Hans Zimmer – The Dark Knight Rises (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The main themes were composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, but Howard did not return to the series to score this film and was not credited as a composer. Regarding his departure from the franchise, Howard said: "I just really felt that I had made what I felt like I could contribute to that series, and I always felt that... Hans... was the mastermind of those scores. I mean, they really sounded the way they sounded because of him. His conception of the scores was really brilliant. It's not that I didn't add a lot, I did, but I don't think I added the aspects of the music that really defined the character of those movies".

Just like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight the main motif always consists in just two notes, played by horns and accompanied by strings, representing Batman's pain and guilt.

In many tracks is reprised Batman's main action theme ("Molossus"), used as well in the first two movies of the trilogy.

The score won in the category "Best Original Score" at the Denver Film Society, while it was nominated in other events, including the Grammy Awards and the Saturn Awards. At the Brit Awards, Zimmer won as "Composer of the Year" for his work on the scores of The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel.