In the latest episode of The Film Scorer podcast I’m joined by Wilbert Roget, II (Star Wars: Outlaws, Helldivers 2, Mortal Kombat). While Wilbert is best known for his work scoring video games, including recently receiving a Grammy nomination for Star Wars: Outlaws, our focus is on something a little different. Wilbert has just made his first foray into scoring for tv, with the limited series Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance! As such, we dig deep into his score for the six-episode series, including building out the eclectic sonic palette, working closely with the Japanese team, being the first non-Japanese composer to score a Gundam project (and the pressures that come with that, and plenty more. We also drive down other avenues, such as his work on other games, scoring 48-hour game jams, and how Japanese music his significantly impacted him.
Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance was actually my introduction to Gundam (outside of a PlayStation 2 game I briefly played over fifteen years ago), so I wasn’t sure what to expect. If anything, I assumed that the series, and Wilbert’s score, would focus on high-stakes and grand scope mecha fights. How wrong I was! While those are certainly present, I was struck by how much focus was spent on the consequences of war, particularly its psychological effects on various characters, and cues like “Odessa” really lean into this sense of melancholy and despair.
For newcomers to Gundam like me, Wilbert also lists some of his favorite series, both in terms of overall quality and music. He also put me at ease regarding the daunting scope of getting into Gundam, saying “[t]he reason Gundam was so intimidating to get into is that it’s just got decades and decades of brilliant, brilliant scoring.”
Wilbert’s score, and much of his other music, is available on all major platforms. Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance is currently on Netflix (at least in most territories). You can find out more about Wilbert on his website.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts). Enjoying these interviews? Show the love by subscribing and leaving a rating or review!
About Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance
“Set during the One Year War that formed the backdrop of the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam, this new six-episode original animated series (30 min per episode) focuses on the war’s European front and is intended for a global audience. The series will be animated using Unreal Engine 5 with co-production by SAFEHOUSE. It will feature a screenplay by Gavin Hignight (anime — Tekken: Bloodline, Transformers: War For Cybertron, Star Wars: Resistance) and is directed by Erasmus Brosdau (anime — Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness; videogames — Star Citizen, Ryse: Son of Rome, Crysis series).
In the year Universal Century 0079, a state of war began when the Principality of Zeon declared its independence from the Earth Federation government. In the war’s opening stages, the Zeon forces maintained an advantage thanks to the effectiveness of their new weapon, the mobile suit. However, they lacked the fighting strength to fully conquer Earth, and the war became a stalemate.
Eleven months after the outbreak of war, a base in Zeon-occupied Eastern Europe is captured by the Federation Forces. A Zeon composite battalion is sent to recapture the base, and among its members are Solari and her Red Wolf Squadron, a mobile suit team that has only just arrived from space…”
