Danny Elfman’s Justice League Score

[Silver Nemesis]

Elfman says he's incorporating elements of John Williams' Superman score into the Justice League soundtrack. It sounds like there might be references to earlier Batman scores as well.

You've just been in London recording the score for Justice League. It's been 28 years since you scored Batman. What was it like going back into the DC universe?

It was great. It was like I never left because I'm using the same thematic material that I used back then. It never actually went away [Laughs.] It just was great fun.

There are a few little fan moments. I instated a moment of the Wonder Woman theme that Hans Zimmer did for Batman Vs. Superman, but I also had two minutes where I had the pleasure of saying, "Let's do John Williams' Superman." and that for me was heaven, because now I have a melody to twist, and I'm using it in an actually very dark way, in a dark moment. It's the kind of thing that some fans will notice. Some won't. It's a moment where we're really not sure whose side he's on.

The people at DC are starting to understand we've got these iconic bits from our past and that's part of us, that's part of our heritage -- we shouldn't run away from that. Contemporary thinking is, every time they reboot something, you have to start completely from scratch -- which, of course, audiences will tell us again and again, is bullsh*t. Because the single-most surviving and loved theme in the world is Star Wars, which they had the good sense to not dump for the reboots. And every time it comes back, the audience goes crazy.

Did you write new themes for such characters as Flash and Aquaman?

I created very simple motifs. There are so many themes, you can't just do a big theme for everything. So i created a motif for Flash, for Aquaman and Cyborg -- but they're very simple things, and [DC] understood. I said, "These things may never be used again, but I'm giving you all the components, should you wish to have things to build on." So they either will or they won't, but that's how I approach a project like this. You have to take the attitude that this is the beginning of a mythology and it all matters, it all comes to fruition, and with any luck they will.

I loved the people I worked with, they were wonderful. The DC guys were great. I kept talking about the DNA of John Williams in this other theme -- using the DNA of Batman in these other variations, which were not the Batman theme -- but it all derives from that... Musical themes are like genes, you carry the DNA along and it creates these subtle connections which are perceived on an unconscious level. It's funny because I'm terrible at puzzles, but I love musical puzzles. It's a different part of my brain.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7981630/danny-elfman-justice-league-joss-whedon-gus-van-sant-interview

[THE BAT-MAN]

Elfman says he's incorporating elements of John Williams' Superman score into the Justice League soundtrack. It sounds like there might be references to earlier Batman scores as well.

Danny Elfman does state that there will be a moment where the Batman Theme will be used "Full On."

https://batman-news.com/2017/09/28/danny-elfman-is-bringing-john-williams-classic-superman-theme-to-justice-league/

Why do you love working with him?

It was the same as when I worked with him on Ultron. He appreciates melodies and pieces. He's like, "Oh, you've given it identity here!" There was a moment where the Batmobile shoots out of a thing and he goes, "Go batsh*t crazy here! Batman the sh*t out of it!" When I'm using the Batman theme, I'm using the melodic sense of it, I'm wasn't doing full-on Batman, and there's a moment when he says, "No, right here, Full on!"

[thecolorsblend]

I never expected to hear Elfman's theme in a new movie again. So this is kind of welcome.

Or it would be. But the thing is Junkie XL developed a very powerful and Wagneresque hero theme for Batman in BVS and I don't see why that isn't being adhered to. There's no logical reason to change things up like this.

But here we are.

[Silver Nemesis]

When Elfman says 'Batman theme', are we sure he isn't referring to the Junkie XL version? I'm hoping he means his own 1989 score, but it seems unclear from the quote. I'm assuming the Batfleck theme will be in there anyway, but it'd be cool if Elfman could work in some older Batman music motifs as well.

[The Dark Knight]

I'm hoping Elfman is only talking about musical cameos. I guess I'd be okay with that. He's using the DCEU Wonder Woman theme, so it wouldn't make sense to scrap the other themes and go back to the past.

[Azrael]

I really hope that by saying "I'm using the melodic sense of it" he refers to a subtle allusion to the 1989 theme, while Joss Whedon by "Go batsh*t crazy here!" asks him to do an obvious nod. At least that's how I read it.

That said, I love Holkenborg's theme so I hope that this theme remains as the main Batman theme of the DCEU.

[The Laughing Fish]

Years ago, I would've been excited by the idea of hearing Danny Elfman recite the Burton Batman theme again, or hearing Williams Superman theme again. But nowadays I'm more keen to listen to new music for a new era. I suppose there's nothing wrong with a little homage here and there, but then again, the negative is it reinforces some movies can't be made without the "iconic" score.

[thecolorsblend]

Years ago, I would've been excited by the idea of hearing Danny Elfman recite the Burton Batman theme again, or hearing Williams Superman theme again. But nowadays I'm more keen to listen to new music for a new era. I suppose there's nothing wrong with a little homage here and there, but then again, the negative is it reinforces some movies can't be made without the "iconic" score.

It also limits tonal possibilities.

The Williams hero theme for Superman works great in those Reeve movies but it plays like crap set against Fleischer, the George Reeves show, Lois & Clark, Superman- The Animated Series, etc.

Elfman's Batman theme works great with Burton but it just doesn't work with Schumacher, Nolan or, so far, Snyder.

In order to shoehorn those themes into new movies, there are certain directions the tone of the story simply can't go. In the end, it will work to harm the characters rather than benefit.

Mark my words and read them back to me later: Recycling the same music again and again will be the beginning of the end of comic book cinema as we've known it.

[riddler]

Years ago, I would've been excited by the idea of hearing Danny Elfman recite the Burton Batman theme again, or hearing Williams Superman theme again. But nowadays I'm more keen to listen to new music for a new era. I suppose there's nothing wrong with a little homage here and there, but then again, the negative is it reinforces some movies can't be made without the "iconic" score.

It also limits tonal possibilities.

The Williams hero theme for Superman works great in those Reeve movies but it plays like crap set against Fleischer, the George Reeves show, Lois & Clark, Superman- The Animated Series, etc.

Elfman's Batman theme works great with Burton but it just doesn't work with Schumacher, Nolan or, so far, Snyder.

In order to shoehorn those themes into new movies, there are certain directions the tone of the story simply can't go. In the end, it will work to harm the characters rather than benefit.

Mark my words and read them back to me later: Recycling the same music again and again will be the beginning of the end of comic book cinema as we've known it.

The Elfman theme has proven to me the most popular for the character, it's also used in video games and the animated series. Both Schumacher trailers featured it and there's been some good youtube cuts featuring Elfman's theme with the Nolan films. It'll be unique enough I'm sure as this is a new incarnation of the character.

[The Dark Knight]

If the Man of Elves (MOE) gives us musical cameos of his Burtonverse theme and the Williams Superman theme...I'll be okay with that. But only if he keeps the Zimmer Wonder Woman and Superman themes. We need that musical continuity. I'd rather the cord be completely cut so the new era can stand on its own two feet. MOE isn't the composer he used to be and I would've preferred Junkie XL. But this is the situation we're in.