Geektown BTS Podcast 41: ‘SAS: Red Notice’ Composer Benji Merrison Interview
On this episode of the Geektown Behind The Scenes Podcast, I’m chatting with Benji Merrison, composer on the film ‘SAS: Red Notice’, which you can find right now on Sky and the NOW streaming service.
The movies stars ‘Outlander’s Sam Heughan as Tom Buckingham, a suspended special forces operator who is taking his girlfriend Dr. Sophie Hart (Hannah John-Kamen – ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’), from London to Paris to propose. When their train is deep inside the Channel Tunnel, heavily armed mercenaries, led by Grace Lewis (Ruby Rose – ‘Batwoman’) seize control of it and hold everyone hostage. Grace threatens to blow up the Channel Tunnel and declare economic war on a government that has its fair share of secrets to keep. Unarmed and cut off from his counter-terror team, Buckingham is the only hope that Sophie and the other passengers have to make it out alive.
It’s a wonderfully fun action movie, which is a little bit ‘Strike Back’, a little bit ‘Die Hard’, and a little bit ‘James Bond’. The cast also includes Andy Serkis (‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘Black Panther’), Tom Hopper (‘The Umbrella Academy’), Noel Clarke (‘Bulletproof’) and Tom Wilkinson (‘Michael Clayton’).
Benji, who is an adept pianist, is unique in his approach and often improvises his initial sessions in order to let the music flow freely without judgment. The film’s main theme, “Tom Buckingham,” was created during the producers’ sketching session after Benji started improvising. The dynamic score is juxtaposed with an English garden vibe. As the action intensifies in the film, Benji deconstructed and morphed the refined tracks. The OST is out now on Lakeshore Records.
Along with ‘SAS: Red Notice’, Benji is the Emmy award-nominated composer of David Attenborough’s ‘Dynasties’ series, and ‘Forces of Nature with Brian Cox’. He also worked on shows such as ‘Tin Star’, ‘Victoria’, ‘Britannia’ and ‘Class’.
Geektown BTS Podcast 41: ‘SAS: Red Notice’ Composer Benji Merrison Interview
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