Christopher Lennertz – We Are Movie Geeks

WAMG’s Conversation With Composer Christopher Lennertz On His Super-Hero Score For Amazon Prime’s THE BOYS

When Hughie (Jack Quaid, “The Hunger Games”) suffers a devastating loss at the hands of a reckless Supe his devastation turns to outrage when he discovers there is no legal recourse for victims of collateral superhero damage. While still reeling from his trauma Hughie meets a mysterious operative, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, “Star Trek”), who recruits him to join in his pursuit of some vigilante justice against the Supes—who are not exactly what they seem.

“The Boys” is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes – who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians and as revered as Gods – abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. It’s the powerless against the super powerful as The Boys embark on a heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven, and Vought – the multi-billion dollar conglomerate that manages these superheroes and covers up all of their dirty secrets. The Boys are rounded out by Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso, “Detroit”), Frenchie (Tomer Capon, “Hostages”), and The Female (Karen Fukuhara, “Suicide Squad”). Simon Pegg (“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”) guest stars as Hughie’s father.

The Supes of The Seven are led by Homelander (Antony Starr, “Banshee”) who is joined by Starlight (Erin Moriarty, “Captain Fantastic”), Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott, “House of Cards”), A-Train (Jessie T. Usher, “Independence Day: Resurgence”), The Deep (Chace Crawford, “Gossip Girl”) and Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell, “Supernatural”). Academy Award® nominee Elisabeth Shue (“Leaving Las Vegas”) stars as Madelyn Stillwell, Vought’s Senior VP of Hero Management.

Based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, “The Boys” was developed by showrunner Eric Kripke (“Supernatural”), who also serves as writer, executive producer and directed the season finale. Joining Kripke as executive producers are Point Grey Pictures’ Seth Rogen (“Preacher”), Evan Goldberg (“Preacher”), and James Weaver (“Preacher”), Original Film’s Neal H. Moritz (“Prison Break”), Pavun Shetty (“New Girl”) and Ori Marmur (“Preacher”), as well as Ken Levin and Jason Netter. Ennis and Robertson also co-executive produce. The pilot episode was directed by Dan Trachtenberg (“10 Cloverfield Lane”).

The score is by Christopher Lennertz. He is one of the most prolific and diverse composers working today, creating music in virtually every genre. He has spent weeks on Billboard charts, received an Emmy nomination for the cult hit Supernatural, a Grammy for his arrangements on Ozomatli’s album Street Signs, and won 14 BMI Awards to date.

Recently the composer and I spoke on the phone about creating music for THE BOYS. The show and Lennertz’s score are astounding. I love superhero TV shows and movies, and being a huge fan this skewed twist on the genre has made it my new favorite series.

THE BOYS reunites Lennertz with the series’ creator Eric Kripke, creator and producer of CW’s Supernatural, which Lennertz has scored since the show’s inception in 2005, and for which he received an Emmy nomination. The duo also worked together on the NBC series Revolution.

My previous conversations with Chris have been about his work on Agent Carter HERE and THINK LIKE A MAN TOO here.

During our conversation this time we talked about the Amazon Prime series as well as his recent projects UGLY DOLLS, SHAFT and his return for a second season for NETFLIX’s hit sci-fi show LOST IN SPACE.

WAMG: How was the COMIC CON Anatomy of a Superhero Panel which you attended in July?

CL: I couldn’t believe how many people were there – it was a blast. There were thousands of people there.

WAMG: Over the weekend we binged watch THE BOYS and Oh My Gosh!

CL: It’s really something isn’t it? It’s insane! You think to yourself, ‘I can’t believe they just did that.

WAMG: I kept saying to myself, okay it’s not going to get any crazier… and then it goes right off the rails! Who approached you about working on this project?

CL: I heard about it quite awhile ago when I was working on SAUSAGE PARTY with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and that they were making a show based on the comic about corrupt superheroes driven by greed and power and the team of badass misfits that try to take them down. Then I received an email from Eric Kripke who mentioned it to Seth and they both said they wanted me to do it, so we said, let’s do this!

