the mission that Jyn Erso and her team set out to accomplish. However, this victory won't fix all of the Rebellion's problems. Even after the first Death Star is destroyed, the Empire will continue to hunt the Rebels down, and only when the second Death Star is destroyed during Return of the Jedi will the Imperial forces will permanently fracture. Of course, then that will pave the way for The First Order years later, but that's a problem for another time.

Originally Rogue One was supposed to be scored by The Grand Budapest Hotel's Alexandre Desplat, but after he dropped out due to scheduling issues, Michael Giacchino was brought in as his replacement. Giacchino only had approximately a month to finish the first Anthology spinoff's music, and while opinions will differ on how the final product sounded, it's amazing that he thought of sneaking in this clever nod to "The Imperial March" while working on all the other musical components.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is still playing in theaters, so click here to read out review of it if you haven't already. As for the Empire, presumably the organization will be involved somehow in the Han Solo spinoff, but you can always see Imperial flunkies at work in the Star Wars Rebels TV series.

Rogue One is not going to be like your normal Star Wars film. Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm who has been tasked with overseeing the expansion of the franchise, has already revealed that the standalone film won't include a famous scrawl, while it's also the first Star Wars film not to feature a score from the iconic John Williams. His replacement, Michael Giacchino, has opened up about stepping into such gargantuan shoes, while at the same time admitting that around 5% of Rogue One's music comes from John Williams.

Michael Giacchino made this admission while chatting with Entertainment Weekly about his work on Rogue One, while also revealing that John Williams' past work on the likes of Jaws, Superman, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park inspired his own career as a composer. Talking about the likes of John Williams' Star Wars music in Rogue One, Michael Giacchino explained:

The trailers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story have already teased just how John Williams' work will feature in the blockbuster, as Michael Giacchino's score sounds eerily familiar to some of the classic music from Star Wars' past. You can hear the similarities for yourself by clicking below and listening, as well as watching, the latest trailer for Rogue One.

Michael Giacchino's own journey to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hasn't been quite as smooth as John Williams' original hiring back in 1977 for Star Wars: Episode IV -- A New Hope, which simply saw Williams recommended to George Lucas by Steven Spielberg. In fact, Giacchino actually only began to work on Rogue One back in September, when he was asked to replace Alexandre Desplat (Argo, The Grand Budapest Hotel), with scheduling difficulties cited as the reason by Lucasfilm following the extensive reshoots over the summer.

However, this did allow Michael Giacchino's involvement with the new batch of Star Wars films to come full circle, after he made a cameo in The Force Awakens. We'll get to see/hear how he fares on Rogue One when it's finally released on December 16.

With a huge weekend at the box office, it's safe to call Doctor Strange a success at the box office. The film managed to be a great entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, complete with an outstanding score from MCU newcomer Michael Giacchino. While you've heard his music in plenty of places before his Strange debut, it has to be said that his entrance into the Marvel fold is quite spectacular, with several stand out tracks on the film's soundtrack.

In particular, there were eight cues from the score that have caught our ears, and haven't let go; and we're about to share those eight with you. Sadly, as much as we want to include Giacchino's new Marvel Studios Fanfare, it's not on the official soundtrack, so it's not on our official list. You'll just have to consult the parallel universe version of this list that does if you want to know our thoughts, but other than that, here's our favorite musical beats from Doctor Strange.

Ancient Sorcerer's Secret

It's important that a film's opening both convey the spirit of what's to come, as well as provide an intriguing anchor for the adventure ahead. "Ancient Sorcerer's Secret" is the sort of track that definitely does that, as Michael Giacchino weaves what we learn to be the Doctor Strange theme into a fast-paced piece that invokes both past glories of the composer's body of work, as well as a little bit of the influence of Phillip Glass. The beat at the 01:50 moment, in particular, sounds like something that could have come out of Koyaanisqatsi, and leads into the Strange theme's first statement.

