Lorne Balfe (Mission: Impossible, Top Gun: Maverick)

This week, Lorne Balfe joins me on The Film Scorer. Lorne has about two-hundred credits to his name across film, TV, and video games, including projects like Top Gun: Maverick, a couple Mission: Impossible films, The Crown, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty, and a whole load more. Not a bad resume... Now, although he normally releases about ten scores a year, 2026 has been a much quieter year for him, conducting at the global tour of Top Gun: Maverick in Concert and working on the new adaptation of The Cat in the Hat, coming out in November. We talk about each a little bit, but it also gives us an opportunity to really jump away from focusing on any single project. Instead, Lorne and I spent the hour and a half we had chatting about a pretty wide range of topics, getting really deep into the film scoring industry and the business side around it. We also have a bittersweet moment where we talk about composer and conductor Nick Glennie-Smith, who Lorne knew and worked with for many years before he passed away in mid-August. One note - Lorne and I were chatting away before hitting record, so the interview starts a little in media res. But don't worry, nothing juicy got cut off.