After a recent IMDb update stated that the composer of the first two Terminator movies, Brad Fiedel, would be scoring Terminator: Dark Fate
(T: DF), Terminator fans got excited by the news.
Though this news was quickly debunked– it was not going to work in the favor of whomever was to be announced as the composer for T6, and that happened to be Junkie XL.
The reaction to Junkie XL doing the score has been met with positivity, negativity, confusion and disappointment but the negativity and disappointment appear mostly to be rooted in the fact that Brad Fiedel isn’t back.
As we previously stated, the edit to IMDb was most likely either a roll-over credit, or someone manipulating IMDb to gain traction online, if it was indeed the latter of the two; it may have caused damage to Junkie XL’s involvement/announcement.
Also damaging was the news that Brad Fiedel wasn’t even asked to return, or overlook a score- which was something which he stated (in a past interview with us) that he was open to.
Although Brad Fiedel has retired from Hollywood, he has been really generous in terms of supporting musicians joining the Terminator franchise and has previously given his blessing to those stepping into his shoes, and even loved and praised Lorne Balfe’s work with the score of Terminator Genisys.
While we didn’t feel Terminator Genisys was a true Terminator movie (or score, as orchestral doesn’t do it for us), Lorne Balfe did create a beautiful sound.
We reached out to Brad Fiedel, to see if he had any comment on Tim Miller’s choice of composer- Junkie XL.
Brad told TheTerminatorFans.com:
“I wish Tom the best! I enjoyed his music for Fury Road.”
Brad Fiedel
Mr. Fiedel is of course talking about Mad Max: Fury Road, which was George Miller’s re-ignition of the Mad Max franchise. Both Tim Miller and James Cameron went on to use Tom Holkenborg AKA Junkie XL to score Deadpool and Alita: Battle Angel .
For those disappointed in James Cameron and Tim Miller not asking Brad to score Terminator: Dark Fate- we need to remember a couple of things:
Brad said that he would consider scoring if James Cameron was directing, on the proviso that James Cameron asked Brad to return to score a full feature, and he (Brad) still stands by that.
Tim Miller is directing Terminator: Dark Fate, not James Cameron, and also that Brad would consider coming back to oversee a new theme only (not the entire cue by cue scoring).
Brad recently stated to TheTerminatorFans.com that he understands Tim Miller’s choices as a Director,- to give freedom to his musician of choice (Junkie XL). Brad said:
“It actually makes sense to me that a new director would want his own choice and that he would want to give the new composer space without someone else looking over his shoulder. As a composer that’s what I would have appreciated.”
Where Brad Fiedel is concerned; we shouldn’t rule out a return one day. If James Cameron directs another Terminator and he asks Brad back… then it’s possibly game on. Brad Fiedel really has been a good sport and remains truly beloved by the Terminator Fanbase.
We have told Brad how much he’s missed in the franchise, and we caught up with him to help clear up any misunderstandings that the Dark Fate IMDb listing caused.
Brad said:
“I was sorry to see people misled… “
Though uninvolved with the Terminator franchise for the immediate future, Brad Fiedel appears to still be very much appreciative of the continued support from Terminator Fans.
TheTerminatorFans.com also wish Tom Holkenborg (AKA Junkie XL) the best of luck with scoring the movie and we hope that he will be bringing those much needed synths back to Terminator but whether it will be a pure synth score or a mix of both synth and orchestral remains to be seen.
Now let’s hope Tom can pull off a score as timeless, memorable and as loved as the first two movies!
6 Comments
I understand the allegiance and appreciation fans have for Brad’s iconic Terminator soundtracks but I’m quite frankly tired of and irritated by the sniping and whining over the decision to assign the Dark Fate score to Junkie XL. I sense some ultra grumpy, glass quarter full fans out there. Why not some positivity? Time has moved on. Brad is respectfully in the past. Junkie XL is the present, and his work on Mad Max and Deadpool give me genuine reason to be excited and hopeful. Edward Furlong isn’t coming back, either. But we have Linda, Arnold, James Cameron, Tim Miller and a host of new actors as well as excellent and intriguing filming locations. I certainly don’t begrudge anyone for being skeptical over the film itself given the past misfires in the franchise. But the bottom line is we have a new Terminatior film to look forward to and anticipate. So to the fans disgruntled over the lack of Brad’s involvement, please embrace the moment. Take a deep breath. And smile. They won’t make Terminator movies forever.
I think it’s an excellent choice especially since a great composer like Brad Fiedel encourages him to give the best of himself and to be inspired by it..I am rather confident. But do not lose hope that one day Brad will return to compose T7 or 8 alongside Cameron in the realization 🙂
It so interesting to see that people of the terminatorfans are so dedicated to the music! I really appreciate it. I am a huge film music fan and it makes me happy to see that people appreciate the music so much of maestro Brad Fiedel. I hope that Cameron is going to direct a new Terminator (instead of wasting to much time on the Avatar stuff) movie and that Fiedel comes back! It Will be legendary!!
Thanks Juggernoud. Thank you for sharing your love of Brad Fiedel. His music is still intrinsic to the identity of the Terminator franchise. We find it impossible to disconnect Brad Fiedel’s style and music from the movies. His music is synonymous with Terminator and that will not be changed.
As they say, “the proof is in the pudding…”
I don’t think Junkie XL is a poor choice at all, but in the face of a “Comeback” film, you want to assemble all the parts as closely to the original as possible.
Dark Fate has been sold to the public as a return to glory. We, the fanatical, know a lot of the glory of Terminator comes from how Brad interpreted the moods and changes of the films. His cues weren’t just complementary, they were crucial. For proof, next time, turn the sound on Terminator off and watch it for awhile – then turn it back on. It’s night and day.
A lot of the time in film scores, the idea is to hide the score. Most directors want you to be immersed in the film experience and not pay attention to what the soundtrack is doing. This is the mentality that creates a lot of instantly forgettable, overall disposable soundtracks. Brad’s music defied that logic and was rich in melodies (particularity T1), it called attention to itself and almost became a separate entity.
Junkie may do a great job, he may do a poor job, but with respect to bringing Terminator back to a state of glory, I just can’t imagine he’d do a better job than Brad. That’s why it makes no sense to me to keep him completely out of the circle.
If we’re going off history, the last three composers haven’t really known what to do with Terminator and there’s obviously one guy who instinctively knows exactly what to do – the powers just don’t seem to care and that’s there’s loss to burden.
junkie XL did some tracks for mortal engines that were almost identical to brad fiedels terminator 2 musik