A Long Strange Trip

Just as the first astral plane sequence in Doctor Strange is a total acid trip and a half, the music accompanying it wouldn't disappoint if you decided to close your eyes, summon some chemical / non-chemical encouragement, and plunge yourself into the void beyond time and space. By the end of this short, but rich song, you'll probably want to come up for air, as this is a tune that was born for noise canceling headphones.

The Eyes Have It

Another quick, but effective, piece of Michael Giacchino's work from Doctor Strange is "The Eyes Have It," which accompanies the moment Kaecilius and his zealots decide to invoke the ritual to summon Dormammu, thus leading to the attack on the London sanctum. Old fashioned gloom and doom are the order of the day on this track, as Giacchino uses this opportunity to build an appropriate atmosphere of dread, which gives way to total aural panic by the end of the proceedings. Throw in the magnificent choral work the entire score thrives on, and it's a complete portrait of overwhelming darkness.

Sanctimonious Sanctum Sacking

For the most part, Michael Giacchino is a pretty traditional composer, though he still likes to mix it up by branching onto the road less traveled. "Sanctimonious Sanctum Sacking" not only sees the musical world of Doctor Strange going towards the futuristic sound of the electronic sections of this particular track, it also highlights another star out-of-time: the harpsichord. If you're a fan of the theme to The Addams Family, then you're definitely familiar with this instrument that takes center stage towards the latter half of this selection. Think of it as music to wear a cape to.

Smote and Mirrors

Acting as the musical backdrop to the impressive Inception inspired rearranging of New York City, "Smote and Mirrors" keeps pace with the action that takes place on screen during its moment in the sun. If you're looking for the song that depicts the fracturing and bending of reality in the mirror dimension, then this track does not disappoint, as you've got the otherworldly sound of the sitar mixing in with a full orchestra, which only gives way to the amazing voices of the choir featured prominently throughout Giacchino's score for Doctor Strange. A lot is going on in this track, but it doesn't overwhelm the listener, instead getting their hearts racing for a rip-roaring good time.

Ancient History

As fast paced and bombastic as some of the most memorable moments in Michael Giacchino's discography are, he's also a master of the slow burning emotional moment. If Up's "Married Life" didn't convince you of that so many years ago, then "Ancient History" should. Being the piece that is showcased during Tilda Swinton's touching monologue as The Ancient One, it's a track that simmers with the energy needed to focus a scene, without totally stealing it from the performances on display. Never has a sitar been more mournful and serene.

Strange Days Ahead

In case you missed its heroic statement throughout the film, the soundtrack to Doctor Strange certainly won't let its audience go home without a grand, end-credits tune to be hummed on the way out the door. "Strange Days Ahead" starts off with the closing moments of the film, as the mounting anticipation of the journey ahead builds into the full fledged hero theme that every good Marvel character needs. And to those of you who are wondering, no it's not just you that can hear the theme to Star Trek in this song, though it's reworked enough to stand as its own beast in this instance.

Go For Baroque

For our last pick, we decided to go with something that embodies both Michael Giacchino's experimental side, as well as his love for puns with his track names. As sure as a Giacchino album will have a "World's Worst" inspired track name, there's some fun to had with "Go For Baroque," which busts out the harpsichord once again, and uses it to great effect. If you're as much of a fan of the Doctor Strange theme as we are, then you're probably going to love the sound of this classically inclined approach to that same said tune. Though if your tastes run closer to the stylings of Pink Floyd, then may we recommend "The Master of the Mystic End Credits," which embraces its more groovy qualities to cap off an impressive album's worth of work.

Doctor Strange is in theaters now, with the Michael Giacchino score being set for release on November 18th. You can pre-order that album through Amazon, here. While we did give you a list of the eight best tracks we felt really stood out, the entire album is a gem in and of itself. Enjoy!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has already distinguished itself from the previous Star Wars cinematic entries by being the first of the "Anthology" spinoff movies and taking on a grittier tone. However, it also drew a lot of attention earlier this year for its summer reshoots, as reports and rumors raged back and forth about just how much of the movie was being changed. That clamor has since died down, but with three months to go until Rogue One's release, another behind-the-scenes changed has been revealed, with the movie getting a new composer.

