Convention - SDCC 2026: Claudia Sarne reflects on breaking barriers with Supergirl and a career shaped by fearless musical experimentation

By Mulder, San Diego, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, salle Indigo 204A, 23 july 2026

Following our coverage of The 12th Annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero and Other Heroes panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Mulderville was invited to take part in the exclusive press roundtable with composer Claudia Sarne, held on July 23, 2026, in the Indigo Room at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. As has become a tradition spanning more than a decade, Mulderville was once again the only French media outlet participating in these intimate composer discussions, offering a unique opportunity to explore the creative process behind some of today's most distinctive film and television scores. For Claudia Sarne, whose career has steadily evolved from London's underground electronic music scene to some of Hollywood's most acclaimed productions, the roundtable came at a particularly meaningful moment. Only weeks after the theatrical release of Craig Gillespie's Supergirl, she had officially become the first woman to compose the score for a live-action DC superhero feature film, marking an important milestone in the history of the franchise.

What immediately emerged during the conversation was how naturally Claudia Sarne speaks about music as storytelling rather than simply composition. Although headlines have understandably focused on the historic nature of her work on Supergirl, she consistently shifted the discussion toward character, emotion and collaboration instead of personal accolades. That philosophy has guided her career from the beginning. Born in Los Angeles to British parents before growing up in London, she was introduced to classical piano at an early age through celebrated Romanian pianist Carola Grindea, while simultaneously absorbing an extraordinarily eclectic collection of musical influences that ranged from Nina Simone, David Bowie, James Brown and Aretha Franklin to reggae pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry, Motown, Northern Soul, punk, post-punk, electro, hip-hop and the pioneering electronic work of Kraftwerk. That unusually broad education would eventually become one of the defining characteristics of her musical identity, allowing orchestral writing, electronic textures and sophisticated sound design to coexist naturally within the same score.

Her journey into film music was anything but conventional. Long before composing for Hollywood productions, Claudia Sarne had established herself as a songwriter and producer in London's vibrant underground music community. Her partnership with Atticus Ross began during sessions connected to Tim Simenon's Clear project, eventually leading them to form the band 12 Rounds. After signing first with Polydor Records and later moving to Trent Reznor's Nothing Records under Interscope, the group relocated to the United States in the early 2000s. Ironically, it was not an elaborate career plan but a fortunate accident that redirected her toward composing for film. A copy of 12 Rounds' music found its way to director Allen Hughes, who was searching for composers for the television series Touching Evil. That unexpected discovery launched a collaboration between Claudia Sarne, Atticus Ross and Leopold Ross, beginning with the 2004 series before continuing on films such as The Book of Eli, Broken City, Triple 9 and numerous acclaimed television productions.

Throughout the roundtable, it became evident that collaboration remains central to Claudia Sarne's artistic philosophy, yet so does personal evolution. For many years she worked as part of a close creative team alongside Atticus Ross and Leopold Ross, developing a musical language recognized for blending ambient electronics with emotionally charged orchestration. Productions such as Outcast, The Defiant Ones, Dispatches from Elsewhere, Earthquake Bird and A Million Little Pieces showcased this collective approach. However, more recent projects including Apple TV+'s Shining Girls, FX's Dear Mama, Love + War and The Yogurt Shop Murders have increasingly highlighted her own distinctive musical voice, proving that the atmospheric sensibilities developed through years of collaboration have matured into an unmistakably personal style.

Naturally, much of the discussion centered on Supergirl, not only because of its significance for DC Studios but also because it represented one of the largest productions of Claudia Sarne's career. Working closely with director Craig Gillespie, she approached the score by prioritizing the emotional journey of Kara Zor-El rather than focusing exclusively on superhero spectacle. As she has explained publicly, the objective was to create a musical identity capable of following the character from devastating personal loss through anger, vengeance and eventual acceptance, while simultaneously distinguishing her from the brighter musical tradition associated with Superman. Rather than merely referencing established superhero conventions, Claudia Sarne sought a darker, more emotionally fractured sound world that reflected the film's different tone and its road-trip structure across multiple alien environments. She also described balancing the orchestral score with the film's carefully selected pop songs, ensuring seamless transitions while allowing both musical worlds to retain their individual identities.

One particularly fascinating aspect of the conversation involved her musical inspirations. Despite her reputation for electronic experimentation, Claudia Sarne readily acknowledged the enormous influence of John Williams, whose original Superman score helped define superhero cinema for an entire generation. At the same time, she cited composers such as Wendy Carlos, Cliff Martinez, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross among the artists who continue to inspire her. Rather than viewing orchestral and electronic traditions as opposing forces, she embraces them as complementary storytelling tools, choosing whichever serves the emotional needs of a scene. That flexibility has become one of the defining characteristics of her work, allowing documentary projects, psychological dramas, science fiction and comic-book adventures to coexist naturally within the same filmography.

Listening to Claudia Sarne during the roundtable also offered a reminder that career milestones rarely happen overnight. Behind the historic achievement of becoming the first woman to score a live-action DC superhero feature lies more than two decades of steady artistic development across television, documentaries, independent cinema and studio productions. Her résumé stretches from Touching Evil in 2004 through The Book of Eli, Days of Grace, Broken City, Triple 9, Black Mirror, Shining Girls, Dear Mama, Lost in the Jungle, Love + War, The Yogurt Shop Murders and finally Supergirl. Rather than treating the latter as a destination, she spoke enthusiastically about continuing to explore new projects while expressing genuine appreciation for the support she received from the DC Studios creative team throughout the production.

As the session concluded, Claudia Sarne left the impression of an artist far more interested in emotional honesty than in historical symbolism, even though her achievement has unquestionably opened an important new chapter in blockbuster film music. Her thoughtful reflections on collaboration, experimentation and character-driven composition perfectly complemented the spirit of The 12th Annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero and Other Heroes, a panel dedicated not merely to celebrating composers but to revealing the craftsmanship hidden behind some of contemporary cinema's most memorable musical experiences. For Mulderville, once again present as the only French publication invited to this exclusive press room, the conversation offered another valuable opportunity to document the voices shaping today's evolving landscape of film music.

Claudia Sarne – Selected Filmography (Composer)
2004 – Touching Evil (TV series) – co-composer with Atticus Ross and Leopold Ross
2010 – The Book of Eli (feature film) – co-composer
2011 – Days of Grace (Días de Gracia) (feature film) – co-composer with Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and Shigeru Umebayashi
2013 – Broken City (feature film) – co-composer
2016 – Triple 9 (feature film) – co-composer
2016–2017 – Outcast (TV series) – co-composer
2017 – The Defiant Ones (TV miniseries) – co-composer
2017 – Black Mirror (1 episode)
2018 – Corazón (short film)
2018 – A Million Little Pieces (feature film) – co-composer
2019 – Earthquake Bird (feature film) – co-composer
2020 – Dispatches from Elsewhere (TV miniseries) – co-composer
2022 – Shining Girls (Apple TV+ series)
2023 – Dear Mama (FX documentary series)
2024 – Lost in the Jungle (documentary feature)
2025 – Love+War (documentary)
2025–2026 – The Yogurt Shop Murders (TV miniseries) 
2026 – Supergirl (feature film) (becoming the first woman to score a DC feature film)

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Photos and video 4K :  Boris Colletier / Mulderville