Hans Zimmer has composed scores for the many epic films over the past decade such as Pirates of the Carribean, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel, and most recently, the epic Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. His involvement in superhero movies, especially, has created signature sound and style to how the genre is seen. The beautifully booming, rhapsodic sounds of his original music is something that can easily be seen as a major influence for other composers’ melodies from over the past few years. Unfortunately, Zimmer stated in a recent interview with BBC News that he’s finished with scoring superhero movies.
This news may disappoint many who are fans of the genre because of how big a part he has played since comic book adaptations became so vastly popular, particularly starting with Christopher Nolan‘s Batman Begins. To some, it may not appear that position like this would be overly strenuous or make a person want to leave, but Zimmer discussed how for Nolan’s Batman films, it wasn’t just standalone work, it was “11 years of my life.” So it’s no easy task for someone like Zimmer, no matter how praised his scores may be. He also went on to say that then adding on the huge amount of work with Zack Snyder on Batman vs. Superman has really had a tiring effect:
This one was very hard for me to do, to try to find new language.
It’s tough news to hear this from the composer but it is definitely a reasonable and understandable decision. He’s going on to score Nolan’s WWII epic Dunkirk next year so he’s not done with huge movies but it’s possible we could be hearing very different sound with upcoming superhero epics like the Justice League films. Although he felt like his input in the genre has been quite depleted, he still believes strongly in filmmakers like Snyder who “still have a few superhero movies left in [them].” It’s hard to tell what will change exactly with Zimmer’s absence but it’s very possible that other composers will try to mimic his work to maintain a similar sound.
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently playing in theaters.
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