John Williams scored Superman (1978) and John Murphy scored Superman (2025), and each other Superman film has its own credited composer, except that Ken Thorne scored both Superman II (1981) and Superman III (1983). Superman (1978) was directed by Richard Donner and Superman (2025) by James Gunn.
| Film | Director | Composer |
|---|
| Superman (1978) | Richard Donner | John Williams |
| Superman II (1981) | Richard Lester | Ken Thorne |
| Superman III (1983) | Richard Lester | Ken Thorne |
| Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) | Sidney J. Furie | Alexander Courage |
| Superman Returns (2006) | Bryan Singer | John Ottman |
| Man of Steel (2013) | Zack Snyder | Hans Zimmer |
| Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) | Zack Snyder | Tom Holkenborg |
| Justice League (2017) | Zack Snyder | Danny Elfman |
| Superman (2025) | James Gunn | John Murphy |
| Supergirl (2026) | Craig Gillespie | Claudia Sarne |
The benchmark for the whole series is the first film. John Williams composed and conducted the score for Superman (1978), the film also searched for as Superman: The Movie. The London Symphony Orchestra performed it, and recording ran from July to November 1978 at Anvil Studios in Denham, England. Warner Bros. Records released the score as a 2-LP set on December 20, 1978, and later editions include a Rhino 2-CD set, a Film Score Monthly 8-CD box set and a La-La Land 3-CD set.
The two Richard Lester films share a composer, which makes Ken Thorne the only name to score more than one main Superman film. Thorne reused Williams' themes on Superman II (1981), and because of budget limits he recorded with contract players at CTS Studios in Wembley rather than the London Symphony Orchestra. He also scored Superman III (1983) at CTS Studios, and the 1983 LP put Giorgio Moroder's songs and music on side B. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) then moved to Alexander Courage, who adapted and conducted the score from Williams' music, while Williams wrote three new themes for it. Superman Returns (2006) moved again to John Ottman, with Damon Intrabartolo conducting. Bryan Singer had first wanted Williams, who declined because he was working on Star Wars: Episode III.
Man of Steel (2013) was the first Superman film to use none of Williams' themes. Hans Zimmer composed it, and WaterTower Music released the standard album, with a deluxe edition adding a second disc of score tracks. The album is titled Man of Steel (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
Superman (2025) has two credited score composers: John Murphy and David Fleming. According to Variety, Murphy was brought in at the very start of the process and wrote the main Luthor theme, and Fleming built on those themes for the action sequences. James Gunn said he wanted a version of the Williams theme with the film's own take on it. Murphy's electric guitar arrangement drew attention in the first teaser for Superman (2025), released in December 2024, and Fleming slowed down a Williams motif and built it into an emotional passage with a choir. The official album, Superman (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), is a WaterTower Music release that Film Music Reporter details as pairing the score with songs.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) are ensemble films outside the main Superman run, with Henry Cavill as Superman. Tom Holkenborg is credited as composer of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and The Wrap reported that Hans Zimmer also worked on the score. Justice League (2017) was scored by Danny Elfman.
Variety also reported that Superman (2025) was submitted to the Golden Globes in drama categories, and that its Williams callbacks were said to fail the Academy's score eligibility rules, so it could not compete for the Oscar for score.
The next main film, Man of Tomorrow, is scheduled for July 9, 2027, according to ABC News; see the Man of Tomorrow page.
