Searchlight Submits Original Song From ‘Behemoth!’ for Oscars, ‘Your God Is Sleeping’ Written by Lukas Frank (EXCLUSIVE)

Searchlight Pictures has formally entered the race for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. The studio confirmed that "Your God Is Sleeping," a track from Tony Gilroy's upcoming drama "Behemoth!," will be put forward for consideration in the original song category. Variety was the first to report the news. In the film, Pedro Pascal portrays Alex Serian, an exceptionally talented cellist who comes back to Los Angeles after spending two decades on tour.

The song comes from singer-songwriter Lukas Frank, one of nine composers collectively credited as the Behemoth! Collective. In an interview with Variety, Frank described Gilroy's unusual creative request: "Tony told me he needed a song for a superhuman child prodigy—'like Björk meets Beethoven … except cooler.' Something like that … very easy, right? I ended up just trying to channel the music I loved when I was a young music nerd, building the song around the title, which was in Tony's script." Björk, the Icelandic artist celebrated for blending electronic, classical, and avant-garde pop, has received an Oscar nomination herself, while Beethoven endures as the definitive prodigy composer in Western music—so Gilroy's benchmark was impossibly high by design. Frank's approach, rooted in his own formative musical obsessions, suggests the track may carry a personal authenticity that sets it apart from typical soundtrack fare.

Gilroy, who wrote and directed the film, told Variety his connection with Frank goes back almost ten years. "My correspondence with Lukas goes back to 2018, when he started sending me his early demos, and I was really into him because he was a studio drummer," Gilroy said. He added: "I've had a ringside seat for the evolution of Storefront Church (Frank's band) and became a really big believer in it and what he's doing. Lukas' music always just grabs me — it's so unique." When the opportunity arose to create the song, Gilroy gave Frank free rein to try. "He just killed it," Gilroy said of the finished track. Gilroy is well acquainted with awards season—his 2007 film "Michael Clayton," which he wrote and directed, garnered seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, and earned Tilda Swinton the Best Supporting Actress trophy.

The director also revealed that while one version of the song plays in the film, a different mix is being prepared for the soundtrack. "There's the version of 'Your God Is Sleeping,' which is in the film, mixed in a certain way. But then we did another mix for it for the soundtrack version — we did a radio mix. They brought in (producer) Dave Sardy and just pumped it, and man, it really pops." Sardy is a seasoned producer and mixer whose résumé includes work with Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and LCD Soundsystem, adding substantial credibility to the soundtrack version's commercial potential.

"Behemoth!" arrives in theaters on Dec. 4. The film will premiere this Friday at the New York Film Festival, a venue that has long functioned as a springboard for awards-season hopefuls. Gilroy's directing credits also include "The Bourne Legacy," and he has a history of guiding projects that merge critical praise with box-office appeal. Meanwhile, Frank's band Storefront Church has cultivated a devoted following for its atmospheric fusion of indie rock and chamber pop—a sound that dovetails neatly with the film's musical aspirations.