Clint Mansell (Black Swan, The Fountain), Carter Burwell (True Grit), and Michael Giacchino (Star Trek, Ratatouille) currently rank as my three personal-favorite film composers working today, so this bit of audio is an absolute treat to share. While promoting his work for Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Giacchino appeared as a guest on WQXR's “Movies on the Radio” program and brought a unique gift: the world premiere of his score for Andrew Stanton’s upcoming John Carter. He called it "hot off the presses," claiming he hasn’t even mastered the tracks yet. But you can hear it right here:



The John Carter audio begins around the 42-minute mark, though the entire one-hour conversation is worth a listen if you enjoy Giacchino’s work of appreciate film composition as a whole. He talks about his background, the path he took to film composition, and his inspirations for movies like Star Trek and his Pixar films.

Though Giacchino worked on Up, Ratatouille and The Incredibles for the animation giants, he oddly did not collaborate with Stanton in any official capacity on Finding Nemo or WALL-E. So for that reason, alone, we’re looking forward to John Carter, an adaptation of the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs novel which transports a Civil War hero (Taylor Kitsch) to the red planet where he’s caught up in an intergalactic battle. It will be in theaters on March 9, 2012, and this audio tease helps set the mood while you patiently wait.