A24 scrapped John Carpenter’s Death of a Unicorn score, but he’ll release it someday
In November of 2023, it was announced that production had wrapped on an A24 production that was called Death of a Unicorne (they later dropped the E from the end of the title), starred Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega, was executive produced by Hereditary/Midsommar/Beau Is Afraid director Ari Aster, and would boast a score composed by the legendary John Carpenter, along with his collaborators Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies. As the film’s March 2025 release date drew near, the Carpenter score was one of its biggest selling points among genre fans online… but when we reached the release date, A24 revealed that the movie did not have a Carpenter score. Instead, the music was composed by Dan Romer and Giousuè Greco. So, what happened? The truth is revealed in a new LA Times article: Carpenter did compose music for Death of a Unicorn, and when he turned it in, A24 scrapped it! The audacity is unimaginable.
Described as a dark comedy, Death of a Unicorn marks the feature debut of writer/director Alex Scharfman, who co-founded the production company Secret Engine and has produced films like Blow the Man Down and Resurrection. The story centers on a father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where the former’s billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties. Here’s some more information: The movie follows Elliot and his teenage daughter Ridley as they are en route to a crisis management summit with Elliot‘s bosses, the Leopold family, when they accidentally crash into a unicorn. The Leopolds quickly seize the opportunity to exploit the magical creature’s flesh, blood, and horn, which are endowed with supernaturally curative properties. However, as they delve deeper into their research, they discover the deadly consequences of their actions. Richard E. Grant (Saltburn) plays the billionaire boss. Also in the cast are Téa Leoni (Flirting with Disaster), Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Anthony Carrigan (Barry), Sunita Mani (GLOW), Jessica Hynes (Shaun of the Dead), and Stephen Park (Asteroid City).
Scharfman produced Death of a Unicorn alongside Drew Houpt and Lucas Joaquin of Secret Engine, Tyler Campellone and Lars Knudsen of Square Peg, and Tim Headington and Theresa Steele Page of Ley Line Entertainment. Aster, Rudd, and Ortega served as executive producers with Michael Williams, Jacob Epstein, David Darby, and Nate Kamiya. A24 and Ley Line Entertainment provided the financing and A24 handled the distribution.
The LA Times article doesn’t go into detail about the A24 / Death of a Unicorn music situation, but they mention, “Music has always been kinder to [Carpenter] than the movie business. That business recently reared its ugly head when A24 tossed his completed score for Death of a Unicorn. (At least he owns the rights and will be putting it out sometime soon.)”
While we wait for the score to be released, Carpenter, his son, and Daniel Davies will be performing live concerts at the Belasco in Los Angeles this weekend and next. Carpenter also recently reunited with actor Robert Carradine on an episode of the Party Nerds Pop-Cast podcast.
What do you think of A24 scrapping the score John Carpenter composed for Death of a Unicorn? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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