Elfman Used Orchestra For Justice League Scene

Screen Rant

Danny Elfman Hired a Full Orchestra to Score a Key Justice League Scene

Justice League composer Danny Elfman reveals that he convinced producers to hire a full orchestra for a particularly emotional scene in the film.

Justice League composer Danny Elfman convinced producers to hire a full orchestra to score a key scene in the movie. Joss Whedon coming onboard to steer the ensemble film through reshoots and post-production after Zack Snyder left due to a personal tragedy was not the only high-profile personnel change Justice League went through on its road to the big screen. Shortly after Whedon signed on, it was announced Elfman would handle the score, replacing original composer Junkie XL. Whedon and Elfman previously collaborated on Avengers: Age of Ultron, but some fans were upset to see Junkie XL leave the DCEU. Along with his mentor Hans Zimmer, the musician has helped craft music for Man of Steel and Batman V Superman - including the now-iconic Wonder Woman theme.

However, Elfman (a veteran of comic book movies) is doing everything in his power to ensure the score of what is arguable the biggest superhero film since The Avengers is top notch. Recently, the acclaimed composer posted a YouTube video in celebration of Batman Day, announcing he's working tirelessly on the Justice League music. Now, fans have an even better idea of how far he's going.

In a sit down with music journalist Melinda Newman at the Hollywood in Vienna film music gala (hat tip Batman-News), Elfman spoke a little bit about Justice League. According to Joke Rokesmith, Elfman said that the samples for a particularly emotional scene just wasn't up to standard and so he persuaded the producers to hire a string orchestra to enhance the mock-up.

Fans might be disappointed Junkie XL is no longer involved, but there is no denying Elfman's work ethics and experience. He is one of the more highly-regarded composers working in the industry today, accumulating four Oscar nominations throughout his storied career. He also received a Grammy award for the theme in Tim Burton's Batman. As far as his time in comic book movies goes, Elfman's résumé also includes Batman Returns, 2003's Hulk, Sam Raimi's first two Spider-Man movies, and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. His themes for Batman and Spider-Man are widely considered to be some of the best musical cues the genre has to offer.

As for what this emotional scene might entail, that's anyone's best guess for now. One would imagine it could have something to do with Superman's return to the fold, as Kal-El is set to rise from the dead and join his fellow superheroes in arms at some point in the film. Based on Elfman's comments, the sequence in question is a crucial one that he wanted to get right, and it would be a shame for fans if the Man of Steel's reemergence was not as epic as it could possibly be. Of course, this is just one possibility, as Justice League will surely have several poignant moments involving its many heroes. Fans will have to wait until November to find out for themselves, but hopefully Elfman's work on Justice League rivals his most memorable themes, adding to the collection of rich tunes at the DCEU's disposal.