Supergirl's last-minute change of composers may reveal a lot about its vibes

2 hours ago 1

Published Feb 6, 2026, 11:42 AM EST

A little less conversation, a little more action

In a scene from the 2025 film Superman, Supergirl is introduced, stumbling into Superman's Fortress of Solitude

Supergirl is set to fly into theaters on June 26, but the DC Universe movie may have just gotten a major shakeup. A widely reported update to the film's IMDb page reveals that original composer Ramin Djawadi has apparently been replaced with Tom Holkenborg. That may not seem like a huge deal at first glance, but a closer look at the two composers and their works suggests it could signal a large vibe shift for director Craig Gillespie's upcoming superhero movie.

Ramin Djawadi has worked on a lot of different movies and shows, but he's best known for the opening themes to Game of Thrones and Westworld — epic, somber melodies that capture the dramatic weight of their stories. That said, his credits also include 2008's Iron Man, Pacific Rim, The Eternals, and the 2026 AI-thriller flop Mercy.

Meanwhile, Holkenborg (aka, Junkie XL) is perhaps best known as Zack Snyder's favorite composer. He contributed to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice alongside Hans Zimmer and wrote the original score for Justice League. (Joss Whedon replaced Holkenborg with Danny Elfman, but Snyder brought him back for his "Snyder Cut" version.) Holkenborg's other credits include the Rebel Moon movies and Army of the Dead (that's three more Snyder films). He also appears to be George Miller's go-to composer for Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and Three Thousand Years of Longing — plus, all three Sonic movies. (Oh, and he's responsible for "A Little Less Conversation," the electronic Elvis remix that went viral in 2010.)

What does all this mean? It's tough to say anything definitively, but Holkenborg's body of work arguably speaks to a more bombastic approach. His scores (and the movies they go with) aren't known for their subtlety in the way that Djawadi's best work often is. This shift actually seems to confirm the action-heavy tone set by Supergirl's first trailer, which suggested a mix of sci-fi action and comedy reminiscent of DCU boss James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy movies.

Djawadi's approach may have been a better fit for Supergirl's original source material (the epic and beautiful comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely) but it's possible that as the movie's tone shifted, DC Studios realized Holkenborg was a better fit. Then again, this is pure speculation. We'll have to wait until the movie and its score are released to find out.

Supergirl releases in theaters on June 26.

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