The Grand Budapest Hotel's Alexandre Desplat was originally supposed to score Rogue One, but THR just dropped the news that Michael Giacchino has been hired to replace him. The reason for the switch was the recent reshoots, which subsequently altered the scoring schedule and resulted in Desplat no longer being available. Since Giacchino had already worked on various projects at Disney and its other divisions, the company decided to bring him aboard to take on the job. Giacchino is the first person to score a live action Star Wars movie other than John Williams, who is keeping himself busy with the new sequel trilogy.

While Rogue One marks Michael Giacchino's first time scoring a Star Wars movie, it isn't his first time working on something connected to the franchise. He previously wrote the music for the Star Tours -- The Adventures Continue attraction at the various Disney theme parks. Fun fact, Giacchino also cameoed as a stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was directed by his friend J.J. Abrams. Outside of a galaxy far, far away, his music can be heard in blockbusters like The Incredibles, the Star Trek reboot series, Ratatouille, Up, Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, Jurassic World, and Zootopia. His other upcoming theatrical contributions include Doctor Strange (his first Marvel movie), War for the Planet of the Apes and The Incredibles 2.

Taking place shortly before the events of A New Hope, Rogue One will follow Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso and her Rebel allies as they attempt to secure the plans for the Death Star while avoiding Imperial director Orson Krennic's (played by Ben Mendelsohn) forces. The movie's reshoots lasted for five weeks this past summer, and were managed by Michael Clayton director Tony Gilroy (who also contributed rewrites). While early rumors claimed up to 40% of Rogue One would be reshot, Disney later stated that the changes primarily had to do with "clarity and character development." Gilroy is also reportedly working on the final cut of the movie with director Gareth Edwards, so the two of them will presumably be listening to Michael Giacchino's music together and deciding which tunes go in, one of the last post-production tasks that needs to be completed.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be released in theaters on December 16.

John Williams' soundtrack to Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park still stands as one of the best film scores of all time. With its mix of menace, wonder, and heroism, it's an album that has stood the test of time. Just ask anyone who went to see Jurassic World opening weekend and they’ll tell you that the moment the original theme kicked in they were choking up big time. As if to prove the point, the recent release of Jurassic World has given rise to an interesting happening: it’s brought the theme from Jurassic Park onto the Billboard charts, and it’s number one with a bullet.

Business Insider made the announcement today that "Jurassic Park Theme" has taken the top spot on the Classical Digital Songs chart. What’s even more interesting is that the awesome classical cover duo known as The Piano Guys have taken the #2 spot on that same chart, with the very same song. The track comes off of their album, Portrait, and can be listened to through the embed below.

Much like the retro success that Guardians Of The Galaxy had with its classic rock/pop soundtrack shooting straight to the top of the Billboard charts, we now have our second summer in a row where nostalgia has proven to be a strong force in movie marketing. Considering the success John Williams’ original theme has had, we’re starting to think that the soundtrack to Star Wars: The Force Awakens is going to pull some killer numbers with new Williams-penned material, as well as that classic theme everyone knows by heart.

Unfortunately, the not so good news about all of this is the fact that Jurassic World’s score, written by Academy Award winner/workhorse of 2015, Michael Giacchino, isn’t faring as well. Charting at 126 out of the Billboard 200, the new film’s score is languishing in a time where scores of such caliber are not always easy to find. While Giacchino does use themes from John Williams’ work on both Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park in his Jurassic World score, he also draws heavily on his experience writing music for Disney theme parks to give even the background music of the park his own special flavor. Though the best work from the new film’s score undoubtedly comes from the film’s best moment, as the track "Our Rex Is Bigger Than Yours" steals the whole movie out from under the original theme. Take a listen and try to remember the first moment you heard this track in Jurassic World. Also, keep an ear out for the beginnings of The Lost World: Jurassic Park theme at 01:51 in the cue.

