Skip to main content

Tired of tights: Composer Hans Zimmer retires from superhero scoring

When will the mighty superhero bubble burst in Hollywood? For Hans Zimmer, it already has. The Oscar-winning composer who helped spawn the current boom with his early work on Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy has announced that he has “retired” from the superhero genre, according to a recent interview with the BBC.

Zimmer — whose work adds not only The Dark Night trilogy, but also both of Zack Snyder’s superman films, Man of Steel and the recently-released Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — says he feels burnt out by the film genre, which has been at the center of much of his work for more than a decade.

Recommended Videos

“I have officially retired from the superhero business,” he said in the an interview with BBC Hardtalk. “[Batman v Superman] was very hard for me to do, to try to find new language. I did Batman Begins with Chris 12 years ago, so The Dark Knight trilogy might be three movies to you; to me it was 11 years of my life.”

For Zimmer — who has an incredible string of hits attached to his name including The Lion King, Gladiator, and the more-recent blockbuster Interstellar (to name a few) — there are always greener pastures.

But as film studios continue to recycle the same old tropes in their films with men and women in tights, often to middling critical responses, perhaps Zimmer’s exit is an indication of something more broad in the cultural zeitgeist.

Could the era of superhero flicks, finally, have reached its peak? With dozens of Marvel Comics films alone set for release in the next decade, along with multiple series from major networks and streamers like Netflix, it certainly doesn’t look like the end is anywhere near.

However, though superhero flicks may still make money hand-over-fist, after two decades in the spotlight, it may be that studios will begin to have more trouble wooing the highly-sought after talents of artists like Zimmer.

Then again, maybe quality doesn’t matter after all. Warner Bros.’ $250 million behemoth Batman v Superman has already grossed $500 million since its premiere last week, in spite of a 29 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, and general derision among a vast majority of critics. That indicates there is still plenty left in the tank when it comes to the appetites of American viewers — and perhaps even more importantly, international moviegoers —  for superhero flicks, good or bad.

Parker Hall
Former Senior Writer, Home Theater/Music
Parker Hall is a writer and musician from Portland, OR. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin…
The Old Guard 2 cast chooses iconic movie moments to witness for the first time
A group of soldiers stand in the dirt in The Old Guard 2.

Internet culture in the Digital Age moves at the snap of a finger. Thanks to the social media algorithm, what's popular today might not be talked about tomorrow. Five years feels like a lifetime. That's how long it's been since The Old Guard premiered on Netflix. It's fitting that a follow-up to a movie about a team of immortals would take its time before hitting the service. Mortals, rejoice. The wait is over. The Old Guard 2 is now available to stream on Netflix.

Charlize Theron returns for the action-packed sequel as Andy, the leader of a team of immortal mercenaries who serve as protectors of the world. The team consists of immortals Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli), along with a mortal, James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Speaking of finite creatures, Andy now copes with her mortality, which affects every decision, knowing she can finally die. Andy and her team will be tested with the arrival of Discord (Uma Thurman), the very first immortal with a sinister plan that threatens the universe. To defeat Discord, Andy seeks the help of an old friend, Tuah (Henry Golding), who may hold the secrets of immortality.

Read more
Want to watch Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey teaser trailer? Here’s what you need to know
Matt Damon stares with a helmet on.

The most anticipated movie of 2026 is not up for debate. Apologies to fans of Avengers: Doomsday, Dune: Messiah, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but those movies pale in comparison to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey.

For his follow-up to Oppenheimer, Nolan is adapting Homer's Greek epic poem about the legend of Odysseus. The Odyssey is in production and well over a year away from hitting theaters. The first teaser trailer has been released. However, there is a catch.

Read more
Jurassic World Rebirth review: A fun but all-too familiar blockbuster
Jurassic World Rebirth: a sequel that brings some life back to an exhausted franchise
A man and woman hide in a field and stare curiously in "Jurassic World Rebirth."

Director Gareth Edwards (The Creator) has brought audiences back to the land of dinosaurs with his film, Jurassic World Rebirth. This standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion follows a team of hired operatives as they journey to an island inhabited by mutant dinosaurs, which were left behind by Jurassic World researchers, and try to gather enough dino-DNA to generate a cure for heart disease.

The Jurassic Park franchise is struggling to keep things fresh and engaging. Clearly, the filmmakers knew this fact during the production of Jurassic World Rebirth. This sequel falls short of expectations with its familiar story elements, some thin characters, and a clunky script. Nevertheless, Jurassic World Rebirth still provides some entertainment, featuring some terrific new players, exhilarating action scenes, terrifying suspense, and outstanding visuals. This movie is far from the best in the Jurassic Park saga, but it's a decent blockbuster nonetheless.

Read more