WAMG: You worked on the Marvel limited series Agent Carter, so you’re well acquainted with composing a musical voice for the superhero genre. The tracks for “Starlight” “Hospital Shootout”, “BOYS” are amazing. Your score had to make these “the Seven” kinda horrible!

CL: Kinda? (Laughs) Your heroes are not the heroes. The music for The Seven, our corrupt hero team, is traditional orchestra and electronics done in as corporate a way as possible, trying to feel like it was created after one too many focus groups…but then we used processing to warp, mangle, and sometimes crush that sound to feel like it was ‘going wrong’ as the perfect stereotypes of comic book heroes begin to shatter. It starts out great but by the end you realize the superheroes are betraying everyone’s trust.

For “The Boys” Eric said he wanted the music to have all the dirt and grime of a messy garage band with the energy of British punk, and that he wanted to poke fun at traditional superhero clichés… Its supposed to sound sloppy on purpose.

WAMG: I love how much percussion runs through the show. What instruments did you use?

CL: Lots of drums and metal – banging on broken instruments. Old amps that we tried to use to get a mix things going horribly wrong. We went with ‘garage band’ sounds of cheap guitars, lo-fi gear, broken cymbals, and… looking for as much noise and feedback as possible.

Listen to Chris’s score on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1KzVgZutMfVuz4lTcYws7F

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Boys-Music-Amazon-Original/dp/B07V9JV4J5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+boys+soundtrack&qid=1565013586&s=gateway&sr=8-1

WAMG: How did you transition between THE BOYS to the recent UGLY DOLLS and then SHAFT?

CL: SHAFT came first. It had that 70’s sound, so that was a lot of fun. Music has always played a key role in the “Shaft” films, beginning with the instantly recognizable theme from the first film in 1972.

And then at the same time I was working on UGLY DOLLS. I did that score plus recording 8 original songs with Oscar nominated and Tony Award-winning lyricist Glenn Slater (Tangled, Broadway’s School of Rock) for the soundtrack sung by these amazing artists Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monae and Blake Shelton. It was funny going from an R-rated Shaft to a family friendly UGLY DOLLS, and then kicked back into gear with THE BOYS. It was never boring.

Finally, Chris and I spoke about Netflix’s LOST IN SPACE, one of Lennertz’s best scores of 2018. During its initial release Lennertz said, “From the beginning, the producers wanted a classic main title sequence to play during at least some of the episodes,” said Lennertz. “I wanted to tease the show’s premise with a hint of the Alpha Centauri program theme, then a full statement of the new LOST IN SPACE theme, followed by a triumphant finish that showcased now legendary composer John Williams’ original theme from season 3 that people are so familiar with. It was such an honor to be able to incorporate such a classic melody from the man who made me fall in love with film music from the very beginning.”

WAMG: Being a huge sci-fi geek, I loved your score for LOST IN SPACE on Netflix. The first season was so great, especially for fans of the TV show. I loved how your score was interwoven with the classic music of the 1960’s science fiction series. You recently updated your Instagram account with info about scoring the second season of Netflix’s Lost in Space. Can you give us an update on how it’s coming along?

CL: I just finished a cue for episode 10 for Season 2 as we speak – I finished it, saved it and closed it just before I took your call. We are well into the next season with the score. There are ten more episodes coming out right before Christmas this year so I’m about 80 percent done. They are really good too! Everyone is back plus there are new characters and its really going to be great!

View this post on Instagram

WAMG: What other projects do you have in the works?

CL: I’m working on Tim Story’s next movie for Warner Bros. Pictures and the second season of THE BOYS in October.

