Last month, we got the first trailer for David Fincher‘s fall thriller “Gone Girl,” and as expected, it really got people talking. Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn — who has since clarified her remarks about how drastically the ending has been changed or not from her book — it stars Ben Affleck as a man who becomes the prime suspect when his wife, played by Rosamund Pike, goes missing. But as always, the truth is never quite what it seems. And while the trailer was clever — archly powered by a cover of Elvis Costello‘s “She” by Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs — it kept the tone of the movie just out of reach. Well, one person who has seen it is Trent Reznor. And he has some interesting things to say.
The Nine Inch Nails frontman is one again teaming with Atticus Ross to score Fincher’s film, after successful work on “The Social Network” and “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” And this one looks like another grim offering. “This film has been really fun to work on. It’s been an interesting challenge with some different parameters, and it keeps us on our toes. That’s what makes it good,” he told EW. “It’s a much darker film than I was expecting. The book is not exactly uplifting or happy, but it’s a nasty film.” Damn.
And as you might expect, meeting Fincher’s standards and demands is one that requires a lot of communication. “It’s clear he has a pretty realized vision in his head, and he’s thought a lot about whatever project he is working on, and I’ve always felt like our role is in service to that. How do we translate the role that he thinks music should be, and the tones and textures and spaces it’s allowed to take up, and then make it better than that? So step one in all the projects we’ve done with him is just to sit and let him talk about it and listen before any music is written or before any palette of sounds is chosen,” Reznor explained. “That’s been the right strategy so far.”
Reznor is still hard at work on the score, and is even planning to bring a portable studio with him on the road if that’s what’s required, when he tours with Soundgarden this summer. You’ll hear the results when the film opens on October 3rd.