Not matter if you love the original recipe or prefer the brand new revamp, the theme from Jurassic Park has proven that it’s aged as fine as any mosquito trapped in amber. The only real difference between the two is that if your limited edition Mondo vinyl should skip, it won’t create a creature that tries to eat you. Before you leave and think to yourself that we’ve left you hanging without playing the song that brought us here, allow us to bring you back to the summer of 1993 with John Willams’ classic theme to Jurassic Park in all of its auditory glory.

Jurassic Park, and its sequels, are available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, while Jurassic World is in theaters now.

Just a few short days away from the release of Jurassic World, there’s a feeling in the air consisting of stoked imaginations and a bizarre amalgam of childlike wonder and the anticipation of pure primordial terror. Now you can bottle that emotional cocktail by previewing composer Michael Giacchino’s score for the film, which is now available to stream for free on Spotify. (*Registration required.)

It takes a special kind of movie fan to sit down and enjoy a movie score, sans movie. Whether you’re the kind of fan who likes to gun it down the stretch of a highway while blasting the Death Star trench run score from Star Wars: Episode IV--A New Hope (not that I’m confessing to that), or just an auteur of orchestral composition, there’s an arguably tangible aesthetic to film scores that can be appreciated in its own right. It almost allows one to deconstruct the film and integrate it artistically into your life in a way that, to the more imaginative amongst us, is just as visceral as the movie.

Interestingly enough, when it comes to the new Jurassic World score, listening to the compositions serves an alternative purpose: getting acquainted with the film in advance. In that sense, we get a partial insight into the film’s story beats by way of the composition titles. Remember when the Star Wars: Episode I soundtrack CD spoiled Qui-Gon Jinn’s death? While there’s nothing here that blatantly revelatory, we do see some intriguing titles, such as romance-hinting in "Love in the Time of Pterosauria," the clear double-entendre title, "Chasing the Dragons," and a hint of some destructive Rex-on-Rex action with "Our Rex Is Bigger Than Yours."

Musically, Giacchino’s score pays necessary homage to John Williams’ unforgettable pieces from the 1993 original Jurassic Park, while at the same time often reflecting a frantic kind of energy, akin to something Danny Elfman might have thrown together for some quirky Tim Burton picture. Like any score worth its weight, the music tells the story in its own right. With that said, Giacchino has a long and illustrious list of entries on his movie score resume, including the recent Tomrrowland, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the last set of Star Trek films, along with loads of other recognizable projects. Clearly, this Jurassic score is in experienced, capable hands.

Jurassic World heads to theaters with loads of hype that could both revive the moneymaking momentum that the franchise enjoyed in the 1990’s and cement the leading man stardom of one former comedy star turned Marvel "Star-Lord," Chris Pratt. Plus, if the stereotypically uptight nature of female lead Bryce Dallas Howard’s park overseer character is a ruse, we could see an equally auspicious turn for the Hollywood offspring.

Jurassic World looks to show that the term "hybrid" doesn’t necessarily mean eco-friendly with its alarming array of giant cloned carnivores when it hits theaters this Friday, June 12.

It's a special brand of movie lover who is in the know about film composers. But even if you're not among these tuned in cinephiles, you can probably appreciate the special sneak peak into the world of Star Trek Into Darkness that WQXR offers in the form of music from composer Michael Giacchino's score. Host David Garland had Giacchino on his show "Music on the Radio," to delve into this sequel and its sensational score.

In the interview portion, Giacchino gamely shares with listeners how he researched for Star Trek into Darkness, what it was like on the set of the film, why he is in awe of Benedict Cumberbatch, and what inspirations he pulled from the original Star Trek series. You can listen to it all out below. Or if you just want to hear the music—including tracks titled "Pranking the Natives," and "An Ode to Harrison"--skip to roundabouts the 12-minute mark.