Follow Christopher Lennertz on:

Website – http://christopherlennertz.com/

Twitter – @CLennertz

Instagram – clennertzmusic

Shaft: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Features 16 Original Tracks by Grammy Award-winning Composer Christopher Lennertz

WaterTower Music has announced the June 7^th digital release of the Shaft: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack featuring the new song “Too Much Shaft” by Quavo (with Saweetie), which was released today. A CD version of the soundtrack will be released the same day the film is in theaters, June 14^th. Can you dig it?

LISTEN: “Too Much Shaft” by Quavo (with Saweetie)

In addition to “Too Much Shaft,” the 27-track Shaft: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features 16 original tracks by Grammy Award-winning composer Christopher Lennertz, along with the new remix of the classic Shaft theme by The Math Club, “Theme From Shaft” (Math Club Remix), as well as classics from the likes of James Brown, Rick James, Quincy Jones, and Bobby Bland, among others.

The Shaft: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack will be available June 7 for digital purchase and streaming and is now available for preorder. The CD version will be released June 14^th.

The track list is as follows:

Love Over and Over Again – Switch
93 ‘Til Infinity – Souls Of Mischief
Mary Jane – Rick James
They Want EFX – Das EFX
Dance With You – Kris P.
The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite) [feat. Barry White, Al B. Sure!, James Ingram and El DeBarge] – Quincy Jones
Caught Up – Caleborate
Get Up Offa That Thing – James Brown
Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City – Bobby Bland
Theme from Shaft (Math Club Remix) – The Math Club
Too Much Shaft [with Saweetie] – Quavo

Chris Lennertz Score

Main Titles
Karim’s Funeral
Toxicology/Shaft HQ
139th Street
My Pride and Joy
2nd Trimester/Trust You
Old Fashioned Stakeout/Boogie
Digital Blackout/Happiest Bitch
Good Job
That Shaft Kid
Shaft Saves JJ
Grandad/Bored as Hell
The Shafts Are Coming
Old School
I Feel Fine Mother F…er
Moment Ruined

New Line Cinema’s action comedy “Shaft” is the next chapter in the film franchise featuring the coolest private eye on any New York City block. Shaft is back on the big screen. Right on!“Shaft” was directed by Tim Story (the “Ride Along” and “Think Like a Man” franchises). The film stars Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction,” “Glass,” “Captain Marvel”), Jessie T. Usher (“Independence Day: Resurgence,” “Almost Christmas”), Regina Hall (“Girls Trip,” “Little”), Alexandra Shipp (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “Love, Simon”), Matt Lauria (TV’s “Kingdom,” “Friday Night Lights”), Titus Welliver (“Argo,” TV’s “Bosch”), Cliff “Method Man” Smith (“Peppermint,” “Trainwreck”), and Richard Roundtree, the original John Shaft.

The film was produced by John Davis (“Game Night,” “Joy”) under his Davis Entertainment banner. Kenya Barris (“Girls Trip,” TV’s “Black-ish”) & Alex Barnow (TV’s “The Goldbergs”) wrote the screenplay, based upon the character John Shaft from the novel by Ernest Tidyman. Richard Brener, Josh Mack, Tim Story, Ira Napoliello, Kenya Barris, and Marc S. Fischer served as executive producers.New Line Cinema presents a Davis Entertainment Production, a Tim Story Film, “Shaft” is set for release on June 14, 2019. It will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures.

This film has been rated R for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, some drug material and brief nudity.www.ShaftMovie.com

WAMG Checks in With Composer Christopher Lennertz On THE WEDDING RINGER, HORRIBLE BOSSES 2, “Galavant” And “Agent Carter”

Scoring Sessions

From scores featuring Horrible Bosses, Marvel Agents, and Knights to movie soundtracks starring Kevin Hart and more Kevin Hart, Christopher Lennertz hasn’t slowed his TV/film composing pace since we last interviewed him during the release of THINK LIKE A MAN TOO.

With audiences embracing HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 after its November 2014 opening (as of Dec. 28, 2014: $93M worldwide), I recently spoke with Lennertz about the sequel, his upcoming films THE WEDDING RINGER and RIDE ALONG 2, as well as composing for ABC’s new musical comedy, “Galavant” and “Marvel’s Agent Carter.”

