“The studio wouldn’t let us use it”- Warner Bros. forced Zack Snyder to remove classic Superman theme from Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel

superman zack snyder henry cavill
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Superman has been seen played by multiple actors, all wearing the symbol of hope on their chest proudly from Christopher Reeves, Tom Welling, and John Krasinksi to Brandon Routh, and of course Tyler Hoechlin and Henry Cavill. Along with the changing actors, each held their own stories and of course, their own theme songs with them.

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Man of Steel
DC’s Superman, portrayed by Henry Cavill

So when Zack Snyder pitched in the idea of using the classic Superman theme from the John Williams collection, he did not see it coming when Warner Bros. Discovery rejected the idea.

See Also: ‘End of an era’: Legendary Music Composer John Williams Hints Indiana Jones 5 Might Be His Final Project

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Zack Snyder’s Attempt To Bring Back Classics

Before Hans Zimmer held the score of cult classics such as Man of Steel, Zack Snyder wanted to see John Williams‘ original Superman theme along with Henry Cavill‘s blue suit in the skies. Snyder stated that he tried not to listen to the classic theme after Zimmer was set to make the iconic theme of the movie.

Zack Snyder Henry Cavill
Zack Snyder on the Batman v Superman set with Henry Cavill

As a fan of John Williams’ music, Zack Snyder and Jay Oliva who was the storyboard artist of the movie both wished to see the theme included in the movie because of how much they loved it. Zimmer himself was hesitant to take over the movie’s music production because of the impact that Williams’ theme had.

See Also: WB CEO David Zaslav Reportedly Wants Henry Cavill To Play Superman in Multiple Projects After Man of Steel 2, Fuels Justice League 2, #RestoreTheSnyderverse Rumors

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Bringing Back Old Themes To Commemorate New Ones

Zack Snyder was almost successful in bringing the compositions to the DCEU. It has been common for Marvel to bring back music composers like Alan Silvestri for the Avengers movies and Michael Giacchino for the Spider-Man trilogy. They not only did that, but they also played older themes of characters in movies like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The idea to take a unique approach towards Man of Steel had been a wise one to create their own mark even after Williams’ astonishing score record.

Henry Cavill as Superman in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Henry Cavill as Superman in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Jay Oliva responded to a Twitter thread in which one user recounted an interaction with someone who had, “claimed [Zack Snyder] fans not wanting the John Williams theme to be used for [Henry] Cavill was proof that they hated Superman and all he stands for.”

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The new soundtrack gave an entirely new direction to Superman and his vision. It matched the tone of the movie and Henry Cavill’s portrayal of the character in general. The movie as well as the soundtrack fit with Zimmer’s composition and with him now being DCEU’s composer, he too has been giving us iconic themes of all kinds.

See Also: “I kept saying no because of his looming shadow”: Hans Zimmer Reveals How Zack Snyder Convinced Him to Create His Iconic Man of Steel Theme For Henry Cavill’s Superman Despite Initial Fears

Source: Twitter

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Adya Godboley

Written by Adya Godboley

Articles Published: 1394

An avid writer fluent in everything Marvel, Adya Godboley is an Assistant Content Lead for FandomWire. She has rich experience in critically analyzing all that is said in between the lines. Hopelessly obsessed with Greek Mythology, she is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in English. Adya has written over 1300 articles on various topics expressing her passion and love for all things entertainment.