Is ex-Pulp songsmith Jarvis Cocker going to be the next go-to soundtrack songwriter du jour?
Cocker has already obviously been tapped by Wes Anderson to write songs for the animated feature, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (though how many songs will make it into the final version of the film seems to be unclear) and now it looks like the Apatow gang has their sights set on the wry Brit rocker as well.
It appears that Cocker has penned three songs that will be included in the Russell Brand-starring vehicle, “Get Him To The Greek,” which is a sort of quasi sequel to the Apatow-produced, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”. Brand will reprise his Aldous Snow rocker character and the songs that Cocker has written are for him to perform in the picture. The film will also co-star Jonah Hill, Rose Byrne, Diddy and it’s rumored (or not-so-rumored, they’re essentially true) to have appearances by Oasis, Christina Aguilera, Pink and Katy Perry. Brand hosted the MTV Music Video Awards last year — some say as an excuse to shoot cameos with the aforementioned ladies who all appeared on the show — so there’s little doubt that performers and presenters at the 2009 MTV Video Awards are probably fair game as well (folks like Green Day, Muse and Pink are performing).
‘Sarah Marshall’ lead Jason Segel has also been writing original songs for the movie (he penned a few for ‘Marshall’ as well). Cocker told Billboard that his songs are “rather silly, but it’s a silly film.”
In ‘Sarah Marshall,’ Brand’s Snow character was on the wagon and trying to find Buddha-like inner peace. In “Get Him To The Greek,” he’s back to his drug-fueled manic rocker personality and Jonah Hill plays a young record executive who has to get him to an important L.A. gig on time. Diddy plays his difficult record label boss. How much fun is that going to be to watch? Here’s a bunch of new shots of ‘Greek’ being shot in New York City, with Brand seemingly on some sort of fitness regiment (hence the headband).