Soundtrack Bits: Listen To 10 Minutes Of Michael Giacchino's 'John Carter' Score, Plus: 'Django Unchained', 'Moonrise Kingdom', 'The Artist'

Yup, that's Michael Giacchino striking the goofy pose in the header image, but don't let the silliness fool you — he's one of the hottest film and TV composers working today, and one of the main reasons you should be excited about the rest of this post. After the jump:

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Directed by Andrew Stanton and starring Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe and Lynn Collins, the live-action sci-fi adventure John Carter hits March 9. [Comic Book Movie]

We've still got a ways to go before we get to see Quentin Tarnatino's Django Unchained, but if a new rumor is to be believed, we may already have some idea of what we can expect to hear. According to Dutch website RTL Boulevard, singer Mick Harren claims he's been approached about doing a multilingual cover of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" for the movie. Tarantino reportedly discovered the musician while surfing on YouTube, and took note of Harren's resemblance to Michael Madsen.

"I thought it was a joke, but how there was contact and coming soon a for discussion so it does seem to be serious," Harren says (creative translation into English via Google, in case you couldn't guess). Listen to Harren's spin on "Sweet Caroline" below, and try to imagine a similar treatment of "My Way" playing over a "Southern-fried Western" about slavery:

Hmmm... this really strikes me as one of those "so crazy, it just might work" things. Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio lead the cast of Django Unchained, which opens Christmas 2012. [The Playlist]

In more expected but no less welcome news, Wes Anderson is set to reunite with Fantastic Mr. Fox composer Alexandre Desplat for Moonrise Kingdom. The news was posted by an eagle-eyed Film Score Monthly forums member, who noticed a Facebook post from conductor Conrad Pope which read, "Off to Avatar Studios in Manhattan to conduct the recording of Alexandre Desplat's latest music for Wes Anderson's newest film 'Moonrise Kingdom' — a film with such a unique sensibility and style that it is as hard to describe as its charm is to resist."

Anderson has said previously that the movie has "a big musical element, but there are not really songs in it." Desplat's other recent work includes the scores for The Tree of Life and The King's Speech. Moonrise Kingdom, which stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand, will open May 25. [The Playlist]

Michel Hazanavicius' The Artist is a silent film, but "silent," of course, just means that you don't hear the characters speak — not that the movie is literally a soundless experience. To the contrary, it features a delightful soundtrack that includes original music by Ludovic Bource. Now the film is considering hitting the road on a concert tour, in which screenings of the film would be accompanied by a live orchestra — much like showings of silent films were during the form's heyday. Stops are currently planned for New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Brussels, London, Geneva, and perhaps Australia.

Hazanavicius' film is in theaters now, and stars Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, and a really, truly, absurdly adorable dog. [AV Club]