WAMG: Coming up on January 16th is THE WEDDING RINGER. Audiences from the early screenings are saying it’s very funny.

CL: It’s getting really great feedback. The NSFW red-band trailer is absolutely hilarious. The movie is described as THE HANGOVER meets SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. The funny thing about it is it looks like a crazy guys movie the way OLD SCHOOL or ROAD TRIP was. If you go with a date, it’s also got a romance to it. It has Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting in it – it’s really a movie for everybody. The great thing about THE WEDDING RINGER is that people will be talking about it for weeks.

Both it and HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 have some great lines that people will be quoting for the next couple of months. This film is more fun than you’re supposed to have in a movie theater. It’s a fun ride.

WAMG: You wrote the score for the original Horrible Bosses and people loved seeing what Bateman, Day and Sudeikis have been up to since we last saw them.

CL: And Jennifer Aniston

WAMG: She steals the movie, doesn’t she?

CL: She’s perfect!

WAMG: Was it good to be back on the second film?

CL: Yes! When I heard they were making it I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Sean Anders knew he didn’t want to change the characters at all and a continuation of their story. I was totally on board with that. Sean really respected what the first movie did. He was really great!

WAMG: Being that you worked on the original movie, how did you approach the score for Horrible Bosses 2?

CL: I’ve come to learn through my own love of movies, that I want to feel comfort. When I see ROCKY 3, I want to hear the ROCKY theme. When I go to a James Bond movie, I want to hear the Bond theme. I wanted the sequel to feel like HORRIBLE BOSSES and sound like the original HORRIBLE BOSSES. There were some new twists that were easy to do with new characters like Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz.

Plus the guys are in a different situation because they felt they had gotten rid of the horrible bosses and had it figured out. We learned very quickly that’s not the case.

Scoring Sessions

WAMG: Audiences really loved the song choices. They fit perfectly with all the physical comedy that included Pearl Jam guitarist Michael McCready and Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard. It added a rock-n’-roll edge to the sequel.

CL: What we started on the first movie, and continued on in this one, was that we wanted viewers to feel the music in the movie would be the songs the guys would be listening to inside their own heads. Like when the guys are thinking about the kidnapping, what music would Charlie Day be listening to on his own iPad if he was doing a kidnapping? That was the way we figured out what the sound was supposed to be. It was mix of Beastie Boys meets Pearl Jam meets Black Keys as well as The Clash’s POLICE ON MY BACK, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis CAN’T HOLD US plus BRIAN KILGORE on percussion.

Screenwriter/executive producer Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled, Cars) teams up with Broadway and Hollywood award-winning musical team — composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast) and lyricist Glenn Slater (The Little Mermaid, Tangled) — for 4-week comedy extravaganza. Once upon a time, the dashing hero, Galavant (Joshua Sasse) lost the love of his life, Madalena (Mallory Jansen), to the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson). Now, our fallen hero is ready to take revenge and restore his “happily ever after.” But it won’t be without a few twists and turns along the way.

WAMG: Judging by the trailer for “Galavant,” the show looks like so much fun.

CL: It is and a whole different thing for me. I have the opportunity to work with Alan Menken who revitalized Disney over the last couple of decades. Nobody writes better songs and melodies than Alan. I get to work with him on that and write the score for this crazy show that’s basically the closest thing anyone in America has ever done to Monty Python.

It’s pretty fantastic and so very different. “Galavant” is really for adults – it’s not a kids show.

I have that plus the new show from Marvel – “Agent Carter” – premiering the same week. It’s a 1940’s-period TV show with Captain America’s kickass girlfriend. I’m working on a lot of different things right now. I’ve got a lot of projects coming out in January.

“Marvel’s Agent Carter” – It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field, putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – aka Captain America. When old acquaintance Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, “Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger”) finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy — the only person he can trust — to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy), to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for releasing these weapons of mass destruction. If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse.

