Bond 25directorCary Fukunagais turning to an old friend to compose the score forDaniel Craig’s last outing as 007, asDan Romerhas been tapped to handle scoring duties on the untitled blockbuster.
Romer previously worked with Fukunaga on his acclaimed Netflix dramaBeasts of No NationstarringIdris Elba, as well as the streamer’s trippy sci-fi seriesManiacstarringJonah HillandEmma Stone. He replacesThomas Newman, who composed the scores forSkyfallandSpectre, and in turn took over fromDavid Arnold, who scored Craig’s first two Bond films,Casino RoyaleandQuantum of Solace.
Indiewirebroke the news, and according to their report, there had been speculation that Oscar-winnerJustin Hurwitz(La La Land) would be poised to scoreBond 25, joining two of his formerDamien Chazellecollaborators, cinematographerLinus Sandgrenand editorTom Cross.
Currently filming in London, Fukunaga recently released a little sizzle reel forBond 25in an effort to combat rumors that the set had been plagued by trouble. While it has certainly been a difficult shoot, all of that off-screen drama has appeared to stay off-screen, as the sizzle reel featured a new vibe for the Bond franchise. The latest movie starts out in Jamaica, where Bond is visited by CIA spook Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) and MI6 agent Nomi (Lashana Lynch), as they hunt for a mastermind who’s eager to exploit genetic engineering, played by newly-crowned Oscar-winnerRami Malek. It’s described as a neon-soaked noir, and at one point, the film was apparently titledA Reason to Die, though reportedly, that has since been nixed and nothing has been decided yet.
In addition to his work onManiacandBeasts of No Nation, Romer has also scored the Hulu comedyRamyand the movieZoestarringBond 25’sLéa Seydoux, as well as the documentariesChasing CoralandGleason. But the film that comes to mind first when I think of Romer is, obviously,Beasts of the Southern Wild, which he scored with directorBenh Zeitlin. Nowthat’sa score that I’ve sat in my car and listened to, as I recall Fox Searchlight being particularly generous with the film’s soundtrack that year.Beasts of the Southern Wildis a gorgeous score that is full of life, and while the Bond franchise will always be haunted by the specter of death, I can see how Romer would come up with a sound worthy of the film’s sun-drenched Jamaican setting.
Of course, the Bond franchise never settles down for long, and indeed, this new film is expected to take 007 to Italy, Norway, and jolly old London. But the important thing is that Fukunaga and Romer are on the same page, and given their long history together, I don’t think that will be a problem. Lord knowsBond 25has endured enough of those already. You can catch Craig’s last turn in the tuxedo next April… unless it’s pushed back to the fall, when most of his entries have hit theaters.
