Following the acclaimed conclusion of “Andor,” Tony Gilroy is finally returning to feature filmmaking for the first time since 2012’s “The Bourne Legacy.” Vanity Fair has unveiled the first look at “Behemoth!,” his ambitious Searchlight Pictures drama starring Pedro Pascal as Alex, a prodigal cellist who returns to the world of Hollywood film scoring after decades performing symphonic work around the country.
The images show Pascal performing with a cello, sharing a scene with Will Arnett, and working alongside Gilroy and co-stars Olivia Wilde and Eva Victor. The film represents a significant step for Pascal: Alex appears in every scene, with the actor portraying approximately 25 years of the character’s life in what amounts to his first true solo leading role on the big screen.
Pascal joined “Behemoth!” after Oscar Isaac departed the project, saving Gilroy from potentially abandoning his first directorial feature in more than a decade. Despite some mutual reservations before meeting, a three-hour conversation convinced the filmmaker that Pascal could carry the movie.
“There was something overall about this story that I think I connected to more cerebrally and emotionally,” Pascal said. “It’s a love letter to music; it’s a love letter to movies. It’s about family; it’s about legacy; it’s about healing.”
Written and directed by Gilroy, “Behemoth!” follows a former child prodigy and third-generation studio musician who has spent roughly two decades traveling as a cellist for hire. His return to Los Angeles unfolds chronologically, but each time Alex performs the opening cue from a different fictional movie, the music triggers a flashback revealing why he left and what finally brought him home.
The film marks Gilroy’s fourth feature as a director, following “Michael Clayton,” “Duplicity,” and “The Bourne Legacy.” His screenwriting career also encompasses the “Bourne” franchise, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and “Andor.”
The subject is deeply personal for Gilroy. Before becoming a screenwriter, he was a musician hoping to land a record deal, and he spent a year interviewing professional studio players as he developed the screenplay. His experiences working with Michael Giacchino on “Rogue One” and Nicholas Britell on “Andor” also deepened his fascination with the way dozens of individual musicians combine into a single orchestral voice.
READ MORE: Tony Gilroy Discusses “Behemoth!” And His Return To Feature Filmmaking
The supporting cast surrounds Alex with musicians from different stages of his life. Hank Azaria plays his father, while Arnett portrays his brother after replacing David Harbour during production. Victor plays Nadia, a fellow cellist whom Alex romances while working in Dallas, and Wilde stars as Carol, his leopard-print-wearing ex, who apparently still has a significant grievance against him. Matthew Lillard, Margarita Levieva, and Alexa Swinton also appear.
The film’s musical ambitions extend far beyond a conventional score. As The Playlist exclusively reported, nine composers are contributing as part of a group known internally as the Behemoth! Collective: Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts, and Alan Silvestri.
Gilroy said hiring a single composer would have been a mistake because each fictional film required a different musical voice. Sources close to the project previously told The Playlist that the Collective’s work also includes diegetic music that bleeds into the score, musical vignettes, and other inventive uses. Several members have existing ties to Gilroy: Howard scored his three previous directorial features, Roberts composed “Andor” Season 2, and Giacchino scored “Rogue One,” which Gilroy extensively reshaped during post-production.
Although employing nine composers may complicate the film’s Oscar eligibility, Gilroy has larger ambitions for “Behemoth!,” viewing it as a celebration of an increasingly endangered Los Angeles scoring community. Still, he stressed that the film is not a mournful industry elegy: “There’s whimsy, farce—there’s pixie dust on this movie.”
Gilroy produces “Behemoth!” alongside Sanne Wohlenberg and his brother and longtime editor John Gilroy. Searchlight has not announced a release date, but given Gilroy’s pedigree, Pascal’s star power, and the project’s scale, it already seems tailor-made for the fall film festival circuit. Check out the first look images below.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2007. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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