WAMG: Has work started on RIDE ALONG 2?

CL: It is already shot and in the can. I’ve seen a screening of it – it’s great and has turned into a huge action movie which is kind of fun!

Most of this one takes place in Miami, so it’s beautiful to look at along with some great boat chases. I’ll be writing the music for it in January or February. The movie will be out in 2016.

RIDE ALONG 2 stars Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Sherri Shepherd and Ken Jeong. Tim Story will direct.

http://instagram.com/icecube/

“Galavant” premieres Sunday, January 4 on ABC. http://abc.go.com/shows/galavant

“Marvel’s Agent Carter” premieres Tuesday, January 6 on ABC: http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agent-carter

THE WEDDING RINGER opens in theaters on January 16. http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/theweddingringer/

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 soundtrack album is available on WATERTOWER MUSIC. http://www.watertower-music.com/releases_spotlight.php?search=WTM39615_horrible2

Christopher Lennertz’s HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 Soundtrack Available November 25th

Emmy nominated composer Christopher Lennertz returns to score Warner Brothers’ comedy HORRIBLE BOSSES 2, bringing a rock-n’-roll edge to the highly anticipated sequel opening in theaters November 26th.

The film picks up on the story of Dale, Kurt and Nick as they decide to start their own business. When things don’t go as planned, the trio is prompted to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme. Directed by Sean Anders, the film returns Jason Batemen, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Aniston, with Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine rounding out the all-star cast.

© 2014 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. Photo Credit: John P. Johnson. Caption: (L-r) JASON SUDEIKIS, CHARLIE DAY, JASON BATEMAN and director SEAN ANDERS on the set of New Line Cinema’s comedy “HORRIBLE BOSSES 2.

Lennertz organized an all-star band of musicians for the score, including Pearl Jam lead guitarist Michael McCready and Dave Matthews Band bassist Stefan Lessard.

“The goal for the score for Horrible Bosses 2 was to be as rock-n’-roll as we could be. We wanted to make sure it sounded authentic so we approached it like a record as opposed to a typical scoring session. I had Pearl Jam’s Michael McCready and Dave Matthews Band’s Stefan Lessard recording while they were on tour to give us an authentic vibe that was appropriate for the movie,” explained Lennertz. In addition to select cues from Lennertz’s score, the Horrible Bosses 2 soundtrack features an array of hit songs ranging from modern pop hits such as Katy Perry’s “Roar” to hip-hop classics like NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton.”

The HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 soundtrack will be available November 25th on WaterTower Records.

Lennertz has scored a string of blockbuster hits including THINK LIKE A MAN TOO, RIDE ALONG, and IDENTITY THIEF. Lennertz is currently scoring THE WEDDING RINGER, in theaters 2015.

Lennertz has written music for NBC’s Revolution, and for the WB’s Supernatural. Lennertz collaborated with Ozomatli on the album Street Signs which won a Grammy award for Best Latin Rock Album. Lennertz’s video game credits include James Bond 007: From Russia With Love, Quantum of Solace, Gun, EA’s Mass Effect 3, Sony’s Starhawk and Warhark, and the 25th Anniversary of the Madden series. Lennertz received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Underscore for the WB’s Supernatural and recently co-wrote the score and songs for the musical 200th episode the hit TV series.

Lennertz is currently producing songs written by Oscar and Tony award-winning composer Alan Menken for ABC’s upcoming medieval musical comedy, Galavant.

He will also be scoring the musical along with ABC’s Agent Carter premiering January of 2015.

Read our THINK LIKE A MAN TOO interview with Lennertz HERE.

Kevin Hart Plays Best Man To Groom Josh Gad In New Trailer For THE WEDDING RINGER

(Photo: Matt Kennedy, Screen Gems, USA Today)

Kevin Hart is playing best man Cedric in this weekend’s comedy THINK LIKE A MAN TOO.

