John Powell

John Powell (born 18 September 1963) is an English composer and conductor of film scores. Based in Los Angeles since 1997, he has composed music for over 70 feature films including Face/Off, I Am Sam, the Bourne franchise, The Italian Job, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, X-Men: The Last Stand, Hancock, Pan, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Don't Worry Darling, Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good, ten DreamWorks Animation films, eight Blue Sky Studios films, and three Illumination films.

Powell's work on Happy Feet, Ferdinand, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Wicked, and the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon earned him six Grammy Award nominations. Additionally, he earned two Academy Award for Best Original Score nominations for the original How to Train Your Dragon and Wicked.

Powell was a member of Hans Zimmer's music studio, Remote Control Productions and has collaborated frequently with other composers from the studio including Harry Gregson-Williams on Antz, Chicken Run, and Shrek in addition to Zimmer himself on Chill Factor, The Road to El Dorado, and the first two Kung Fu Panda movies. He also collaborated with film directors Carlos Saldanha, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, Jon M. Chu, George Miller, John Woo, Ron Underwood, Doug Liman, Charles Stone III and Paul Greengrass.

Early life and education Powell was born in London.

After finishing college, he composed music for commercials, which led to a job as an assistant to the composer Patrick Doyle on several film productions including Much Ado About Nothing. In 1995, Powell along with Gavin Greenaway founded Thinking Music, an independent commercial music house which has produced scores for more than 100 British and French commercials and independent films.

Career Powell's first score was for Season 4 of the TV series Stay Lucky. He moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and scored his first major film, Face/Off. It was followed by Antz in 1998, the first film produced by DreamWorks Animation. He and fellow British composer Harry Gregson-Williams scored it, marking the duo's first score for an animated film. In 2000, Powell collaborated with Zimmer on the score for The Road to El Dorado. Later in 2000, he teamed with Gregson-Williams again to compose the score to Chicken Run and then again on Shrek in 2001. Gregson-Williams composed all of the subsequent Shrek films and the sequel to Chicken Run. In 2001 Powell scored Evolution, I Am Sam, Just Visiting and Rat Race.

In 2002 Powell was hired to score The Bourne Identity for director Liman after Carter Burwell left the project. Powell returned to score the series' other two films, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, under Greengrass, a British director. Powell collaborated with Liman again to score Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). In 2005 he also scored Robots for Blue Sky Studios and scored many of the studio's subsequent films until 2017's Ferdinand.

In 2006, he scored Greengrass' United 93. He composed music for his second Blue Sky film Ice Age: The Meltdown, after David Newman, who scored the first Ice Age film; as well as X-Men: The Last Stand and Happy Feet, for which he won a Film & TV Music Award for Best Score for an Animated Feature Film. In 2007, he scored The Bourne Ultimatum. In 2008 he and Zimmer worked together again, scoring Kung Fu Panda for Dream Works Animation and Powell wrote music for Jumper, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, Hancock, and Bolt. In 2009 he scored the third film of Ice Age series; Dawn of the Dinosaurs.

In 2010, Powell composed the score to How to Train Your Dragon, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was his sixth DreamWorks Animation film, although the first time he composed an entire score himself. In 2010, he scored Greengrass' Green Zone and Knight and Day. In 2013, Powell took a sabbatical year from film scoring. In April 2014, after completing his scores to sequels Rio 2 and How to Train Your Dragon 2, he announced he would take another break to compose concert music, including a 45-minute oratorio to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I. The piece, "A Prussian Requiem", with a libretto by Michael Petry, premiered on March 6, 2016 at The Royal Festival Hall in London with José Serebrier conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Powell composed the score for Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), collaborating with John Williams, who wrote Han Solo's theme. In 2019, Powell scored How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the final film in the How to Train Your Dragon series. In November 2023, it was announced that Powell would compose and produce the musical score for the 2024 Netflix and Locksmith Animation film That Christmas. In January 2024, it was announced that Powell would return to compose and produce the musical score for the 2025 live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. In August 2024, it was confirmed that Powell would compose and conduct the incidental score for the two-part film adaptation of Wicked, in collaboration with the musical's composer Stephen Schwartz.

Filmography Film 1990s Year Title Director(s) Note(s) 1997 Face/Off John Woo Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by Gavin GreenawayOriginally composed by Mark IshamJohn Powell's first musical score for a feature film 1998 With Friends Like These... Philip Frank Messina Also music conductor Endurance Leslie Woodhead Also music producer and soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by Geoff Zanelli Antz Eric Darnell and Tim Johnson Also soundtrack album co-producerCo-composed with Harry Gregson-WilliamsAdditional music composed by Greenaway, Zanelli and Steve JablonskyPowell's first musical score for an animated feature film 1999 Forces of Nature Bronwen Hughes Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by Greenaway Chill Factor Hugh Johnson Also a soundtrack album co-producerCo-composer with Hans ZimmerAdditional music composed by Klaus Badelt, James S. Levine, James McKee Smith, Jeff Rona, and Zanelli

