‘Black Panther’ Composer Scored a 4-Hour Cut of the Movie

Director Ryan Coogler pushed Ludwig Goransson to use as many African sounds as possible, which led him to a South African library and its “collection of about 500 different instruments that don’t really exist anymore.”

Ludwig Goransson helped Black Panther roar its way to the big screen, but the Swedish composer is well aware he might not seem like the obvious choice to tackle a film that draws so heavily upon African culture.

Black Panther marks the third collaboration for Goransson, director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan following their critically acclaimed indie Fruitvale Station and the 2015 hit Creed. Black Panther marks their most ambitious team-up yet, and the film has resonated with audiences worldwide, already crossing $500 million globally.

But before all the accolades, the composer felt a lot of pressure after Coogler invited him to join the project.

“I was incredibly excited as it was a dream of mine to score a superhero movie,” Goransson told Heat Vision by phone during a break from producing the new Childish Gambino album with Donald Glover. “I also felt incredible pressure to pay homage to African culture and its traditional music. It’s not lost on me that I’m a Swedish guy from one of the coldest countries in the world.”