Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer was so broken up about the news of Heath Ledger’s death after finishing “The Dark Knight,” he almost scrapped the theme he had written for Ledger’s Joker because he felt it was too dark and morbid the estimable musician, who composed scores for “Gladiator,” and “The Thin Red Line” to name just a few, told Parade magazine.
“It was so inconceivable. For a moment I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I should throw out all the music I’ve written for the Joker and just start over again.’ Which is just exactly the wrong thing to do. And I mean, I can never find a better word for it but to honor his performance, I had to stick to my guns. The music has to portray the philosophy of anarchy that the Joker displays in the face of Batman’s valor. I couldn’t soften the music or compromise the evil he projects because Heath really did give such a tremendous performance. If I had taken my eye off the ball, if I had been sentimental, if I had done anything like that, it would really have not served him.”
James Newton Howard (“Michael Clayton,” “The Fugitive”), who co-composed the score with Zimmer, ultimately agreed with him in the end.
“His performance is so electrifying in the movie that if he has the ability to look down upon any of this, I think he would be certainly pleased that his character was honored by, certainly on our end, by writing the music that is most appropriate to that performance.”
Zimmer has previously said he gave the “Joker Suite” an industrial punk rock edge. “I’m German, so I come from the tradition of Kraftwerk…. But I kept thinking I wanted to find a way to bring corrosion into Gotham — corrosion and recklessness. It’s very much of the idea of taking one note and expressing any part of fearlessness and recklessness and surprise…. It is very industrial music. I used to work with the Damned and bands like that.” Interestingly enough, for security reasons Zimmer and Howard had to score the film to a black and white cut of ‘Dark Knight,’ one that they now prefer.
Here’s a track the duo did on “Batman Begins.” “The Dark Knight” soundtrack hits stores July 15.