Two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer (“Dune,” “The Lion King”) and Kara Talve (“Prehistoric Planet”) will compose the score for Sky and Peacock series “The Tattooist of Auschwitz.”
based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Heather Morris, the limited series is inspired by the true-life story of Lale and Gita Sokolov. It follows Lale (Jonah Hauer-King), who arrived at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942, where he was made one of the tattooists charged to ink identification numbers onto fellow prisoners’ arms. He meets Gita (Anna Próchniak) when tattooing her prisoner number, and they experience love at first sight. Under constant guard from a volatile SS officer Baretzki (Jonas Nay), Lale and Gita became determined to keep each other alive. Some 60 years later, Lale (Harvey Keitel) meets novice writer Heather Morris (Melanie Lynskey). Recently widowed, Lale finds the courage to tell the world his story.
The six-episode series is produced by Synchronicity Films in association with Sky Studios and All3Media International. It completed filming in Europe this summer and is set to debut globally next year. It will be the first TV drama series fully composed by Zimmer and Talve.
The series was commissioned by Serena Thompson, executive producer at Sky Studios for Zai Bennett, managing director of content, Sky U.K. Claire Mundell is executive producer for Synchronicity Films. Lead writer Jacquelin Perske is also an executive producer on the project and Morris is story consultant. Evan Placey and Gabbie Asher are episode writers. Tali Shalom-Ezer (“The Psychologist”) is directing all the episodes.
Talve will score Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming series “Faraway Downs,” and is part of Bleeding Fingers, an Emmy-winning and BAFTA-nominated composer collective that was co-founded by Zimmer.
Zimmer said: “Within the depths of Auschwitz, here is a story of hope and love, that transcends boundaries and resonates with the very essence of our humanity. I stand humbled to be part of this extraordinary production and both Kara and I are deeply privileged to compose this score. We invite you to join us on this journey, as we celebrate the human spirit and the power of hope within the darkest corners of history.”
Talve added: “This is a dream project for me; not only does it challenge me artistically but also deeply resonates personally. Like millions of others, my family perished in the camps and to have the privilege to work alongside this incredibly talented team and help bring this story of hope to life has been a unique chance to reflect and as it stands has been the most honorable undertaking of my career thus far.”
Claire Mundell, executive producer for Synchronicity Films, said: “Everyone at Synchronicity is honored that Kara and Hans will be scoring ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz,’ especially given this is the first time Hans has composed a U.K. high-end scripted series. This is a poignant story and we couldn’t be prouder to be working with them both on a project which resonates so strongly.”
NBCUniversal Global Distribution and All3Media International are jointly handling international sales of the series. Australian streamer Stan has taken local rights to the series and Viaplay for Nordics (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland), Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), the Netherlands and Poland.
The series will be available on Sky Atlantic and streamer service Now in 2024 in the U.K. and Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland and on Peacock in the U.S.
