Many elements of Justice League proved controversial, and towards the top of that list is Danny Elfman’s score. Some fans are pleased that the legendary superhero movie composer was invited back to provide the soundtrack for the DC team-up film, even peppering his work with the likes of John Williams’ 1978 Superman theme and his own 1989 Batman theme. However, others have reacted strongly to Elfman’s appointment, feeling that his style strays too far away from the sound of Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, who have scored previous DCEU entries.
For those who would have loved to have heard Zimmer’s score over Justice League‘s key moments, Twitter user CinematicEx has given us a taste of what that would be like. On top of a leaked copy of the movie’s final scene, Zimmer’s awesome Man of Steel theme is played.
https://twitter.com/CinematicEX/status/933407316690522117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Whatever your feelings about the movie and Elfman’s efforts, it’s hard to deny that Zimmer’s theme makes this final scene all the more impactful. The slow build-up works brilliantly with the montage of the other heroes and as a background to Lois Lane’s voiceover. And kudos to the editor for making the climactic surge of the theme sync up perfectly with Henry Cavill’s shirt rip – the first time this classic moment has featured in the DCEU – as Superman takes to the skies once again.
Eventually, fan edits like this one might not be the only way we can see a version of Justice League with a different score. That’s because multiple sources have claimed that Warner Bros. has a complete cut of Zack Snyder’s vision for the movie, leaving out Joss Whedon’s additions made during the reshoots. This cut also sports Junkie XL’s original score, before Whedon replaced him with Elfman.
There’s no confirmation that WB are planning on releasing this or any sort of extended cut of the movie at the moment, but fans are continuing to campaign for the studio to serve up an alternate edition of Justice League. At the time of writing, an online petition has garnered a very impressive 100,000 signatures.
As for the theatrical cut of Justice League, you can now see that in cinemas worldwide – if you haven’t done so already.