The comedian takes on the role of best man again opposite Josh Gad in this first teaser to THE WEDDING RINGER.

In THE WEDDING RINGER, Jimmy (Hart) provides best man services for socially challenged guys, who – for whatever reason – have no one close enough to agree to stand by them on the day of their wedding.

Doug (Gad) a groom-to-be, has found himself in just such a situation, but, to make matters worse, he fabricates the names of not only a best man but nine groomsmen as well. When all else fails, Doug seeks out Jimmy’s services to carry out a charade designed to make Doug look his best, but threatens to destroy everything if it fails.

Jeremy Garelick (writer of “The Break-Up”) is directing THE WEDDING RINGER from a screenplay he wrote with Jay Lavender (“The Break-Up”).

THE WEDDING RINGER also features Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Jenifer Lewis, Ken Howard, Cloris Leachman, Mimi Rogers and Olivia Thirlby.

The score is from THINK LIKE A MAN TOO composer Christopher Lennertz. Read our interview with him HERE.

The film will hit theaters January 2015.

Facebook.com/WeddingRinger

Interview: WAMG Talks To THINK LIKE A MAN TOO Composer Christopher Lennertz

Director Tim Story’s THINK LIKE A MAN TOO opens in theaters this weekend on June 20. The film is the follow-up to the hit ensemble comedy THINK LIKE A MAN and reunites the original cast, including Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Regina Hall, Gabrielle Union and Taraji P. Henson.

Story teamed up again with composer Christopher Lennertz for the film’s score.

He first made a splash with his breakout score for ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, which has grossed over $360 million worldwide. Since then he’s proven his steadfast talent with films like the star-studded HORRIBLE BOSSES, and Universal’s box office smash RIDE ALONG.

Lennertz’s other recent scores include the hit comedy IDENTITY THIEF and the critically acclaimed drama THANKS FOR SHARING with Mark Ruffalo & Gwyneth Paltrow.

While his knack for comedy is undeniable in films like THINK LIKE A MAN, he’s also contributed his unique style to many hit family films including HOP and CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE. Furthermore, he’s tapped into the indie world, scoring films like Alfred P. Sloan winner ADAM (Fox Searchlight), GIRL IN PROGRESS, and TORTILLA HEAVEN, which garnered the very first FilmMusic award for Best Independent Score.

Lennertz has written the music for NBC’s “Revolution” (J.J. Abrams, Jon Favreau) and his long time run on the series “Supernatural” led to an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Underscore, while on the video game side, he’s had hits like Steven Spielberg’s Medal of Honor series.

Lennertz has worked with legendary artists such as Basil Poledouris, Michael Kamen, Dave Grusin, Alan Menken, The RZA, and Alien Ant Farm. He has collaborated with members of Pearl Jam, The Beastie Boys, The Dave Matthews Band, Jurassic 5, and Jane’s Addiction. His groundbreaking collaboration with Ozomatli on Street Signs garnered a Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock Album.

Still early in his career, he has already scored 43 feature films, 7 network series, many of the biggest interactive titles, and has spent weeks on the Billboard charts. Christopher Lennertz continually draws excitement as one of the freshest and most versatile young composers in Hollywood.

During our phone interview, Lennertz and I talked about his THINK LIKE A MAN TOO score, with its Vegas and R&B sounds, as well as his upcoming projects – the new TV project “Galavant” by Alan Menken and films HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 and Kevin Hart films, RIDE ALONG 2 and THE WEDDING RINGER.

St. Louis Rams’ Rodger Saffold, Terrence J, Regina Hall and St. Louis Rams’ Robert Quinn attend Sony Pictures’ “Think Like A Man Too” St. Louis screening on June 2, 2014 in St Louis, Missouri. Photo: Whitney Curtis. © 2014 Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

WAMG: I recently saw the film and it’s really funny. Terrence J and Regina Hall visited St. Louis to intro the screening earlier this month. The crowd loved them and the film.

