In January 2019, it was announced that James Newton Howard joined the production as the film score composer.
[81] By August 2020, it was revealed that
Metallica collaborated with Howard on an instrumental version of the song "
Nothing Else Matters", for the film. According to the band's drummer
Lars Ulrich, Metallica worked on the film after Walt Disney Pictures president
Sean Bailey, felt like
Jungle Cruise was "the right fit" for a collaboration between Disney and Metallica. Bailey had been "always looking for the right match where there was a way that Metallica could contribute to some Disney project".
[82] The band members recorded their parts from their individual studios, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[83]