Lorne Balfe Replaces Alexandre Desplat As 'Black Widow' Composer Late In Post-Production

Black Widow may have a new composer. As the release of the comic book film remains in limbo amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, Marvel Studios has reportedly replaced initial Black Widow composer Alexandre Desplat with Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Bad Boys for Life composer Lorne Balfe.

According to Film Music Reporter, Lorne Balfe will be scoring the music for Black Widow. It appears that Balfe will be replacing two-time Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat, who was originally confirmed as the composer earlier this year.

This replacement comes pretty late into the film's post-production, seeing as Black Widow was initially set to debut in theaters in May 2020. But Disney and Marvel have since delayed Black Widow indefinitely in the wake of the escalating coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has brought Hollywood to a halt, shuttering movie theaters and productions across the world. So it seems that Marvel is using the time to bring in Balfe to compose the score.

This isn't the first time that Balfe has worked with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's also credited for additional music alongside Ramin Djawadi for 2008's Iron Man. The Scottish composer is best known for his credits on Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Bad Boys for Life, The LEGO Batman Movie, and 12 Strong. He's also frequently contributed additional music to films scored by Hans Zimmer, including The Dark Knight, Inception, and more, so he's no stranger to scoring superhero movies.

But this comes as a blow to Desplat fans, especially since the Oscar-winning composer, who recently earned his 11th nomination for his lovely Little Women score, has been spurned by Disney before — getting replaced as the composer on Star Wars: Rogue One after reshoots.

Directed by Cate Shortland from a screenplay by Jac Schaeffer and  Ned Benson, Black Widow still does not have a set release date after being indefinitely delayed amid coronavirus concerns.

At birth the Black Widow (aka Natasha Romanova) is given to the KGB, which grooms her to become its ultimate operative. When the U.S.S.R. breaks up, the government tries to kill her as the action moves to present-day New York, where she is a freelance operative.