# John Powell (film composer)

John Powell is an English composer best known for his film scores. He has been based in Los Angeles since 1997 and has composed the scores to over 70 feature films. He is best known for composing the scores for films such as Face/Off, the Bourne film series, the Happy Feet films, United 93, X-Men: The Last Stand, Wicked and its upcoming sequel For Good, Evolution, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Migration, Drumline, Hancock, The Call of the Wild, Bolt, eight Blue Sky Studios films, and nine DreamWorks Animation films.
His work on Happy Feet, Ferdinand and Solo: A Star Wars Story has earned him three Grammy nominations. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for 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 and Zimmer himself on Chill Factor, The Road to El Dorado, and the first two Kung Fu Panda films.
He has also collaborated with film directors such as 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

As a child, he played the violin and viola. He studied the violin at the Trinity College of Music, central London (now the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Greenwich, London). There, he met John Ashton Thomas, who orchestrated many of Powell's scores. Powell played for "Faboulistics", an amateur rock and roll band.
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 co-founded the London-based commercial music house Independently Thinking Music with Gavin Greenaway, which produced scores for more than 100 British and French commercials and independent films.

## Career

Powell's first score was for the 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, which he co-scored with fellow British composer Harry Gregson-Williams, which also marked the duo's first score for an animated film. Two years later, Powell collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer on the score for The Road to El Dorado. Later that same year, he also teamed up with Harry Gregson-Williams again to compose the score to Chicken Run and then again the following year on Shrek. Gregson-Williams composed all the subsequent Shrek films and the sequel to Chicken Run himself. In 2001 he also scored Evolution, I Am Sam, Just Visiting and Rat Race.
In 2002 Powell was hired to score The Bourne Identity for director Doug Liman after Carter Burwell left the project. He also returned to score the series' other two films, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, under British director Paul Greengrass.
Powell collaborated with Liman again to score Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). That year he also scored Robots for Blue Sky Studios, and went on to score many of the studio's subsequent films until 2017's Ferdinand.
In 2006, he scored Greengrass' United 93. He also composed music for his second Blue Sky film Ice Age: The Meltdown, following 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. The next year he scored The Bourne Ultimatum. In 2008 he reunited with Hans Zimmer and returned to DreamWorks Animation to score Kung Fu Panda, and also 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, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was his sixth DreamWorks Animation film, although the first where he composed the whole score himself. That year he also scored Greengrass's 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 6 March 2016 at The Royal Festival Hall, 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 January 2024, it was announced that Powell will return to compose the score for the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. In August 2024, it was confirmed that Powell will compose and conduct the incidental score for the two-part film adaptation of Wicked, in collaboration with the musical's composer Stephen Schwartz.

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Creator | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 1989–1993 | Stay Lucky | Geoff McQueen | Yorkshire Television | |
| 1996–1997 | High Incident | Steven Spielberg Michael Pavone Eric Bogosian Dave Alan Johnson | DreamWorks Television | |
| 2022 | Ice Age: Scrat Tales | Chris Wedge | Blue Sky Studios (final animated production before shutting down) 20th Century Studios 20th Century Animation Disney+ | Music by Batu Sener Writer and Composer for "Scrat Tales End Titles" |

### Film
#### 1990s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 1997 | Face/Off | John Woo | Paramount Pictures (North America) Touchstone Pictures (International) | — |
| 1998 | With Friends Like These... | Philip Frank Messina | Miramax Films | — |
| 1998 | Endurance | Leslie Woodhead Bud Greenspan | Walt Disney Pictures | Music produced by Hans Zimmer |
| 1998 | Antz | Eric Darnell Tim Johnson | Pacific Data Images DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Pictures | Co-composed with Harry Gregson-Williams John Powell's first score for an animated film |
| 1999 | Forces of Nature | Bronwen Hughes | DreamWorks Pictures | — |
| 1999 | Chill Factor | Hugh Johnson | Morgan Creek Productions Warner Bros. Pictures | Co-composed with Hans Zimmer |

