'Dark Knight' tuned in for Oscar score eligibility

Music branch had previous ruled the Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard score ineligible

By AP Staff Tuesday, Dec 9, 2008 9:09 PM

'Dark Knight' tuned in for Oscar score eligibility

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'

Credit: Warner Bros.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Batman has a shot at an Academy Award for musical score, after all.

The music branch committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has reversed an earlier decision that would have made "The Dark Knight" score ineligible to compete for the Oscar.

On Nov. 10, the committee declared the score ineligible because the studio submitted too many names as musical contributors. The committee now has reversed that ruling after getting further information that only two composers, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, wrote the score.

A statement from the academy says nomination ballots and lists of eligible scores have not yet been distributed to branch members, so voting will not be affected by the change.

Oscar nominations come out Jan. 22.