Composers
WAMG Checks in With Composer Christopher Lennertz On THE WEDDING RINGER, HORRIBLE BOSSES 2, “Galavant” And “Agent Carter”
From scores featuring Horrible Bosses, Marvel Agents, and Knights to movie soundtracks starring Kevin Hart and more Kevin Hart, Christopher Lennertz hasn’t slowed his TV/film composing pace since we last interviewed him during the release of THINK LIKE A MAN TOO.
With audiences embracing HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 after its November 2014 opening (as of Dec. 28, 2014: $93M worldwide), I recently spoke with Lennertz about the sequel, his upcoming films THE WEDDING RINGER and RIDE ALONG 2, as well as composing for ABC’s new musical comedy, “Galavant” and “Marvel’s Agent Carter.”
WAMG: Coming up on January 16th is THE WEDDING RINGER. Audiences from the early screenings are saying it’s very funny.
CL: It’s getting really great feedback. The NSFW red-band trailer is absolutely hilarious. The movie is described as THE HANGOVER meets SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. The funny thing about it is it looks like a crazy guys movie the way OLD SCHOOL or ROAD TRIP was. If you go with a date, it’s also got a romance to it. It has Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting in it – it’s really a movie for everybody. The great thing about THE WEDDING RINGER is that people will be talking about it for weeks.
Both it and HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 have some great lines that people will be quoting for the next couple of months. This film is more fun than you’re supposed to have in a movie theater. It’s a fun ride.
WAMG: You wrote the score for the original Horrible Bosses and people loved seeing what Bateman, Day and Sudeikis have been up to since we last saw them.
CL: And Jennifer Aniston
WAMG: She steals the movie, doesn’t she?
CL: She’s perfect!
WAMG: Was it good to be back on the second film?
CL: Yes! When I heard they were making it I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Sean Anders knew he didn’t want to change the characters at all and a continuation of their story. I was totally on board with that. Sean really respected what the first movie did. He was really great!
WAMG: Being that you worked on the original movie, how did you approach the score for Horrible Bosses 2?
CL: I’ve come to learn through my own love of movies, that I want to feel comfort. When I see ROCKY 3, I want to hear the ROCKY theme. When I go to a James Bond movie, I want to hear the Bond theme. I wanted the sequel to feel like HORRIBLE BOSSES and sound like the original HORRIBLE BOSSES. There were some new twists that were easy to do with new characters like Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz.
Plus the guys are in a different situation because they felt they had gotten rid of the horrible bosses and had it figured out. We learned very quickly that’s not the case.
WAMG: Audiences really loved the song choices. They fit perfectly with all the physical comedy that included Pearl Jam guitarist Michael McCready and Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard. It added a rock-n’-roll edge to the sequel.
CL: What we started on the first movie, and continued on in this one, was that we wanted viewers to feel the music in the movie would be the songs the guys would be listening to inside their own heads. Like when the guys are thinking about the kidnapping, what music would Charlie Day be listening to on his own iPad if he was doing a kidnapping? That was the way we figured out what the sound was supposed to be. It was mix of Beastie Boys meets Pearl Jam meets Black Keys as well as The Clash’s POLICE ON MY BACK, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis CAN’T HOLD US plus BRIAN KILGORE on percussion.
Screenwriter/executive producer Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, Cars) teams up with Broadway and Hollywood award-winning musical team — composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) and lyricist Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid, Tangled) — for 4-week comedy extravaganza. Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant (Joshua Sasse) lost the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), to the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson). Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after.” But it won’t be without a few twists and turns along the way.
WAMG: Judging by the trailer for “Galavant,” the show looks like so much fun.
CL: It is and a whole different thing for me. I have the opportunity to work with Alan Menken who revitalized Disney over the last couple of decades. Nobody writes better songs and melodies than Alan. I get to work with him on that and write the score for this crazy show that’s basically the closest thing anyone in America has ever done to Monty Python.
It’s pretty fantastic and so very different. “Galavant” is really for adults – it’s not a kids show.
I have that plus the new show from Marvel – “Agent Carter” – premiering the same week. It’s a 1940’s-period TV show with Captain America’s kickass girlfriend. I’m working on a lot of different things right now. I’ve got a lot of projects coming out in January.
“Marvel’s Agent Carter” – It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field, putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – aka Captain America. When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, “Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger”) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy — the only person he can trust — to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction. If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse.
WAMG: Has work started on RIDE ALONG 2?
CL: It is already shot and in the can. I’ve seen a screening of it – it’s great and has turned into a huge action movie which is kind of fun!
Most of this one takes place in Miami, so it’s beautiful to look at along with some great boat chases. I’ll be writing the music for it in January or February. The movie will be out in 2016.
RIDE ALONG 2 stars Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Sherri Shepherd and Ken Jeong. Tim Story will direct.
“Galavant” premieres Sunday, January 4 on ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/galavant
“Marvel’s Agent Carter” premieres Tuesday, January 6 on ABC: http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agent-carter
THE WEDDING RINGER opens in theaters on January 16. http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/theweddingringer/
HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 soundtrack album is available on WATERTOWER MUSIC. http://www.watertower-music.com/releases_spotlight.php?search=WTM39615_horrible2
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