20 Things You Didn't Know About Waterworld

7. Mark Isham's Original Score Was Rejected For Being "Too Ethnic & Bleak"

Waterworld Still
Universal

Veteran composer Mark Isham was hired to create the movie's musical score, yet after Isham created demos for roughly 25% of the movie, Costner rejected the score for reportedly being "too ethnic and bleak."

Costner wanted the score to have a more adventurous sweep to contrast the film's more serious-minded tone, and though Isham offered to take another pass at the soundscape, Costner never allowed him to.

Instead, James Newton Howard was hired as his replacement, and that was that. For all of the movie's many faults, at least we got a rock solid Howard score out of it.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.