Hans Zimmer, the acclaimed composer known for his work with several high-profile directors, has built one of his most recognized partnerships with Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Although Zimmer holds no animosity toward Nolan after their professional split, he admits that their creative relationship always felt intense, like a “life or death” situation.
In an interview with Deadline, Zimmer discussed his long-standing collaboration with Nolan, which spanned seven films, including The Dark Knight trilogy and Interstellar. Their partnership ended when Zimmer chose to compose music for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune instead of Nolan’s Tenet, which initially caused some tension between them. However, the two have since reconciled and remain “good friends,” with Zimmer not ruling out the possibility of working together again in the future. Zimmer acknowledged that their working dynamic was always high-stakes, saying, “Our relationship has always been like this.”
Zimmer opened up about his working relationship with Nolan, hinting that the director often relied on his instincts when it came to music, trusting Zimmer’s judgment for specific scenes. Reflecting on their collaboration on Interstellar, Zimmer recalled a particularly emotional moment involving Matthew McConaughey’s character. Nolan asked him to create music for the scene where McConaughey’s character cries while watching videos of his children, but Zimmer revealed that Nolan didn’t send him any footage beforehand.
Advertisement I remember telling him that I couldn’t write like this. I couldn’t just write free form, and I needed footage, And then he told me to just give it a go as he felt we had the same sense of timing and that if it didn’t work, he would send me the film.
Zimmer said
The music ultimately worked perfectly for the scene, with Zimmer also completing the theme for the award-winning blockbuster before Nolan had finished the screenplay.
Read More: Hans Zimmer Reveals Why He Turned Down Scoring a Marvel Film: ‘I’m Looking for Other Things’
Since Zimmer and Nolan’s last collaboration on Dunkirk in 2019, Nolan has teamed up with another talented composer, Ludwig Göransson, who scored Tenet while Zimmer was focused on Dune. Nolan and Göransson continued their partnership on the seven-time Academy Award-winning thriller Oppenheimer, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Score, as well as a Grammy and a Golden Globe for its music.
Although not officially confirmed, reports suggest that Nolan’s upcoming film, The Odyssey, will also feature a score by Ludwig Göransson. Based on the historical poems of Greek author Homer, The Odyssey follows the journey of Odysseus (Matt Damon), the king of Ithaca, as he navigates a perilous return home from the Trojan War. Currently in production, the film also stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Jon Bernthal, and Charlize Theron.
Hans Zimmer released his acclaimed concert film, Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, on March 19. The feature-length film, boasting a 94% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, showcases the German composer performing his most iconic scores from major blockbusters. It also includes conversations with renowned figures from the film and music industries, such as Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Jerry Bruckheimer, Zendaya, Billie Eilish, and Pharrell Williams.
Diamond in the Desert is now playing in select theaters worldwide.
Source: Deadline