‘Doctor Strange’: Score by Composer Michael Giacchino Mystifies

Thanks to Collider for bringing this aural peek into what will be the score of Doctor Strange to my attention. This track comes to us by way of an ‘audio only’ YouTube video and is titled, ‘The Master of the Mystic,’ noting that it appears in the end credits. Marvel has brought Oscar Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino into its cinematic scoring fold, possibly hoping to add more ambient touches to the overall mood of the film.

The piece itself holds a kind of meandering, other-worldly choice of instruments, ranging from sitar and electric guitar to the bright, light chop of the harpsichord. The blend of the arrangement works well, and though I thought the intro was a little lackluster, the rest of the actual piece is really great stuff. Can’t wait to hear the rest of what’s to come, put to some incredible visuals.

While I typically love the action in Marvel films on the big screen, and the themes on their small screen Netflix offerings, sometimes I struggle to find the cohesion in the task of the composers they’ve recruited and the overall blend of the sequences. The music can get lost in the background of explosions, sound effects, and even in mixing. A lot of factors make for an outstanding score. I’m incredibly optimistic in the potential backdrop this latest composer will bring, given his extensive career in what I would consider mood-driven, esoteric composition.

Giacchino, who’s also providing the score for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has composed for television series such as Lost, Fringe, and Alias, to only name a few, and for more recent films, Star Trek Beyond, and Jurassic World. I know that at a certain point during  ‘Lost’s’ run, I had to take a break from the series because the score and the story together kept making me consistently cry. ‘Fringe’s’ music had me constantly on edge. But that’s the kind of effect I want music to have (either television or film) on me, without being drowned into the background by the action. Since Giacchino scored Star Trek: Into Darkness, which also starred Benedict Cumberbatch, it’ll be fun to hear whether there are any throwbacks to that broader sense of orchestral size that the big screen tends to encourage composers to take.

SOURCES: MARVEL, COLLIDER

Alan Tudyk Reveals Cut Cameo From ‘Rogue One’

For those hoping to not only hear Alan Tudyk but see as well in the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, your prayers were almost answered. Tudyk, who plays the already beloved sarcastic droid K-2SO revealed while promoting his new web series ‘Con Man’ on Reddit, he did, in fact, shoot a cameo but unfortunately it won’t make the final cut of the film.

Tudyk was going to be seen as an X-Wing Pilot which was named after his ‘Con Man’ character Wray Nerely.

Yeah, I guess it’s a cameo- Wray Nerely. So the character that I play in Con Man, sort of my alter ego in Con Man, had a role in Rogue One. I played a pilot, and the scene got cut. I just found out. Did Wray Nerely survive? I was really looking forward to seeing Wray Nerely in Star Wars, but truthfully Wray Nerely would never get that good of a job. So it was probably pretty good that he didn’t.

We can still hope to see Wray Nerely possibly in a deleted scene when Rogue hits blu-ray but it will be a long time before that happens. Or maybe we will be lucky enough to see Wray in a comic book or better yet, an action figure. It’s not unlike Lucasfilm to release an action figure of a character who doesn’t make the film (cough cough, Constable Zuvio)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits theaters December 16, 2016.

SOURCE: STARWARSNEWSNET, REDDIT

New ‘Logan’ Photo Teases Future Without Mutants

Fox’s marketing campaign for Logan is in full swing on Instagram. Over the last ten days, the film’s official title was revealed along with the official poster plus a slew of photos offering glimpses into the upcoming film. We haven’t seen a trailer yet but there is plenty to gather about the gritty and violent tone of the film as well as some clues to the plot.

Today, director James Mangold and Wolverine himself — Hugh Jackman, took to twitter to dole out a few more teases from the project.

First up is some concept art showing Wolverine punching through a windshield.

Storyboards by the great @gabrielhardman. pic.twitter.com/kc1oOo6OLQ

— Mangold (@mang0ld) October 13, 2016

But the tease that has everyone talking is a cryptic question scribed into the side of a bathroom stall asking “Where are all the mutants?”. We know that Professor X is in a state of cognitive decline and Logan’s powers aren’t what they used to be. Could it be possible mutants are losing their powers? Or have mutants gone into hiding? Either way, it seems like the people of Earth are desperate for mutants to return.

MUTANTS pic.twitter.com/kPwOqs7n1e

— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) October 14, 2016

Jackman also tweeted out a photo of a smelting plant tipped over which was posted to the film’s official Instagram account a couple of days ago. While the post-apocalyptic future in Days of Future Past was averted, things look to be in pretty bad shape in the current timeline.

Smelting plant. LOGAN pic.twitter.com/GyR6xuhK8d

— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) October 11, 2016

Logan hits theaters March 3, 2017.