Hans Zimmer talks quitting Batman and Ben Affleck’s lack of “pain” in Batman v Superman
One of the most revered and influential composers over the past few decades, Hans Zimmer has constructed and produced hundreds of superb scores for a variety of different films – for every Pirates of the Caribbean and Inferno score there was a Freeheld or Hidden Figures. But perhaps it’s his work with Christopher Nolan, particularly on The Dark Knight Trilogy, that modern audiences remember most.
But recently, after completing his work on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zimmer announced he was quitting the superhero genre for good and has been speaking about his decision in a little more depth this week. Ahead of his Masterclass series, Zimmer has spoken of his affinity to Nolan’s version of the Caped Crusader and, more specifically, the performance of star Christian Bale compared Ben Affleck, who took up the mantle in Zack Snyder’s superhero showdown last summer.
Talking with Inverse, Zimmer said:
“I spent months trying to come up with something for Ben. The Batman that I know and the one I learned is the one that Christian did, and Ben plays it differently. And I can’t quite shake that off. For me, the Christian Bale character was always completely unresolved. It was always about that moment at the beginning of the first movie, where he sees his parents getting killed. It was basically arrested development. The Ben character is more middle-aged, he seems to be grumpy as hell but I didn’t feel the pain that I felt in Christian’s performance. And it was that pain that made be interested.”
His comments don’t come as too much of a surprise given that Zimmer worked on all three of the Dark Knight films and became an integral part of the franchise. Indeed both Batmen were completely different from each other with many fans criticising some aspects of Zach Snyder and co’s interpretation of the character, specifically his “kill” policy which was much more ruthless and brutal than Bale and Nolan’s, so it’s completely understandable why Zimmer felt it was the right time to pass on the mantle.
Junkie XL, who collaborated with Zimmer on Batman v Superman, takes over scoring duties on the upcoming Justice League, which opens on November 17th.