Elfman out, Haslinger in to score 'The Wolfman'

[twaddington]

Danny Elfman has pulled out of scoring The Wolfman due to scheduling conflicts. The film was originally scheduled to be released at the end of 2008 but now has a planned release date of February 12th next year. This shifting release date is apprently the main reason behind Elfman leaving the project. Understandable until you learn that apparently his music for the film was already virtually completed. That obvious leads us to the assumption that maybe Elfman got the boot because his music either wasn't good enough or just didn't suit the filmmakers vision. Out of the two i'm gonna say it was because it didn't suit the filmmakers vision because Elfman is a great film music composer. This is probably my favourite of his,

Elfman had previously talked about the project with optimism

“The lucky thing for me is that the original ‘Wolf Man’ did not have an extremely famous musical score. (So) at least I’m not going to have a mountain of people madly in love with the original,” the Grammy winner and three-time Oscar nominee says, laughing. “There’s a little bit of relief.”

The new choice of composer perhaps speaks volumes about the style of the film. Elfman's score was rumoured to be a typically gothic affair which surely would be suited to The Wolfman. His replacement Paul Haslinger's (Shoot 'em Up)  film music has a more rock based sound. I'm not questioning his quality as a composer but I would have thought that Elfman was the the better fit. Cinemusic.net pointed out that

"This composer casting choice seems to make sense when you consider the second trailer for The Wolf Man, which eschews atmospheric chills for rhythmic music propelling quick cuts of creature effects and CGI transformations."

That definitely seems a fair analysis and as far as I am concerned it is a shame because I actually prefered the first trailer and was hoping that Wolfman would be an atmospheric chiller in the vain of the old Hammer and Universal horror films. Instead maybe we are looking at another Van Helsing in the making.

Sources-http://www.cinemusic.net/2009/11/06/danny-elfman-no-longer-howling-the-wolf-man-soundtrack/
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/15650/elfman-replaced-on-the-wolfman-

[dnwilliams]

Elfman thread!!!

[Sheridan Passell]

God this is a terrible track -

[dnwilliams]

argh! my ears! 



that's better 

[Sheridan Passell]

Yeah I used to listen to that Hulk track A LOT a few years when I was wandering the streets of London trying to inspire myself for scripts.

Music For A Darkened Theater was the first soundtrack album I ever bought, it was all I really had for several years and listened to it hundreds of times. He got a bit samey as time went on, and now his signature style seems to have all but vanished. Still comes up with a good soundtrack now and again, or at least one great track on an otherwise lazy one.

[twaddington]

This is classic Elfman. One of the most easily recognisable film scores.

I think there comes a point when people just run out of ideas or inspiration, no matter how great they once were.

[dnwilliams]

I don't know. I'd still prefer a Danny Elfman score to whoever the nobody is they've got for Wolfman now! Plus, I really wanted him to go and do the Captain America score for Joe Johnston as well...people hate on his Spider-Man theme but I LOVE it.



And here's Danny Elfman's music on a GOOD piece of Batman media  Sounds better too.