Danny Elfman, one of the most prominent composers in Hollywood, says that perhaps his most famous work is something he never expected anyone to hear. Having created the scores of blockbusters including Batman, Beetlejuice, and the Fable video game series, Elfman is maybe best known for composing the theme music to The Simpsons.
Speaking exclusively to IGN about his new series Bullet Time, an upcoming animated show from Creator / Director Eddie Alcazar (think Beavis and Butthead but with video games instead of music videos), Elfman says he had no idea The Simpsons would catch on and become the longest running sitcom in American history. “I did that purely for the pleasure and never expected anybody to see it,” Elfman says. “So obviously that wasn’t the case, but you never know.”
It’s the same type of sentiment that attracted him to Bullet Time. “I met Eddie and liked him and he sent me this. Every year I try to do a couple of projects that are for love rather than money, and sometimes they pay off in unexpected ways,” Elfman says. “The style was great. The industry has been good to me and provided me with a really good living for four decades. About 20 or 25 years ago, I felt like I had to start giving back a little bit. And so I’d start looking for little things or a documentary or a short project or a strange little film that has a $12 budget. And often those are the most fun things I’ll do that year. And so it was just kind of like, yeah, this will just be for the pleasure rather than for the commercial aspect.”
On July 24 at 10am PT, 1pm ET, IGN will exclusively debut the first episode of Bullet Time on IGN.com and IGN’s YouTube channel along with an interview about the series with Elfman, Alcaraz, and voice actor Eric Bauza.
The Simpsons, which has been on the air since 1989 recently wrapped its 36th season with a shocking storyline involving the death of a core family member. Bullet Time premieres to a live audience at the Fantasia Film Festival on July 23.
