In just a month and change, DC's Justice League will finally arrive. While the MCU slowly introduced its bevy of characters, the DCEU is going the opposite route by throwing the DC trinity alongside newcomers like The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman. And while the hardcore fandom is eager to see the motley group of heroes team up against Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons, it will take more than just cool visuals to take the action sequences to the next level. Music is equally important, and both Wonder Woman and Superman have iconic theme songs that will likely pop up. But what about The Flash and Aquaman? Composer Danny Elfman recently opened up about this, saying:
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.
Well, this certainly sounds like an exciting possibility. While Danny Elfman didn't write each hero its own song persay, they've gotten motifs that can be used in future DCEU installments, should Geoff Johns and the folks at the studio so choose.
Danny Elfman's comments to Billboard will no doubt excited the hardcore DC fans who adore its characters' theme songs. Few movie compositions are quite as iconic as John Williams' theme from the original Superman films, which will reportedly pop up again in Justice League, with a twist. Junkie XL also gave Wonder Woman an iconic theme song of her very own, which was first introduced when the character appeared for battle in the third act of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The theme was later used in Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman, further cementing its association with the Amazonian hero.
Danny Elfman had a pretty brilliant move by giving the three new heroes musical motifs. Because if the audience responds positively to the brief interludes, then Elfman will likely be asked to return and expand the pieces for each character's solo movie. Ezra Miller's Flashpoint seems to be moving forward lately, so the Scarlet Speedster will hopefully have his own iconic song. It should be interesting to see if James Wan is receptive to Elfmans' choice for Aquaman, since that solo movie will be the next installment in the shared universe
You can hear Danny Elfman's music when Justice League arrive in theaters November 17, 2017. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your last trips to the movies before the New Year.
