Tony Gilroy reveals the nine-composer experiment behind Behemoth!, a Pedro Pascal-led drama exploring the creative world of Hollywood film-score collaboration.
Tony Gilroy has turned the usually concentrated job of composing a film score into a major collaborative experiment. In this Filmmaker Spotlight, the writer-director’s new drama, Behemoth!, stands out for bringing nine established musicians together under equal-pay rules to shape different parts of its musical world.
The approach became a talking point following the film’s world premiere as the Centerpiece selection of the 64th New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall on October 2, 2026. Searchlight Pictures has scheduled its US theatrical release for December 4.
Inside the Behemoth! Collective
The film credits its composers collectively as “The Behemoth! Collective.” Its members are Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts and Alan Silvestri.
Gilroy told the Associated Press that all nine composers received equal compensation and began working with an early set of shared rules. That structure placed collaboration at the centre of a creative process often associated with one principal composer working alongside a director.
How scoring sessions inspired Tony Gilroy
Gilroy’s idea grew from his experiences attending film-scoring sessions. The production also filmed several scenes at Sony Pictures’ historic scoring stage, giving the drama a direct connection to the working environment it depicts.
For filmmakers and producers, including those working across Nollywood and other African screen industries, the experiment offers an intriguing production question: can equal creative terms and a clearly defined framework allow multiple voices to contribute without losing a film’s identity? Gilroy’s model does not provide a universal formula, but it makes the organisation of creative labour part of the film’s wider story.
Pedro Pascal enters Hollywood’s scoring world
Pedro Pascal stars as Alex Serian, a gifted cellist who returns to Los Angeles after two decades on the road and begins recording scores for Hollywood films. Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Alexa Swinton, Hank Azaria and Will Arnett appear in supporting roles.
Behemoth! is Gilroy’s fourth feature as a director and marks his return to feature directing after The Bourne Legacy. By matching a story about screen music with an unconventional real-world scoring process, he has made the film’s production method almost as compelling as its premise.
Join the conversation
Could a nine-composer, equal-pay model work effectively in Nollywood and other African film industries?
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Sources
Source links used to research and verify this article:
Associated PressSearchlight Pictures
Film at Lincoln Center
Film at Lincoln Center — New York Film Festival
Film Music Reporter
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