Christopher Lennertz: Oh that’s awesome. I love both of them.

WAMG: You’ve worked with director Tim Story on the first film and RIDE ALONG. It’s developed into a working partnership. When were you brought onto this project?

CL: Pretty much from the start. Tim had just finished RIDE ALONG and that’s done really well. Tim and I get along great. He said, “are you in?” and I said, “of course.” And that was that.

WAMG: One of the funniest parts of the movie includes Kevin Hart.

Cedric is the best man of the wedding, and according to Kevin Hart, he sets out to be “the best best man in the history of best men.” With that goal in mind, he spends way more money than he has on Caesars Palace’s lavish, ultra exclusive Constantine Villa. He runs around the multiroom mini-mansion that he has rented for the weekend like a kid on too much caffeine.

The title on the soundtrack is called ‘Villa Run Around Scene’ and the music is perfect for his character. It’s very frantic. Was that written specifically for him or did you compose it after seeing the footage?

CL: They shot it and I wrote it after. I saw him running around and I knew it had to be crazy. We decided in this movie to give some of his quirkiness a gospel-feel. In one scene, after he’s asked to be the Best Man, he walks away singing ‘This Little Light Of Mine’ and for some reason it just stuck in my head.

I thought it would be really funny to do Kevin’s music where he’s running around his hotel room all frenetic in a gospel way, with him clapping along with loud guitar music underneath. Along with Todd Bozung (supervising music editor) and the rest of team, it just worked out.

WAMG: The audience was crying during the scene.

CL: He’s got a couple of those moments. Obviously that one and where he’s dancing are just hilarious.

WAMG: The “POISON” Bell Biv Devoe remix with the actresses is a scream. Regina Hall mentioned how they had to go into a studio to record their voices. How much were you involved with that?

CL: The writers came up with that first. Tim (Story) decided on set to shoot it like a ‘90’s music video along with a fish-eye lensed camera. It’s great!

WAMG: There are so many good songs throughout the film. How much were you involved with that?

CL: The songs are mostly picked by the director and music supervisor. Tim also worked very closely with Mary J. Blige to pick the right music.

The songs in both movies are phenomenal, but the songs in this one work perfectly.

WAMG: There’s a heavy R&B vibe throughout… totally what you’d hear in a 60’s Hollywood Vegas movie. It has big band style brass, as well as hints of old school, Rat Pack rhythms. Where did all these varying themes come from?

CL: I talked to Tim while he was shooting and the idea was to take what we did in the first movie, which was a very R&B, Hip-Hop thing, add Vegas to that and take it up a level. So we added more brass, we definitely added some of those big moments at the casinos where we went into full Rat-Pack style. Even the romantic themes – we went even further.

Director Tim Story on the set of Screen Gems’ THINK LIKE A MAN TOO.

We wanted all the special moments in the movie to have an even bigger impact on the audience.

We decided the whole score should have the same energy as the first one, in terms of who the characters are, but then take it up a notch because they’re in Vegas and the relationships have developed a bit. We had a great time. The brass sounds make you feel like they’re in Vegas

WAMG: What kind of instruments did you go with?

CL: The band that we went with in the original movie was made up of traditional R&B – guitar, drums, percussion, a lot of organs and pianos. Very much like a 70’s sound, but brought up-to-date. Like an Earth, Wind and Fire. Then we added a bigger, fuller horn section on this movie.

Stylistically we added writing with more of a jazzy flair for Vegas and the actual orchestra, for the sweeter parts, we went bigger with that as well.

WAMG: It’s a fun soundtrack all around with the mixture of your score and the songs from Mary J. Blige and Nikki Minaj. It’s a good interspersing of all the sounds.

CL: Thank you. I think it worked out great! I think the movie is really great. It’s just as funny, if not funnier than the first one. Then it’s got this great ending where the last ten minutes – it’s a date movie. It’s a great romantic comedy. I think guys will like it, girls will like it.