#### 2000s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 2000 | The Road to El Dorado | Don Paul Bibo Bergeron | DreamWorks Pictures DreamWorks Animation | Co-composed with Hans Zimmer |
| 2000 | Chicken Run | Peter Lord Nick Park | Aardman DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Pictures (International) Pathé (Europe) | Co-composed with Harry Gregson-Williams |
| 2001 | Just Visiting | Jean-Marie Poiré | Gaumont Hollywood Pictures | — |
| 2001 | Shrek | Andrew Adamson Vicky Jenson | DreamWorks Pictures DreamWorks Animation PDI/DreamWorks | Co-composed with Harry Gregson-Williams |
| 2001 | Evolution | Ivan Reitman | The Montecito Picture Company DreamWorks Pictures (North America) Columbia Pictures (International) | — |
| 2001 | Rat Race | Jerry Zucker | Fireworks Entertainment Paramount Pictures | — |
| 2001 | I Am Sam | Jessie Nelson | Bedford Falls Productions New Line Cinema | Additional music by Heitor Pereira |
| 2002 | D-Tox | Jim Gillespie | DEJ Productions (North America) United International Pictures (International) | — |
| 2002 | The Bourne Identity | Doug Liman | The Kennedy/Marshall Company Universal Pictures | Replaced Carter Burwell |
| 2002 | Drumline | Charles Stone III | 20th Century Fox | — |
| 2002 | The Adventures of Pluto Nash | Ron Underwood | Castle Rock Entertainment Village Roadshow Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures | — |
| 2002 | Two Weeks Notice | Marc Lawrence | Castle Rock Entertainment Village Roadshow Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures | — |
| 2003 | Stealing Sinatra | Ron Underwood | Showtime Networks | Television film |
| 2003 | Agent Cody Banks | Harald Zwart | Maverick Films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | — |
| 2003 | The Italian Job | F. Gary Gray | Paramount Pictures | — |
| 2003 | Gigli | Martin Brest | Casey Silver Revolution Studios Columbia Pictures | — |
| 2003 | Paycheck | John Woo | Davis Entertainment Paramount Pictures (North America) DreamWorks Pictures (International) | — |
| 2004 | The Bourne Supremacy | Paul Greengrass | The Kennedy/Marshall Company Universal Pictures | — |
| 2004 | Mr. 3000 | Charles Stone III | The Kennedy/Marshall Company Spyglass Entertainment Dimension Films Touchstone Pictures | — |
| 2004 | Alfie | Charles Shyer | Paramount Pictures | — |
| 2005 | Be Cool | F. Gary Gray | Jersey Films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | — |
| 2005 | Robots | Chris Wedge | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | — |
| 2005 | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | Doug Liman | Weed Road Pictures Regency Enterprises Summit Entertainment 20th Century Fox | — |
| 2006 | Ice Age: The Meltdown | Carlos Saldanha | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | Replaced David Newman |
| 2006 | United 93 | Paul Greengrass | Sidney Kimmel Entertainment Working Title Films Studiocanal Universal Pictures | — |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Brett Ratner | Marvel Entertainment 20th Century Fox | — |
| 2006 | Happy Feet | George Miller | Animal Logic Kennedy Miller Village Roadshow Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures | Nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Media" |
| 2007 | The Bourne Ultimatum | Paul Greengrass | The Kennedy/Marshall Company Universal Pictures | — |
| 2007 | P.S. I Love You | Richard LaGravenese | Alcon Entertainment Warner Bros. Pictures (North America) Momentum Pictures (International) | — |
| 2008 | Jumper | Doug Liman | Regency Enterprises 20th Century Fox | — |
| 2008 | Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! | Jimmy Hayward Steve Martino | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | Additional music by James McKee Smith, John Ashton Thomas, and Paul Mounsey. |
| 2008 | Stop-Loss | Kimberly Peirce | MTV Films Paramount Pictures | — |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Panda | John Stevenson Mark Osborne | Paramount Pictures DreamWorks Animation | Co-composed with Hans Zimmer |
| 2008 | Hancock | Peter Berg | Overbrook Entertainment Relativity Media Columbia Pictures | — |
| 2008 | Bolt | Chris Williams Byron Howard | Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2009 | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | Carlos Saldanha | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |

#### 2010s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 2010 | Green Zone | Paul Greengrass | Working Title Films Universal Pictures | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2010 | How to Train Your Dragon | Chris Sanders Dean DeBlois | Paramount Pictures DreamWorks Animation | Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2010 | Fair Game | Doug Liman | River Road Entertainment Summit Entertainment | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2010 | Knight and Day | James Mangold | Media Rights Capital Dune Entertainment Regency Enterprises 20th Century Fox | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2011 | Mars Needs Moms | Simon Wells | Walt Disney Pictures ImageMovers Digital | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2011 | Rio | Carlos Saldanha | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2011 | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Jennifer Yuh Nelson | Paramount Pictures DreamWorks Animation | Co-composed with Hans Zimmer Additional Music by Paul Mounsey and Dominic Lewis |
| 2011 | Happy Feet Two | George Miller | Village Roadshow Pictures Kennedy Miller Mitchell Warner Bros. Pictures | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2012 | Dr. Seuss' The Lorax | Chris Renaud | Universal Pictures Illumination Entertainment | Composed songs with lyrics by Cinco Paul Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2012 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | Steve Martino Mike Thurmeier | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | Additional Music by Paul Mounsey |
| 2014 | Rio 2 | Carlos Saldanha | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios | Additional Music by Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey |
| 2014 | How to Train Your Dragon 2 | Dean DeBlois | 20th Century Fox DreamWorks Animation | Additional Music by Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey |
| 2015 | Pan | Joe Wright | RatPac-Dune Entertainment Warner Bros. Pictures | Additional Music by Anthony Willis, Batu Sener & Paul Mounsey |
| 2016 | Jason Bourne | Paul Greengrass | Perfect World Pictures Captivate Entertainment Pearl Street Films The Kennedy/Marshall Company Universal Pictures | Co-composed with David Buckley Additional Music by Batu Sener |
| 2017 | Ferdinand | Carlos Saldanha | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Animation Blue Sky Studios Davis Entertainment | Also conductor. Nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella" Additional Music by Batu Sener, Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey |
| 2018 | Solo: A Star Wars Story | Ron Howard | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Lucasfilm Ltd. | Nominated for a Grammy award for "Best Instrumental Composition" Han Solo Theme & Original Star Wars Music by John Williams. Additional Music by Batu Sener, Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey. |
| 2019 | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World | Dean DeBlois | Universal Pictures DreamWorks Animation | Additional Music by Batu Sener, Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey |

