Behemoth! opens in US theaters on Friday, December 4. Searchlight Pictures is releasing the film, written and directed by Tony Gilroy, with Pedro Pascal as Alex Serian, a gifted cellist who comes home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road.
The setup is personal rather than plotty. Music has been the one constant in Alex's life, and coming home sets him off on something that changes him. Olivia Wilde and Eva Victor costar.
Gilroy's return is the reason to pay attention. He wrote and directed Michael Clayton, wrote for Star Wars, created Andor for Disney+, and has not directed a feature since The Bourne Legacy in 2012. The score is just as unusual: it comes from the Behemoth! Collective, nine film composers working together, among them Michael Giacchino and Alan Silvestri.
What is confirmed is the date, the cast, and the filmmaker. What is not is how a film about a working musician plays in the hands of a writer best known for corporate and political thrillers. That contrast is exactly why it is one to watch on December 4.