Giacchino is an acclaimed composer who won an Academy Award for his score of the Pixar adventure Up. He has previously collaborated with Star Trek Into Darkness director J.J. Abrams on the 2009 reboot Star Trek, Mission: Impossible III, Super 8, and the Golden Globe-winning drama series Lost, which netted Giacchino two ASCAP Awards. With his celebrated skill for crafting dynamic scores, the American-born musician has become a hotly sought composer. Recently, he won headlines for signing on to score the Wachowski Sibling's next venture, Jupiter Ascending.

Star Trek into Darkness opens in the US on May 17th. Get a glimpse at one of its scenes—plus Giacchino's work in context— here.

Composer Michael Giacchino is no stranger to the sci-fi genre. Over the course of his long career he has done the music for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, John Carter, Super 8, and the television show Fringe. And now he's ready to add another project to his docket.

We still haven't heard what he has planned for Star Trek Into Darkness, but Giacchino is now attached to compose the music for the new Wachowski sibling film Jupiter Ascending. The news comes from FilmMusicReporter.com, which notes that the film's impressive cast includes Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, and Sean Bean. The movie has been confirmed to be made for IMAX 3D, though it doesn't have a release date yet.

The film will be written, directed and produced by Andy and Lana Wachowski and is a science-fiction/adventure tale that questions what it would be like if humanity was on the lowest rung of the evolutionary ladder. Kunis will star as a maid who is forced to go on the run when she is said to be a threat to the Queen of the Universe, and Tatum will play the alien bounty hunter chasing after her.

Giacchino, who took home the Academy Award for Up in 2009, is best known for his associations with both Pixar and Bad Robot. This project doesn't entirely take him out of his comfort zone, however, as he also wrote the music for the Wachowski's Speed Racer. You'll be able to hear his new music when the Star Trek sequel arrives in theaters on May 17th.

For the past two years here at Cinema Blend, I’ve closed out each December with a list of my favorite music moments. I wrote the articles because I absolutely love film scores and soundtracks. If you were to go out to my car right now and sort through the CD player you’d find nothing but music from The Social Network, Black Swan, Reservoir Dogs, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Dazed and Confused (for brevity’s sake I’m not going to list the soundtracks in my CD wallet). I truly believe that a perfect score can elevate a good movie into a great movie. Unfortunately I don’t often get the opportunity to speak with composers, but when I was offered a chance to speak with Michael Giacchino one-on-one, I leaped at the offer.

An Oscar winner for his work on the score for Up, Giacchino’s next film is Cars 2 and I was lucky enough to speak with him at the Pixar Compound in Emeryville, CA. Check out the interview below in which the composer talks about his approach to the sequel, working with director John Lassetter, and the possibility of joining the elite ranks of EGOT winners.

From your perspective, what do you think is the key to a great score?

I think a great score is something you can listen to and relive that film. For me, I don’t know if you were there when I was mentioning, but as a kid that was the only way I could relive one. You couldn’t watch it on DVD at home, you couldn’t see it on TV, or if it was on TV it was just by chance that you might catch an old movie or something. But there was no way, like today, if my son went, “I want to watch Star Wars again,” he just goes and watches Star Wars. You couldn’t do it. So I had to, I used this film score to relive the entire experience. And I would imagine it in my head, and I think that a good film score allows you to do that. It allows you to relive that film, and it stands on its own as a piece of music that you could listen to and enjoy, but also it allows you to kind of evoke what the film story was telling you. So if you listen to it all in order, it would make sense. It would have a logical beginning, middle, and end just like the film hopefully does.

Just to talk about Cars 2 more specifically, is it easier in a way to do a sequel, or because this film is so much different in tone, are you going at it in a completely original way?

It feels just like a new movie to me, and that’s what I liked about it. When I first came on I thought, Oh, it’s a chance to really do something, your hands aren’t tied to anything, you can just go wherever you want with it. It’s a lot of fun, because they did a totally different story, even though at its heart these characters are the same people but they’re in a very different place. Even the film, it opens up with a car that you’ve never even seen before, which is pretty great. I love that, and for the first seven minutes of the film you’re like, wait, what am I watching? What is this?

It’s almost a spin-off.