#### 2020s

| Year | Title | Director | Studio(s) | Notes |
| 2020 | The Call of the Wild | Chris Sanders | 20th Century Studios TSG Entertainment 3 Arts Entertainment | Also conductor. Additional Music by Batu Sener & Paul Mounsey |
| 2021 | Locked Down | Doug Liman | Warner Bros. Pictures AGC Studios Storyteller Productions Hypnotic Nebulastar HBO Max | Additional Music by Batu Sener |
| 2022 | Don't Worry Darling | Olivia Wilde | Warner Bros. Pictures New Line Cinema Vertigo Entertainment | Additional Music by Batu Sener |
| 2023 | Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie | Davis Guggenheim | Apple TV+ | Documentary Additional Music by Batu Sener |
| 2023 | Migration | Benjamin Renner | Universal Pictures Illumination | Animated film Additional Music by Batu Sener & Peter Davison |
| 2024 | Thelma the Unicorn | Jared Hess Lynn Wang | Netflix Netflix Animation Scholastic Entertainment | Animated film Additional Music by Batu Sener |
| 2024 | Wicked | Jon M. Chu | Universal Pictures Marc Platt Productions | Nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Score Incidental score co-composed with Stephen Schwartz. Also choir conductor. Additional Music by Batu Sener & Markus Siegel |
| 2024 | That Christmas | Simon Otto | Netflix Animation Locksmith Animation DNEG Animation | Additional music by Batu Sener, Anthony Willis, Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid and Markus Siegel |
| 2025 | How to Train Your Dragon | Dean DeBlois | Universal Pictures DreamWorks Animation Marc Platt Productions | Live-action reboot Additional Music by Batu Sener & Markus Siegel |
| 2025 | Wicked: For Good | Jon M. Chu | Universal Pictures Marc Platt Productions | Incidental score co-composed with Stephen Schwartz. Also choir conductor. |

## Albums
### Studio albums

| Year | Title | Category | Notes | Label | Catalogue Number |
| 2018 | Hubris: Choral Works by John Powell | Classical | First release on John Powell's own label, 5 Cats Studios. John Powell's 1st original project. Performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra. | 5 Cat Studios | FCS001 |
| 2020 | Piano Solos from "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" | Solo Piano | Music by John Powell. Piano solos performed by Batu Sener. | 5 Cat Studios | FCS005 |
| 2020 | Piano Solos from "The Call of the Wild" | Solo Piano | Music by John Powell. Piano solos performed by Batu Sener. | 5 Cat Studios | FCS007 |
| 2020 | Film Suites, Vol. 1 | Classical | Performed with Jose Serebrier, Philharmonia Orchestra, and The Philharmonia Voices. | 5 Cat Studios | FCS010 |

### Archival soundtrack albums

| Year | Title | Notes | Label | Catalogue Number |
| 2020 | Forces of Nature (Music from the Motion Picture) | Released on Audio CD. Limited 1000 copies. Co-composed with Oliver J. Lieber The first awaiting official score album since the 1999 film debut. Includes 2 bonus tracks/demos. | 5 Cat Studios, La-La Land Records | |
| 2020 | How to Train Your Dragon (The Deluxe Edition) | Deluxe Edition of the 2010 film score. Includes alternate versions and demos. | 5 Cat Studios, Varèse Sarabande | |
| 2020 | Solo: A Star Wars Story (Deluxe Edition) | Deluxe Edition of the 2018 film score. Includes over 2 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. Additional Music by Batu Sener, Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey. | 5 Cat Studios, Walt Disney Records | |
| 2021 | Paycheck: The Deluxe Edition (Music From The Motion Picture) | Deluxe Edition of the 2003 film score. This Deluxe Edition greatly expands the playing time to over 95 minutes. | 5 Cat Studios, Varèse Sarabande | |
| 2022 | How to Train Your Dragon 2 (The Deluxe Edition) | Deluxe Edition of the 2014 film score. Includes alternate versions and demos. | 5 Cat Studios, Varèse Sarabande, Back Lot Music | |
| 2022 | The Bourne Identity (Tumescent Edition) | Expanded score with alternate versions of cues. | 5 Cat Studios, Varèse Sarabande | 888072412774 |
| 2024 | How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (The Deluxe Edition) | Deluxe Edition of the 2019 film score. Includes alternate versions and demos. Additional Music by Batu Sener, Anthony Willis & Paul Mounsey. | 5 Cat Studios, Varèse Sarabande | |