Back Lot Music is set to release the original motion picture soundtrack to Universal Pictures’ NEWS OF THE WORLD in multiple configurations, with pre-order available this Friday, December 4. The soundtrack to the film features an original score composed by eight-time Academy Award® nominee James Newton Howard. The soundtrack will release to all digital & streaming platforms on December 11, followed by a CD release on December 18. Back Lot has also partnered with premier vinyl label Mondo on a special limited-edition vinyl configuration, which will go on sale January 13, 2021. The film, starring Tom Hanks and directed & co-written by Paul Greengrass, arrives in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day.
James Newton Howard is one of the film industry’s most versatile and honored composers, with a career spanning over thirty years and encompassing more than 140 film and television projects. In addition to his eight Oscar® nominations for films including Michael Clayton, The Prince of Tides and Defiance, he is an Emmy & Grammy winner. Howard has also been honored with ASCAP’s prestigious Henry Mancini Award for Lifetime Achievement and the BMI ICON Award.
As a record producer, arranger, and songwriter, he has collaborated with some of pop’s biggest names including Elton John; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Barbra Streisand; Earth, Wind & Fire; Bob Seger; Rod Stewart; Toto; Glenn Frey; Diana Ross; Carly Simon; Olivia Newton-John; Randy Newman; Rickie Lee Jones; and Chaka Khan.
Set in 1870, five years after the end of the Civil War, News of the World follows Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks), a veteran of three wars, who now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe.
In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna (Helena Zengel, System Crasher), a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own. Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will.
Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place that either can call home.
“I had wanted to work with Paul for years and jumped at the chance when I was offered this film,” says composer James Newton Howard. “The beauty of the relationship between Captain Kidd and Johanna, and the stunning performances of both Tom and Helena made scoring News of the World a deeply gratifying process. Paul had a keen vision about the role of music in the film, and I worked to create a score that both reflected the stark landscape through which Captain Kidd and Johanna journeyed, as well as help shape the emotional arc of our two main characters.”
“The music making for News of the World was a joy from first meeting to final mix,” says director Paul Greengrass. “I had admired James’s work for many years and was delighted when we were able finally to team up on this movie.
“James and I settled on the idea [for the score] straight away,” Greengrass continues. “The score should be as if a consort of players, broken by years of Civil War and division and hatred, had finally reformed. There would be fiddles, perhaps a guitar, a little percussion – instruments familiar to every small town and village in South Texas in 1870. James’ beautiful score is a musical journey towards much needed healing, perfectly counterpointing the journey taken by Captain Kidd, and Johanna, the lost girl he finds along the way.”
More About News of the World
This Christmas, Universal Pictures is proud to present Tom Hanks starring in News of the World, a moving story written and directed by Paul Greengrass, reuniting for the first time with his star from their 2013 Best Picture nominee Captain Phillips.
News of the World is directed by Greengrass (the Bourne films, United 93) from his screenplay with Luke Davies (Lion), based on the National Book Award finalist and best-selling novel by Paulette Jiles. The film is produced by Gary Goetzman (Mamma Mia! franchise, Greyhound), Gail Mutrux (The Danish Girl, Donnie Brasco) and Gregory Goodman (22 July, 8 Mile). The executive producers are Steven Shareshian and Tore Schmidt. The film’s music is by eight-time Academy Award® nominee James Newton Howard.
Pre-Order the soundtrack here.
Tracklisting:
1.) Captain Jefferson
2.) There Is No Time for Stories
3.) Leaving Wichita
4.) Arriving at Red River
5.) Now for Some Federal News
6.) Johanna’s New Clothes
7.) The Road to Dallas
8.) It’s Hard Finding Your Way Home
9.) Dime Mountain
10.) What Else Can You Teach Me?
11.) Erath County
12.) Kidd Defies Farley
13.) Johanna Returns Home
14.) Dust Storm
15.) A Gift
16.) Castroville
17.) Kidd Visits Maria
18.) Miss Johanna Kidd
19.) End Titles (from the Motion Picture “News of the World”)
