Hollywood Records' Soundtrack From Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' Features James Horner Score

BURBANK, CA (Hollywood Records) - Oscar(R)-winning director Mel Gibson has created the year's most anticipated cinema event with his awe- inspiring epic action-adventure "Apocalypto." Reflecting the film's dramatic sweep is Oscar(R)-winning composer James Horner's evocative score. Hollywood Records is set to release the "Apocalypto" soundtrack CD on December 5 while the film from Touchstone Pictures in association with Icon Productions arrives in theaters everywhere December 8.

Revered film composer Horner wrote the music for Mel Gibson's directorial debut, "The Man Without a Face," and received Golden Globe and Academy Award(R) nominations for his score for Gibson's "Braveheart." He has composed over 100 soundtracks including those for "Titanic" (which earned him a pair of Oscars(R)), "A Beautiful Mind," "Field of Dreams," "Apollo 13" and "Aliens."

From the Academy Award(R) winning director of "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ," comes "Apocalypto," a heart stopping action-adventure set against the end-times of the Mayan civilization. Gibson had his cast of unknown actors speak in the Yucatec Maya language. The title comes from the Greek term meaning "unveiling" or "new beginning."

"Apocalypto" tells the story of Jaguar Paw, a Mayan man whose idyllic existence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force. Jaguar Paw embarks on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression. Through a twist of fate and spurred by the power of his love for his woman and family, he will make a desperate break to return home and ultimately to save his way of life. In a rave review, Rolling Stone Magazine called "Apocalypto" a film of "blunt provocation and bruising beauty... [Gibson] is a filmmaker right down to his nerve endings."