Kevin, Dean, and Sean Kiner on the Pressures of Composing 'Peacemaker' as a Family
‘Peacemaker’ is the latest project from the prolific writer and director James Gunn. A spin-off of the smash-hit comic book film ‘The Suicide Squad’, it follows the titular antihero as he reluctantly gets sucked into yet another scheme to save the world.
Although this is Gunn’s first attempt at a series for the small screen, it is still comprised of some of his signature calling cards including wonderful one-liners, vibrant visual gags, and a stellar soundtrack.
Now, you don’t even have to watch a whole episode to know that this show will rock. The opening title sequence alone is proof. While it’s no secret how overprotective Gunn is of the audio that accompanies his projects, with Peacemaker in particular there was literally a family of musicians brought on board to help fulfill his vision. Enter the Kiner clan.
Kevin, Sean, and Dean Kiner are a father and son(s) team who have collectively contributed music to shows such as Jane the Virgin and The Bad Batch, among many others. In addition to legendary musician Clint Mansell, the Kiners are also credited as composers for the series.
Despite having worked alongside other big guns, this was the first time the family actually worked for “the big Gunn” himself. In an exclusive interview with FilmSpeak, they each describe the pressure they initially felt.
“Guardians is just like one of my favorite things ever, and I really respect his musical sensibility,” patriarch Kevin Kiner admitted. While he wanted to do his best so that he could land the job for him and his sons, he also felt he should leave it to chance.
“I'm a baseball fan,” he said. “And I always use this reference that if you try to hit a homerun, you probably won't. A lot of the real great homerun hitters are just trying to make contact just because they know they have a great swing, and they know they've got it in them.” Continuing with the analogy, he said that when it came time to audition, he didn’t want to grip the bat too hard. Instead, he just let it flow.
Now, it obviously worked out well because he and his sons got the job. Since The Suicide Squad’s composer John Murphy is currently working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and wouldn’t be available to expound upon his original work, this gig came with a huge, unspoken responsibility to do something fresh and original. That never bothered the trio though.
(From Left to Right) Sean, father Kevin, and Dean, along with one of the Kiner’s pups
“We just [didn’t] sweat the fact that we were going to make our own version of whatever it is,” Dean said. “We just tried to make something that we like and shared our own brand of magic.”
Of everything they collaborated on and contributed to the show, Sean Kiner teased, “a really emotional moment in the last episode [that even] James reacted positively to.” He added that it’s a moment that underlines how much of an emotional journey Peacemaker’s been on.
With the finale next week, we can’t wait to see what that moment is.