With a career in film composing that has lasted more than 40 years, Hans Zimmer has run the gamut. Despite having a distinct sound that often makes you recognize it as a Zimmer, the man’s work has range: Rain Man, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, Dune…But there are two franchises that Zimmer will absolutely never work within: the MCU and Star Wars.
Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Hans Zimmer said that while he has been approached by Marvel, he had a couple of conflicts. “They have, and it was always…timing wasn’t great. And really, quite honestly, I’m looking for other things right now. Look, I’ve done the trifecta — I’ve done Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman! I mean, what do you want me to do, some of the minor characters?” (By the way, the word Zimmer would really be looking for is “quadfecta”.) He added, “That was very arrogant of me to say that, but actually, Kevin Feige said that to me: ‘Hans, what are you complaining about?’”
As for Star Wars, Hans Zimmer said that his style may be from a galaxy too far, far away to fit the Star Wars mold. “How many interesting things do you want to put onto this thing before it falls apart and isn’t Star Wars anymore? Because the only way I would see myself is if I could reinvent it.” On the matter, Zimmer did praise the work of Ludwig Göransson, who did the music for The Mandalorian.
Of note, only one MCU movie has ever been nominated for Best Original Score: Black Panther, with Göransson taking home the Oscar (he would later win again for Oppenheimer, directed by frequent Zimmer collaborator Christopher Nolan). And while the Star Wars series has a total of four nods, only John Wiliams’ original took home the statue, marking his third (of five wins). Zimmer, meanwhile, has two wins out of 12 nominations.
This year, Hans Zimmer has a score credit on Joseph Kosinski’s F1 starring Brad Pitt.
How do you think Hans Zimmer would do with franchise fare along the lines of the MCU or Star Wars? Give us your take in the comments section below.
