The Music Of 'Justice League' Is Its Own Epic Tale Of Death And Rebirth
In some ways, making a movie isn't too different from running a business: At the end of the day, it's just a set of relationships. Financial interests clash with creative ones. The mission depends on who's in charge. And when new management comes in, sometimes people further down the chain find themselves suddenly out of a job, too.
In 2017, when director Zack Snyder left the DC Universe film Justice League in the middle of production, Tom Holkenborg was among the collateral damage. The Dutch composer, better known by his electronica stage name Junkie XL, had worked on two other Snyder superhero blockbusters, as well as genre smashes like Deadpool and Mad Max: Fury Road. But his resume wasn't enough to save him from a chaotic shuffle that included a new director, extensive reshoots and film music giant Danny Elfman, recruited at short notice to take over the music with help from Captain Marvel composer Pinar Toprak.
Holkenborg, now 53, is far from the first film composer to lose his spot at the eleventh hour. But he might be the first to ever get his job back. Four years after he was canned, Holkenborg's name is back in, the four-hour epic premiering today on HBO Max. And his equally long score — a colossal mashup of operatic orchestra, rock, synthesizers and wailing vocals — is, for some, as hotly anticipated as the expanded exploits of Ben Affleck's Batman and company.
