Behemoth!: Tony Gilroy's Return, Nine Composers

Tony Gilroy has not directed a feature in 14 years. His return, Behemoth!, premiered Oct. 2 as the Centerpiece selection of the 64th New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall, with Pedro Pascal in the lead and a score written by nine composers. Searchlight Pictures plans a U.S. theatrical release on Dec. 4. Here is what the first reviews and awards forecasts say, and what remains open.

The story

Pascal plays Alex Serian, a cellist who has left an orchestra job in Chicago and returned to Los Angeles to record film scores and settle family business, according to Film at Lincoln Center's festival notes. Deadline's Pete Hammond describes a man from a family of working musicians: a grandfather who died playing on a movie session in 1959, an absent father who wrote music for cartoons and television, a mother who was a successful musician and a brother who briefly found fame in a 1990s rock band.

The film moves back and forth in time. In flashbacks Alex has relationships with Carol Spedding, played by Olivia Wilde, and Nadia Hynes, played by Eva Victor. Years later he meets Nadia's young daughter Viviana, a 15-year-old pop prodigy played by Alexa Swinton, and begins to wonder whether she could be his child. The title Behemoth! is the code name of the secret film whose score sessions frame the story, Hammond writes.

The cast also includes Kaya Ralls, Erik Griffin, JoBeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, Hank Azaria, Will Arnett and Matthew Lillard. The running time is 2 hours and 7 minutes.

The score

The most unusual choice is musical. No single composer was hired. Instead, nine composers form what Deadline calls The Behemoth! Collective: Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts and Alan Silvestri. The film uses a different musical theme for each vignette of Alex's life, Hammond says, and 303 American Federation of Musicians players in Los Angeles performed in the musical sequences. An original song written for the fictional Viviana, Your God Is Sleeping, is singled out as a possible hit.

Hammond calls the score the year's best, which is one critic's opinion. Gold Derby adds a practical caveat: whether a nine-composer collective is eligible for the Oscar for original score has not yet been determined, so the film's best shot at that category is unsettled.

The director

Gilroy's last feature as director was The Bourne Legacy in 2012. Before that came Duplicity and, in 2007, Michael Clayton, which earned him an Oscar nomination for writing, according to Deadline. In the interval he has worked on the television series Andor. The festival describes Behemoth! as a drama of humor and grace, and calls Pascal's performance the best of his career so far, language that reflects the festival's own promotional framing.

Reviews and the race

Deadline's headline is warm, praising Pascal for not showboating and the film as a tribute to the people who make movie music. The Hollywood Reporter's headline reads differently, calling it a wan character study,. We have only seen the headline of the Hollywood Reporter review and cannot characterize its argument further.

Gold Derby's post-festival leaderboard, published Oct. 9, had Behemoth! at No. 14 for Best Picture, just behind Artificial at No. 13 and outside the top 10. The site says the New York premieres did not vault any of the previously unseen contenders into the top tier. It notes Pascal could still enter the Best Actor race if a current contender leaves it. Those are projections, not nominations, and the field will move after more screenings and guild events.

Why it matters in New York

The festival stage is the film's home turf: Lincoln Center hosted the world premiere with Gilroy, Pascal and cast members in attendance, per the festival's announcement. For New York audiences the Dec. 4 release gives a few weeks between the festival buzz and the holiday crowd. Because the story is set in Hollywood scoring stages, the film also arrives amid worries about the decline of production in Los Angeles. Hammond argues that Gilroy has made the city look better than ever, an observation about the film rather than the industry.

What we could not confirm

We have not seen Behemoth! and rely on Deadline, Gold Derby and Film at Lincoln Center. The Dec. 4 date comes from Deadline's review header and could change. We did not confirm a streaming or home video date. Score eligibility is undecided. The Hollywood Reporter review was not read in full.

FAQ

When is Behemoth! in theaters?

Searchlight Pictures lists a U.S. release date of Dec. 4, 2026, according to Deadline.

Who wrote the music?

Nine composers: Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard, Michael Abels, Emily Bear, Lukas Frank, Henry Jackman, Nami Melumad, Brandon Roberts and Alan Silvestri.

Is it an Oscar contender?

Gold Derby ranked it No. 14 for Best Picture on Oct. 9, so it is in the conversation but not a frontrunner.

Sources

*Cover photo: Bryan Berlin, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tony_Gilroy_at_the_2026_New_York_Film_Festival-019.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tony_Gilroy_at_the_2026_New_York_Film_Festival-019.jpg)* (CC BY-SA 4.0).*