Thin film future

One of the current assumptions in the music industry is that part of the way bands will make money in the future is by providing songs to soundtracks of big movies. Trouble is, Hollywood is getting less keen on having big bands sticking their oar in - partly because they've seen the Prince effect, where the little chap's soundtrack to the first Batman movie made it so of its time, the film now looks hopelessly dated; partly, and more obviously, because big stars mean big bills and the movie getting overshadowed by monstrous egos:

Hans Zimmer, who co-wrote the soundtrack for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, says his vision of Gotham City has no room for the likes of U2, Prince and R Kelly.

"There was never any doubt that we were going to be songless," says the Oscar-winning composer.

"And, trust me, we were flooded with requests from every band in the world. I actually had to say no to some really interesting people."

Still, if Bono really wants to get his chance to sing a theem toon, he could always fund his own movie. There are tax breaks involved, too, so that would allow him to indulge one of his other passions, too.

[Thanks to Michael M]