Academy Award nominee Michael Mann directs Will Smith in Ali, an epic drama about the best loved, sometimes reviled and most controversial international sports hero of all time. A man whose power extended far beyond the boxing ring. ‘Before I could commit to make this film, I had to find a story I wanted to tell’, says Michael Mann of his efforts to bring Ali to the big screen. ‘The story I wanted to tell begins in 1964 and ends in 1974. In one way, the story is simple: a man wins the heavyweight boxing championship; his title is unfairly taken from him, and he begins his quest to regain his crown and bring about justice. That ten-year period in history was all about fighting for justice.’

The score was written by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard. Work began on the film score in Gerrard’s home studio in Australia. The duo found that beginning and exploring new work ‘in a familiar and isolated environment is a situation that we value and protect’, explains Bourke. ‘Both on The Insider and Ali, Lisa and I developed the main body of the work at home in Australia. In this environment, we are not initially bound to images from the film, so there is a lot freedom to explore all the ideas that arise between us.’ See The Sun is one of the pieces which developed in this context.

In late August 2001, Gerrard and Bourke relocated to Los Angeles, to continue writing the score in close proximity to the Ali production team. Here, they were able to collaborate with other musicians that Michael Mann had brought into the musical pool of resources. ‘There were particular sounds, ambiences or textures that Lisa and I were trying to achieve for Michael and the film’, recalls Bourke. American guitarist, Smokey Hormel, was brought in to record guitar overdubs on several cues.

Bourke and Gerrard spent over a year working on Ali. It was an intense production for all involved. ‘Michael Mann defies the laws of physics’, concludes Will Smith. ‘He actually can get blood from a stone. He's a perfectionist. He's driven. But I love that drive. And I love the challenge.’

Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard’s score received a 2002 Golden Globe Award Nomination for Best Original Score.