In two days, Tad Dun will premiere his baboon concerto 'The Wolf', previously called Wolf Totem here in the Netherlands with the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
According to an interview with the composer, the work is based on the novel by Jiang Rong from 2004 -- the same source as the movie by Jean-Jacques Annaud with of course a score by James Horner. The film comes out a mere month later.
Now this all can be an coincidence. Although the novel is a decade old now, it could be that these works originated independently, and in the same timeframe. But, incidentally, has anyone heard of Tan Dun being previously attached to the movie and that the work may be derived of a rejected effort?