WAMG: It’s a fun summer movie.

CL: I think the release date is right and people are ready for a romantic comedy. Go see it and have fun for a night.

WAMG:What’s it like to go between film and TV?

CL: For me it’s not all that different. It comes down to schedule – TV is much faster. Writing music, whether it’s TV or film, drama or comedy or horror, it’s all the same kind of idea, it’s just getting it done. With that said, I love the idea that I can go from one thing to the next. A lot of the movies I do are action comedies like IDENTITY THIEF or HORRIBLE BOSSES and a lot of the TV I’ve done are more serious like SUPERNATURAL or REVOLUTION. It’s nice for me to be able to go back and forth. The video game “Medal Of Honor” was like a SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. I love to be able to switch around and be able to write different kinds of music. It keeps me from getting stuck or getting bored.

WAMG: You are currently working with Oscar and Tony-winner Alan Menken on ABC’s new musical comedy “Galavant”. What’s that show about?

CL: “Galavant” is a show you’ve never seen before! I’m really happy ABC is going to put it on the air because it’s really so smart, but yet hilarious. The best way to describe it basically is as if THE PRINCESS BRIDE was on TV every week as a musical.

It’s very raunchy. It’s got three new songs a week by Alan Menken who’s a god in terms of writing songs and music with all his Oscars. He’s an absolute genius. More than anything I wanted to do the show to learn from him, watch how he does things and work together on the show.

The show is absolutely hilarious. It’s got knights and kings and queens who are dancing and singing, but yet it’s very, very adult and very, very clever. A lot of innuendo and plus really quick wit. The cast is great – they all sing. People are not going to believe how good it is.

WAMG: What do you have coming up on the film side?

CL: The next one out is HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (Warner Bros). That’s out in November. Again, that one’s even funnier than the first one.

Then after that I have a great movie called THE WEDDING RINGER (Screen Gems) that comes out in January. It’s Kevin Hart like you’ve never seen him. He teams up with Josh Gad (“Book of Mormon,” Olaf in FROZEN). Plus it also stars Kaley Cuoco (TV’s “Big Bang Theory).

In “The Wedding Ringer,” Jimmy (Hart) provides best man services for socially challenged guys, who – for whatever reason – have no one close enough to agree to stand by them on the day of their wedding. Doug (Gad) a groom-to-be, has found himself in just such a situation, but, to make matters worse, he fabricates the names of not only a best man but nine groomsmen as well. When all else fails, Doug seeks out Jimmy’s services to carry out a charade designed to make Doug look his best, but threatens to destroy everything if it fails.

Jeremy Garelick (writer of “The Break-Up”) is directing “The Wedding Ringer” from a screenplay he wrote with Jay Lavender (“The Break-Up”).

CL: It’s really along the lines, comedy-wise, of something like OLD SCHOOL or ROAD TRIP. It’s really crazy and funny. I think people are going to quote it for a long time.

The great part about it is that during the not-so-funny parts, Kevin gets to do some amazing acting at the end besides just being funny. His character is a very sweet “best friend, best man” kinda guy that really makes everybody cry. It’s pretty big and a great role for him. It’s a great movie. I think it will do really, really well.

WAMG: Tim Story is currently in pre-production on RIDE ALONG 2 (Universal has announced a January 2016 release date). Will we hear your score again in the sequel?

CL: I’m pretty sure I’m on board for that. While I haven’t officially signed up yet, Tim wants me to do it – whatever he wants me to do, I pretty much will do. The first one was so much fun. I grew up in the 90’s and I was in college when Ice Cube was so huge. He’s such a force. I’d love to do another movie with him.

The other thing with RIDE ALONG 2 is it will start shooting in about three weeks and will be even bigger and better than the first one. A lot more action, a lot more everything. They’re shooting in Miami, Atlanta , so I think it’s going to be a really big, funny movie.

The Think Like a Man Too score album will be available on June 20^th on Varèse Sarabande Records.

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