Film Music Forecast: 2002

An Official Tracksounds Trackdown


Tracksounds Presents: The Film Music Forecast for 2002 What does 2002 hold for film music audiences? Tracksounds provides you with a general overview and also a detailed look at the upcoming year in film music. This forecast will help you plan your film music year! Know when the most-anticipated films and scores of the year are about to be released, when to save up your money, what attitiude to pack for your next movie-theatre excursion and more! And now your 12-Month Forecast...

January - March	April - June	July - September	October - December



Quarter 1 - January through March 2002
As with most years, the first few months of the year will be somewhat dull, drab and rainy. Right on schedule, the film-world jumps into awards-season to the detriment of quality films and film scores. Early season conditions will be stormy but slightly warmer than usual with the hotly anticipated release of Hans Zimmer and Co.'s Black Hawk Down. There will be a flicker or two of sunshine courtesy of John Powell's I am Sam and Edward Shearmur's Count of Monte Cristo, but the forecast calls for unpredictability during March, with Howard Shore's Panic Room and Nick Gennie Smith's We Were Soldiers. Jeff and Mychael Danna's Green Dragon and Klaus Badelt's The Time Machine could bring some unexpected sunshine however.
Quarter 1 - Recap
Black Hawk Down - Hans Zimmer et al - (January 2002) The Count of Monte Cristo - Edward Shearmur - (February 2002) Panic Room - Howard Shore - (March 8, 2002) The Time Machine - Klaus Badelt - (March 8, 2002) Ice Age - David Newman - (March 15, 2002) We Were Soldiers - Nick Glennie Smith (March 1, 2002) Green Dragon - Jeff and Mychael Danna (March 19, 2002) (soundtrack release) (Unless noted, release date of the film is shown and forecast for the score = )


Quarter 2 - April - June 2002
An uneventful April leads us into some of the best weather of the year! May and June of 2002 will be some of the best months of film music in the last few years. Starting with the highly anticipated Spider-Man by Danny Elfman right through to John Williams' score for Minority Report. Of course, keep plenty of sun-block handy! What could be two of the hottest days of the year, April 23 and May 22 see the release of John Williams' Star Wars: Attack of the Clones; however a hurricane advisory has been posted even as many are still recovering from Hurricane Menace of 1999. We are already tracking tropical storm, Windtalkers. If you need a break from the blockbuster-heat then lounging in the shadows of the headline films will be a couple of soundtracks to keep years open for: David Hirshfelder's K-19 Widowmaker and Carter Burwell's The Bourne Identity.
Quarter 2 - Recap
Spider-Man - Danny Elfman (May 3, 2002) K-19: Widowmaker - Klaus Badelt (June 7, 2002) The Bourne Identity - Carter Burwell (May 31, 2002) Minority Report - John Williams (June 28, 2002) Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones - John Williams - (May 22, 2002) Windtalkers - James Horner - (June 14, 2002) (Unless noted, release date of the film is shown and forecast for the score = )



Quarter 3 - July - September 2002
After a steamy early Summer of 2002, things settle down drastically starting in July. Releasing in the wake of one of the most eagerly awaited Summers in recent memory, are a couple films that will likely produce comfortable temperatures. A couple of years ago John Debney and a host of other contributing composers took the film music community by storm with their entertaining collaboration for Spy Kids. Late Summer 2002 reportedly finds Robert Rodriguez and John Debney returning for the sequel, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams. Another sleeper hit could come with James Newton Howard's score for Signs. While the potential for sunny to partly sunny days is high for these two scores, there are a few of other late Summer storms to watch carefully: Ed Shearmur's Reign of Fire and Randy Edelman's XXX (Triple X). Each could turn out to be surprisingly refreshing or potentially lethal. Some of the most menacing days of the Fall, may come around September 20th, when James Horner's score for The Four Feathers is heard and ceremoniously picked apart feather-by-feather. Even the staunchest of Horner fan's should brace themselves for the familiar elements that are apart of nearly every Horner low-pressure system these days...or at least prepare for the fandom aftermath. A high-wind advisory and flashflood watch are being posted for the respective releases.
Quarter 3 - Recap
Reign of Fire - Ed Shearmur - (July 12, 2002) XXX (Triple X) - Randy Edelman - (July 26, 2002) Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams - Robert Rodriguez/John Debney (August 7) Signs - James Newton Howard (August 2, 2002) The Four Feathers - James Horner (September 20, 2002) (Unless noted, release date of the film is shown and forecast for the score = )


Quarter 4 - October - December 2002
The holiday season looks to be as nice, if not nicer, than 2001's. With the weather outside reaching frightful proportions, things will be cozy indoors. Both Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings return to thrill worldwide audiences. Even if John Williams returns to the Harry Potter fold, the outlook is, at best, cloudy, as his solid, yet unoriginal effort for The Sorcerer's Stone, has left many in the film-music world out in the cold. Certainly, the end of the year's most anticipated score will be from Howard Shore for The Two Towers. With the critically successful release of Fellowship of thre:e Ring, you can rest assured conditions will be perfect come December 18th. Expectations are already high, but the outlook is uncertain for the 20th James Bond film with David Arnold is reportedly back at the helm. Not to be forgotten, stalwart of the Star Trek franchise, Jerry Goldsmith returns to score the tenth Star Trek film, Nemesis. Prepare for partly cloudy skies here with a chance of rain.
Quarter 4 - Recap
Bond 20 - David Arnold (November 2002) Star Trek: Nemesis - Jerry Goldsmith - (November) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - John Williams (November 2002) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Howard Shore - (December 18, 2002) (Unless noted, release date of the film is shown and forecast for the score = )


Other Factors in 2002 - Dates To Be Announced
Simone - Carter Burwell (TBA) The Sum of all Fears - Jerry Goldsmith (TBA) Red Dragon - Danny Elfman (TBA) Catch Me if You Can - John Williams??? (TBA)



Summary - 2002: The Unprecedented Year!
All in all, 2002 is shaping up to be an unprecedented year for film and film scores. Many of the most successful movie franchises will be represented in 2002 including: Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, James Bond, and The Lord of the Rings. Had The Matrix sequels not been pushed back there would be no doubt to the significance of the year 2002. While there is the possibility of some flash-flooding with even some of the headline film scores for the year, there is also the potential for unexpected heat-waves throughout the year as well. Tracksounds' recommendation is to save up your pennies and get ready to frequent your favorite movie-house...and then your favorite music outlet. There is plenty to see and will be plenty to buy!