2000s Year Title Director(s) Note(s) 2000 The Road to El Dorado Eric "Bibo" Bergeron, Don Paul and Jeffrey Katzenberg Also soundtrack album co-producerCo-composer with ZimmerAdditional music composed by Badelt, Greenaway, James McKee Smith, and Zanelli Chicken Run Peter Lord and Nick Park Also soundtrack album producerCo-composed with Gregson-WilliamsAdditional music composed by Greenaway, Don L. Harper, Alastair King, James McKee Smith, Zanelli, and Jablonsky 2001 Just Visiting Jean-Marie Poiré Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by Nick Glennie-Smith, James McKee Smith, and Zanelli Shrek Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson Also soundtrack album co-producerCo-composed with Gregson-WilliamsAdditional music composed by King, James McKee Smith, and Toby Chu Evolution Ivan Reitman Also soundtrack album producerTrailer music composed by Daniel NielsenAdditional music composed by Greenaway and James McKee Smith Rat Race Jerry Zucker Also soundtrack album producerOriginally composed by Elmer BernsteinAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and John Ashton Thomas I Am Sam Jessie Nelson Also soundtrack album producer 2002 D-Tox Jim Gillespie Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by Glennie-Smith, James McKee Smith, William Ross, and Geoff Zanelli The Bourne Identity Doug Liman Also soundtrack album producerOriginally composed by Carter BurwellAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and Joel Richard Drumline Charles Stone III Also soundtrack album co-producer The Adventures of Pluto Nash Ron Underwood Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith, Joel J. Richard and John Ashton Thomas Two Weeks Notice Marc Lawrence Also soundtrack album producer 2003 Agent Cody Banks Harald Zwart Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and John Ashton Thomas The Italian Job F. Gary Gray Also guitarist and soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by T.J. Lindgren, James McKee Smith, Rupert Parkes, and John Ashton Thomas Gigli Martin Brest Also soundtrack album producerOriginally composed by Carter BurwellTrailer music composed by Daniel Nielsen Paycheck John Woo Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by T.J. Lindgren, James McKee Smith and John Ashton Thomas 2004 The Bourne Supremacy Paul Greengrass Also soundtrack album producerTrailer music composed by Daniel Nielsen Mr. 3000 Charles Stone III Also soundtrack album producerOriginally co-composed with Vernon Reid Alfie Charles Shyer Also soundtrack album producerCo-composer with Mick Jagger and David A. Stewart 2005 Be Cool F. Gary Gray Also instrumental piece performer for "Cool Chill" as well as guitarist and score producerAdditional music composed by Dylan Berry Robots Chris Wedge Also soundtrack album producerTrailer music composed by Daniel Nielsen Mr. & Mrs. Smith Doug Liman Also music conductor and soundtrack album producerTrailer music composed by Nielsen 2006 Ice Age: The Meltdown Carlos Saldanha Also soundtrack album co-producerOriginally composed by David NewmanCo-composed with Will EdwardsTrailer music composed by NielsenAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and John Ashton Thomas United 93 Paul Greengrass Also soundtrack album producer X-Men: The Last Stand Brett Ratner Also a soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and John Ashton Thomas Happy Feet George Miller Also a song arranger, a song producer and a soundtrack album producerNominated for a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other MediaAdditional music composed by John Ashton Thomas2007 The Bourne Ultimatum Paul Greengrass Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith, Joel J. Richard, John Ashton Thomas, and Islam Sabry P.S. I Love You Richard LaGravenese Also guitarist and soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by John Ashton Thomas and Scott Liggett 2008 Jumper Doug Liman Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and John Ashton Thomas Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music by James McKee Smith, John Ashton Thomas, and Paul Mounsey Stop-Loss Kimberly Peirce Also music conductor, solo guitarist, and soundtrack album producer Kung Fu Panda John Stevenson and Mark Osborne Also soundtrack album co-producerCo-composer with ZimmerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and Henry Jackman Hancock Peter Berg Also soundtrack album producerTrailer music composed by Ernst MeinrathAdditional music composed by Jackman, James McKee Smith, and John Ashton Thomas Bolt Chris Williams and Byron Howard Also soundtrack album producerWalt Disney Animation Studios theme music composed by Wilfred JacksonAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith, Mounsey, and John Ashton Thomas 2009 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Carlos Saldanha Also soundtrack album producerAdditional music composed by James McKee Smith and Mounsey

2010s

2020s

Television Year Title Creator(s) Note(s) 1989–1993 Stay Lucky Geoff McQueen Co-composed with Ray RussellTitle song composed by Danny Chang and Mike PricePowell's first musical score for a television series 1996–1997 High Incident Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian and Dave Alan Johnson Co-composer with Jeff Rona and Christopher TyngTheme music composed by ZimmerAdditional music composed by Chris Horvath 2003 Stealing Sinatra Howard Korder Television filmAdditional music composed by James McKee SmithJohn Powell's first musical score for a television film 2022 Ice Age: Scrat Tales Chris Wedge Television miniseriesThemeAlso accordionist and soundtrack album co-producerScore composed by Sener

Albums Studio albums Powell's first original project

Performed with the Philharmonia OrchestraFCS0012020Piano Solos from "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" Solo PianoMusic by Powell

Archival soundtrack albums Limited to 1000 copies

Co-composed with Oliver J. Lieber

The first awaiting official score album since the 1999 film debut

Includes 2 bonus tracks/demosHow to Train Your Dragon (The Deluxe Edition) Deluxe Edition of the 2010 film score Includes alternate versions and demosSolo: A Star Wars Story (Deluxe Edition)Deluxe Edition of the 2018 film score Includes over two hours of original/unedited music as written for the film, and an end credits suite

Han Solo Theme & Original Star Wars Music by John Williams

This Deluxe Edition greatly expands the playing time to over 95 minutes. Deluxe Edition of the 2019 film score Includes alternate versions and demos

Additional music by Sener, Anthony Willis & Mounsey