Already a movie we’re predicting to be a Best Picture contender next year, George Clooney (fresh from his Oscar win as a producer on “Argo“) begins production in Germany today on his World War II tale “The Monuments Men.” The press release confirmed the cast that includes Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and John Goodman, but it also included another tidbit, which is yet more reason to get excited for the movie.
Alexandre Desplat has been revealed as the composer for “The Monuments Men,” and will be scoring the film. Ever busy, Desplat had an insane 2012 with his work appearing in awards contenders “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty” (he was Oscar nominated for the former), “Moonrise Kingdom,” “Rust And Bone,” “Rise Of The Guardians,” Matteo Garrone‘s “Reality” and the biopic “Renoir.” And for 2013, his music is already expected for Lee Daniels‘ “The Butler” and Wes Anderson‘s “Grand Budapest Hotel” (which won’t be released until 2014, but still). So the odds on Desplat getting a sixth Oscar nod? Pretty good. Desplat and Clooney are no strangers, with the conductor scoring the Clooney produced “Argo”and “Syriana,” as well as the Clooney directed “The Ides Of March.”
To refresh your memory, “The Monuments Men” tell the true story of a World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. The group, made up of seven museum directors, curators, and art historians found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, and they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements. Yeah, you can smell the musk of Oscar all over this thing.
“The Monuments Men” will shoot until June and open on December 18th.