Yeah, exactly, exactly. So I loved that aspect, and the whole opening of the film reminded me of those great TV show openings of the seventies where you’d have, or late sixties, you know, the Hawaii 5-0, you’d have these great openings and shots of action and this and that, it just promised everything that you were gonna get by the end of that hour of television. I felt like watching the opening of this film, it transported me back to that time, and I felt like, oh my god it feels like I’m just being, you’re getting promised what you’re gonna get for the next two hours, this is what we’re giving you. It’s like this very exciting feeling and when I saw that, one of the things I thought of was that surf guitar, coming back to that idea, it was one of those things I listened to as a kid, I loved that kind of music, and whenever I listened to it, I would like to ride my bike around the neighborhood listening to that kind of music and what I would do, it always made me feel like I was at the center of something important and big and dangerous, you know? So when I first saw this opening, my mind went right to that moment when I would ride the bike around the neighborhood and pretend I was in some sort of story, or I’d make up something in my head as I was listening to it. I thought maybe that could work for this, maybe that could be. And I showed John my idea and he was like, “Yes, that’s going to be great!” Because we didn’t want to do something that felt like just another action film. We certainly didn’t want to retread what we did on The Incredibles, that belongs to that, and we wanted to do something that belongs to this. That was the idea, and fortunately he liked it, so I’ve been having fun with it the whole time.

You’ve described the sound as kind of British.

British surf rock.

And I’m curious, where does the British aspect come in?

Because I always think of like, Britain in the 60s was kind of a swinging place, and it was just weird timing in London when the old guard kind of, the very conservative, was being butted up against. Not unlike what was happening in America but it was more, I think, apparent in London where it was very stiff, and then very just kind of fluid. They were both going up against each other. And I think that when that music out of that time, coming out of London, was influencing America in a huge way. There was this great exchange between, you know the Beatles of course did unbelievable work. And it was funny because they would listen to stuff coming out of America, “Oh we can do better than that.” And then the guys in America would listen to music coming out of there, out of London, and go, “We can do better than that.” That’s how the Beach Boys, “Pet Sounds,” these albums were all built out of these rivalries, you know, “I can do better than that,” “Oh my god, I can’t believe they beat us, they one-upped us.” So I think London had a big thing to do with music in that era and that’s kind of where I just went. And also the main character, Finn McMissile, I always pictured him as like a London, a spy in London in its height of the swinging sixties, and so that’s where it all just kinda... Then I told John that British surf rock, he was like, “Wait, what? What’s that?” I said, “I know, it doesn’t really make sense, but for some reason that’s the only term I can use to describe it and here’s why.” So I had to go into a long explanation like, oh, ok, yes, yes.

To talk about some of your other projects, one thing I’m really looking forward to is Super 8 [Editor’s Note: This interview took place in late May]. I hate to put the pressure on you, but I’m really anticipating this kind of huge score. On the trailer it seems so early Spielbergian, I’m wondering, are you approaching it with Williams in mind?

Not so much. I’m approaching it with the film in mind and the story and trying to do what’s there. The film certainly evokes the feelings of those great Amblin films of the 80s and you really, and so I’m sure there will be a shadow of that in what I do for sure, but for me, I’m just really nervous about making sure I do what’s right for the film and the storytelling you know, and then after that, sitting back and, “Okay, what do I do now?” It’s about getting the themes right too. Because you know, working on a film that’s produced by Steven Spielberg, that’s a crazy, that’s like, “What? I’m doing what?” It’s all I ever wanted growing up, you know, and to be there in the room with him and talking with him about the theme and the music you’re like, “Really? Is this happening?” It’s crazy. Because we’re, J.J. included, we’re all as much a fan and student of him as anyone else.

I just want to compare and contrast, is there a difference between building a score for an animated film versus a live action one?

