Justice League: Junkie XL, Hans Zimmer's Theme Returning in Snyder Cut

By Trey Tobias Updated:
Hans Zimmer, Justice League logo and team

When Joss Whedon took over the reins of 2017's Justice League , he brought a complete creative upheaval for the weeks of reshoots. Aside from replacing the film's initial cinematographer , Whedon also brought on Danny Elfman in place of Junkie XL to score the film. Junkie XL (Tom Holkenborg) scored Batman v. Superman alongside Hans Zimmer, and he had already been working with Snyder for Justice League 's original soundtrack when the replacement happened.

Last year the composer revealed that the full Snyder Cut score exists , but he was not sure when, if ever, fans would be able to hear it. Now that the Snyder Cut is confirmed to be premiering on HBO Max, it looks like Junkie XL's soundtrack will finally make its long-awaited debut.

NEWS

In a post on Vero, via Reddit , a fan asked director Zack Snyder if Junkie XL's score would be used in his cut of Justice League . Zack Snyder's response:

Snyder also confirmed that Hans Zimmer's Superman theme from Man of Steel will "of course" be included in the Snyder Cut.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Zack Snyder is definitely bringing his full initial vision to the Snyder Cut. Given that Junkie XL had already worked with Snyder to complete the entire score before he was replaced, it's apparent that the composer's sound was heavily tied with what Zack Snyder envisioned for Justice League .

It's pretty safe to assume that Zack Snyder will forgo all of Elfman's final score for Junkie XL's in the Snyder Cut. While Danny Elfman brought back many nostalgic themes to the film, utilizing John Williams' Superman theme and Elfman's own original Batman score, Justice League was clearly missing the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman themes that had been introduced in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman .

Junkie XL's Justice League score will give the crossover film more thematic and musical continuity, imbuing the film with a similar sound to Snyder's previous DC films. It's still unknown if the original composer will write any new pieces for the Snyder Cut, given that HBO Max's release will more than likely be much longer than what the theatrical cut would have been. One thing's for sure though, the Justice League will finally be getting an iconic theme of their own.

- About The Author: Trey Tobias

MCU Writer