Deadpool & Wolverine composer Rob Simonsen gave insight into his focus for the Marvel movie that stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman and is hitting theaters this weekend.
Simonsen took part in a panel of film and television composers during San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, where he praised director Shawn Levy and producer-star Reynolds for allowing him to concentrate on his primary agenda: having fun with the music. Also participating in the event were composers Christopher Lennertz (The Boys), Leopold Ross (Shogun), Michael Abels (Star Wars: The Acolyte) and Sherri Chung (Found), alongside moderator Michael Giacchino (The Batman).
After Giacchino jokingly asked Simonsen if he felt pressure knowing that the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe rests on his shoulders, Simonsen made it clear that the bond that he built with Reynolds and Levy on their 2022 Netflix film The Adam Project carried over to Deadpool & Wolverine.
“Marvel really supported Shawn and Ryan making their film, and we had recently done The Adam Project, and it was a very tight-knit experience with the two of them,” said Simonsen, whose other credits include The Whale, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the forthcoming It Ends With Us. “It was no different on this. So I felt very protected and shielded from the weight of it.”
He added that his focus was on “shooting for the stars — not really thinking about trying to satisfy some corporate agenda, but rather just thinking about what I want to feel.” Praising the film as “exhaustingly funny,” Simonsen continued, “Really, my job was just to make myself feel fun. Every day, it was just trying to make myself laugh.”
Simonsen noted that the film’s irreverence helped his process and explained, “In some ways, the stakes [for me] are less — they’re pretty high — but just the ability to have fun.” He also appreciated that the project has moments that vary widely in tone: “We get to be very orchestral and very emotional, and other times, we get to be wacky and weird and ADD about it. It was a pretty broad canvas to be able to paint on, and to be honest, it was just a blast.”
He also shared that he and Levy never met up in person while working on the movie. “It was scored completely over Zoom and FaceTime,” Simonsen said. “That tends to be how it is with Shawn. He and I have just gotten into a groove.” He added that it struck him as funny to be getting notes over FaceTime for “maybe the biggest movie of the summer.”