No, the main difference is, I treated both exactly the same because Mater is a real character to me, he’s like a real person, I treat him as real as I would treat Ethan Hunt or Captain Kirk or even the people like, the characters in Family Stone. You want to treat them each with dignity and respect and not make fun of them. So just because it’s an animated thing doesn’t give you license to make more fun of them, you know? And I think they’re more serious you take them, the better the story is. That’s Pixar’s approach as well, even just building a story, treat them with respect and these are real characters, you know? They’re not making fun of them, they’re just sharing them with you. Which I like that. But the one thing that is different, live action film can change on a dime. Editing all the time, changing this and that, oh we’ve lost this. So you’re constantly like wow, okay, now I have to redo this part of the score. Whereas this, once you kind of, once the time that I come on board, it’s pretty much set to what it’s gonna be, and I can rely on that. Whereas you can’t rely on that in live action.

Kind of bridging that idea, you have a tendency to work with a lot of the same directors, Brad Bird, J.J. Abrams. What was your experience like working with John Lasseter on this film?

Oh it was fantastic. It was my first time working with him as a director. I had worked with him on all those films that he’s produced and he was always around to make comments or whatever, but never as a director. I found that we just had a lot of fun. You could tell how much he absolutely loves these characters, they mean so much to him. It’s really the only reason he’s doing it is because he loves these characters and he has an idea that he thought would be really fun to share. And I like that aspect of creating something because there’s a reason to share it with people. Because you feel, you get excited about an idea and you want to share it with somebody, as opposed to saying, “Well, we have a date here, and we can out a film out here, and we can make a lot of money doing this.” That doesn’t really appeal to me. What I love about the stuff that comes out of here is it’s always generated from an idea. It’s like when I was a kid, we would always be like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if...Wouldn’t it be cool if we could make that trashcan into a robot. I bet we could! I bet we could do it. We’ve got this old toaster, we can pull out the...” We literally used to try and do that. It never worked but we would try to do that and I feel like that’s the same feeling I get to relive here because you have John going, “Wouldn’t it be so cool if Mater got caught up in the middle of this whole different world that he’s thrown into, wouldn’t that be great?” And you go, “Yeah, that would be awesome.” “Alright let’s do it.” Then you start doing it and it becomes this. So the reason is always about, what are you excited about, what do you get excited about? I think that’s the greatest thing about it.

Before I go, you’re so close to the EGOT. I really think you need to write a musical.

I know, I’ve been told that [laughs]. My family has been telling me that. Now you know, when are you writing the musical? And I’m a huge musical fan actually, I love musicals. So I wouldn’t count it out someday, it would just need to be the right thing.

If there's one thing we can agree on in the divisive world of entertainment, it's that Michael Giacchino is a god. I mean, seriously: in 2009 alone the guy wrote the scores for Star Trek and Up (winning an Oscar for the latter) and continued his six-season run as the composer for Lost, writing new music for every single episode and pioneering the use of jet engine noises in music. If you don't love him already, you just haven't been paying attention.

Giacchino has also done us a favor of getting on board the J.J. Abrams train, meaning that every time Abrams or one of his cohorts comes up with something cool, some good music is bound to follow. Apparently that's going to be the case with the next film from Abrams protege Matt Reeves, Let Me In, which as you probably know by now is a remake of the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In. According to the fansite Michael Giacchino Music, Giacchino will be contributing the score for the film, which is set to come out this October. What more to say than "Hooray!" More Giacchino is always a good thing.

Though Michael Giacchino has done some of his best work as a composer for Pixar, and in fact won an Oscar on Sunday for Up, he's never worked with Pixar stalwart Andrew Stanton, who used Thomas Newman as the composer for his films Finding Nemo and Wall-E. That's all about to change, but outside of Pixar's walls. Movie Score Magazine reports that Giacchino will provide the score for John Carter of Mars, which will be Stanton's live-action directorial debut.

The adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel is filming over in the U.K. right now, starring Taylor Kitsch as the Civil War veteran who finds himself on the faraway planet. Any sci-fi geek of any stripe is already ridiculously pumped about this movie, and most of us are nuts for Giacchino anyway, given that he's provided the scary vibes and emotional uplift music for Lost for the past six seasons. It's a good match all around. I just hope Thomas Newman isn't offended.