Fresh off of scoring the critical and box office hit action film John Wick 4, Tyler Bates joins The Film Scorer Podcast! Unsurprisingly, Tyler and I spend a decent amount of time talking about his work on John Wick; not just the latest film, but his work across all four entries and his collaboration across each with Joel J. Richard as well. Throughout the chat, we also cover Tyler’s latest series, the animated action/spy show Agent Elvis on Netflix (which he co-scored with Tim Williams), his interest in equitable collaboration, and how he continues to push himself to improve and break his own boundaries.

Tyler and Joel’s score for John Wick 4 takes the series to new heights. The sound maintains the rock elements found throughout the series, which themselves have become bigger, while introducing additional electronic and orchestral elements. Tyler attributes a lot of the series’ musical quality to his co-composer Joel J. Richard, saying: “[s]ome of the signature motifs that have become the fabric of the John Wick sound are due to Joel’s unique and great talent and also an awesome collaboration that we’ve shared, cuz we play on each other’s ideas and cues and we talk about it. We’re like, just two geeks.”

Although not found in this interview, Joel separately told me about the score that: “[director] Chad Stahelski requested a choir and live orchestra, influences from classic Japanese cinema, as well as paying homage to Spaghetti Westerns for the final act. With these additions, the challenge was how to maintain the distinctive sound the franchise has become known for while expanding the sonic landscape. With much experimentation, a balance was found, and the end result is a score that feels both nostalgic and modern.” Given the increasing scope of the series, it’s easy to see and hear how these additional elements fit right in.

Prior to the interview, I was struck by how many recent collaborations Tyler has had. In addition to John Wick and Agent Elvis, Tyler co-scored X with Chelsea Wolfe and Pearl with Tim Williams, and has also produced and recorded numerous non-score albums and songs. He praises these collaborators, as well as John Wick director Chad Stahelski and Tyler’s daughter, Lola Colette, and told me “[i]f I can, I want to lift everyone up around me. If I can help facilitate an experience for somebody that is talented and worthy…I don’t give a damn about being the lone person on the top of the hill, I really don’t care.” There’s long been controversy with the lack of credit given to co-composers, orchestrators, assistants, and those in similar positions, which controversy has become increasingly public. On this aspect, Tyler sets a strong example: “[i]f someone’s working on something with me, if I’m allowed to do so, they’re going to be credited. . . I’d like to leave the people in my life in a better space than when they met me.” Joel similarly mentioned collaboration, although in a slightly cheekier way: “Chad is also the only director I’ve worked with who could kill me with his bare hands. So as a composer, that is very motivating.”

You can find out more about Tyler on his website. John Wick 4 is in theaters while Agent Elvis is on Netflix, and Tyler’s scores, as well as many of his other works, are available digitally on all major platforms.

Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts).

About John Wick 4

“John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating the High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.” From the official site.