Astoundingly, “Michael Clayton” writer/director Tony Gilroy has not directed a feature film since 2012’s “The Bourne Legacy.” Since then, the two-time Oscar nominee has been working in the world of tentpoles and “Star Wars,” from writing the scripts for “Rogue One” and the miscalculated Zhang Yimou epic “The Great Wall” with Matt Damon, to heading up Disney+’s revered “Star Wars” spinoff “Andor” as creator/writer/executive producer.
Now, he’s back working in a more personal register akin to the 2007 legal drama starring George Clooney that remains one of the best films of the aughts (and won Tilda Swinton the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing a loathsomely corrupt corporate counsel). Writer/director Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” (exclamation point included) heads into the fall awards season with a December 4 release date courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. Watch the trailer below.
Per the official synopsis, “A gifted cellist, Alex Serian (Pedro Pascal), returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Music, which has been the constant, all-consuming river of his life, begins to carry Alex on an adventure that will change him forever.”
Based on the trailer, it looks like Pascal does a good deal of his own cello work. The film also stars “Sorry Baby” writer/director/star Eva Victor (seen here as Pascal’s love interest), “The Invite” director/star/belle-of-the-2026-ball Olivia Wilde, and Will Arnett, who worked with Searchlight Pictures last year on the stand-up comedy drama “Is This Thing On?”
Most notably, the film features nine composers, known as the Behemoth! Collective, which The Playlist reported to be Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts, and Alan Silvestri — aka many of the best names in the film-score-writing business.
The film also stars Alexa Swinton, Kaya Ralls, Erik Griffin, JoBeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, and Hank Azaria. Tony Gilroy, Sanne Wohlenberg, and John Gilroy produce.
Searchlight Pictures releases “Behemoth!” in theaters on Friday, December 4.
