BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music has announced the December 23 release of the soundtrack to “Live by Night,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ dramatic crime thriller directed by Oscar winner Ben Affleck that is slated for limited release (New York City and Los Angeles) on December 25, 2016, and wide release on January 13, 2017. The film’s score is by composer Harry Gregson-Williams.
“Ben Affleck tells very rich, character-driven stories, and 'Live by Night' is another great example,” explains Gregson-Williams, who also collaborated with Affleck on both “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone.” “Interpreting the movie’s stunningly vibrant visuals and complexly interwoven relationships afforded me the opportunity to harness many diverse compositional tools and colors, from the low, dark and menacing strings and tenor saxophones of Boston’s crime-ridden underbelly, to the evocative guitar, harp, piano, and vocal textures of Prohibition-era Florida. This was my third film with Ben and, as before, our collaboration proved creatively challenging and thoroughly engrossing."
The soundtrack also features the rugged end-title song “Moonshine” by acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance, featuring country singer Kacey Musgraves and produced by Blake Mills. “What an experience it’s been to work on this project,” says Vance. “I’ve always been a fan of this era, musically and otherwise, so when Ben gave me a synopsis of the film I agreed to do it immediately. I’ve also been a fan of Blake Mills for some time, so to have his sensibilities on the recording was a beautiful bonus. With such strong female characters in the film we also knew we needed a Southern Siren…enter Kacey Musgraves.”
“Moonshine” is now available at iTunes and on Spotify.
Harry Gregson-Williams is one of Hollywood’s most sought after composers, whose scores span the spectrum of high-profile projects from action to drama to animation, each infused with the emotional punch and atmospheric intensity that mark his distinctive musical style. He was the composer on all four installments of the blockbuster “Shrek” franchise; garnered a BAFTA nomination for the score for the first “Shrek”; and received Golden Globe and Grammy Award nominations for his score to Andrew Adamson’s “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.” His most recent scores include HBO’s political drama “Confirmation,” and the blockbuster “The Martian,” starring Matt Damon and directed by Ridley Scott. His long list of film credits also includes the critically acclaimed “Gone Baby Gone” and “The Town,” both directed by Ben Affleck; Joel Schumacher’s “Twelve,” “The Number 23,” “Veronica Guerin” and “Phone Booth”; Tony Scott’s “Unstoppable,” “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” “Déjà Vu,” “Domino,” “Man on Fire,” “Spy Game” and “Enemy of the State”; and Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven.” Gregson-Williams has also been a regular and valued mentor at the Sundance Composers Lab, working directly with talented emerging composers from all over the world.
Hailing from Bangor, Northern Ireland, singer-songwriter Foy Vance is the second artist signed to Gingerbread Man Records, Ed Sheeran’s recently launched record label under Atlantic Records. The two artists are longtime friends, having toured together multiple times and collaborating on each other’s recordings (Vance co-wrote a pair of tracks on Sheeran’s multiplatinum album x while Sheeran provided guest vocals on Vance’s 2013 album Joy Of Nothing). Earlier this year, Vance released his Gingerbread Man Records debut, The Wild Swan, executive produced by the legendary Elton John and produced by Grammy Award winner Jacquire King (Kings Of Leon, James Bay). Vance performed tracks from The Wild Swan on NBC’s “Today Show” and CBS’s “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” and supported Elton John on his European Tour this past summer.
About the film:
Oscar winner Ben Affleck (“Argo”) directed and stars in the dramatic crime thriller “Live by Night.” Affleck also wrote the screenplay, based on the award-winning best-seller by Dennis Lehane; it marks the second collaboration for the fellow Boston natives, following the acclaimed drama “Gone Baby Gone.”
What you put out into this world will always come back to you, but never how you predict. Taking fatherly advice is not in Joe Coughlin’s nature. Instead, the WWI vet is a self-proclaimed anti-establishment outlaw, despite being the son of the Boston Police Deputy Superintendent. Joe’s not all bad, though; in fact, he’s not really bad enough for the life he’s chosen. Unlike the gangsters he refuses to work for, he has a sense of justice and an open heart, and both work against him, leaving him vulnerable time and again—in business and in love. Driven by a need to right the wrongs committed against him and those close to him, Joe heads down a risky path that goes against his upbringing and his own moral code. Leaving the cold Boston winter behind, he and his reckless crew turn up the heat in Tampa. And while revenge may taste sweeter than the molasses that infuses every drop of illegal rum he runs, Joe will learn that it comes at a price.
“Live by Night” is produced by Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Out of the Furnace”) and Jennifer Davisson (“The Ides of March,” “Orphan”), under the Appian Way banner; and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Todd (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Across the Universe”) for Pearl Street Films. Chris Brigham, Dennis Lehane and Chay Carter are serving as executive producers.
Starring with Affleck are Elle Fanning (“Maleficent”), Brendan Gleeson (“In the Heart of the Sea,” the “Harry Potter” films), Chris Messina (“Argo,” “The Mindy Project”), Sienna Miller (“American Sniper,” “Foxcatcher”), Zoe Saldana (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avatar”), and Oscar winner Chris Cooper (“Adaptation,” “The Town”).
A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, an Appian Way/Pearl Street production, “Live By Night” is currently slated for limited release on December 25, 2016, and wide release on January 13, 2017. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. This film has been rated R for strong violence, language throughout, and some sexuality/nudity. www.livebynight.movie.
