Tony Gilroy made a movie about the musicians who play Hollywood’s film scores, then decided one composer wasn’t enough. Behemoth!, which had its world premiere Friday (Oct. 2) as the centerpiece of the New York Film Festival, is scored by a nine-composer collective that includes Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard and Alan Silvestri, per SlashFilm and Classic FM.
Pedro Pascal plays Alex Serian, a gifted cellist and third-generation studio musician who comes back to Los Angeles after leaving a Chicago symphony, according to Screen Daily. Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Will Arnett and Hank Azaria are in the cast. SlashFilm says most of the 127 minutes plays out in flashbacks set off by the music during a film-score recording session.
Read moreThe 2027 Festival Circuit Is Already Taking Shape, and the Same Names Keep Showing Up
Pascal says the cello was harder than anything the job has asked of him.
Literally the hardest, hardest, hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn to do.
Pedro Pascal, Vanity Fair, via Classic FM
He told Vanity Fair that being in a gladiator arena or hanging from a harness “pales in comparison” to playing the cello convincingly, Classic FM reported. Variety’s Jazz Tangcay called the film “a divine love letter to music and the world of movie scores” in a first reaction on social media, collected by JoBlo. SlashFilm’s review praised “a genuine movie star performance.”
Watch the teaser below.
Why nine composers?
Gilroy has said hiring just one would be “such a mistake,” Classic FM reports, which fits a story about the many hands behind a movie score. The cost is awards eligibility. Classic FM notes that Academy rules allow no more than three credited composers, which rules the film out of the best-score race. For the song side of the season, see our Best Original Song race explainer.
Behemoth! is Gilroy’s first film as a director since The Bourne Legacy in 2012. It is also one of the headline galas at the BFI London Film Festival, which runs Oct. 7–18, per Little White Lies. Searchlight Pictures releases it in theaters on Dec. 4.
- Premiere
- Oct. 2, 2026, New York Film Festival centerpiece
- In theaters
- Dec. 4, 2026, from Searchlight Pictures
- Director
- Tony Gilroy
- Runtime
- 127 minutes
Sources
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 11, 2026.
