Warner Bros. and the team behind Dune: Part Two still want to win an Oscar for Hans Zimmer’s music in the movie. But there was a slight problem: someone questioned if his music was eligible for the award because parts sounded similar to the music he made for the first Dune movie, which had already won an Oscar.
The rules for the Oscars say there’s a limit to how much old music can be reused in a new score. So, Zimmer’s team had to check if his new score met these rules before officially submitting it for the Oscars.
Even with these worries, Variety found out that Warner Bros. has now officially entered Hans Zimmer’s music for the Oscars. They’re hopeful that his new, creative music for the movie will meet the rules and get nominated for an award.
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The Oscars music team hasn’t checked Zimmer’s music yet. So, whether his work will even be on the list of nominees is still a mystery until December. Voting starts on December 9, and on December 17, they’ll reveal 20 scores that made it to the shortlist.
The Oscars have a rule for music in sequels: the new score can only include up to 20% of music from earlier movies. Since Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two music uses some important parts from the 2021 movie, some people think it might exceed this 20% limit.
On October 30, Warner Bros. updated its “For Your Consideration” page, adding Hans Zimmer’s music from Dune: Part Two as an official entry for awards. This shows how serious they are about winning awards for the movie’s music.
While they’re waiting to hear from the Oscars, Zimmer’s music can still be considered for other big awards like the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards, keeping it in the spotlight.
In two upcoming episodes of Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, directors Denis Villeneuve and Hans Zimmer share their thoughts on the music and its journey.
I don’t think this is over yet… I was there when Hans wrote the music, and he did a tremendous amount of music. ‘Part Two’ is a new score. I don’t accept this because it’s one of the most beautiful scores Hans has ever written, and I would love it, at least, to be considered.
Hopeful yet defiant, Villeneuve says
Villeneuve has had trouble getting his composers recognized for awards before. In 2016, his sci-fi movie Arrival had its music disqualified because it included too much of another composer’s piece, Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight.
Villeneuve and Zimmer both argue that Dune: Part Two isn’t just a sequel; they see it as the second half of the same story, saying it completes the movie version of Frank Herbert’s famous 1965 novel.
It’s called ‘Dune: Part Two,’ not ‘Dune 2,’” Zimmer clarifies. “The story starts the second we finish the first movie. We are still within that story, those characters, and it would be foolish and completely uncinematic to go and write new themes for the characters instead of enlarging the theme.
Even though the Oscars haven’t made a final decision, Hans Zimmer is still seen as one of the top choices for awards this season. He’s also being considered for an Oscar for his music in Blitz, a World War II movie directed by Steve McQueen.
Zimmer’s amazing career has lasted over 40 years, and he’s become a big name in movie music. He’s been nominated for an Oscar 12 times, winning for The Lion King (1994) and Dune. He’s also won four Grammy Awards, been nominated six times for Emmys, and even got a Tony Award nomination. Zimmer is known as one of Hollywood’s most talented and successful composers.
Dune: Part Two continues the thrilling story of Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, as he faces new friends and enemies in a dangerous universe. The movie features a star-studded cast, including Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, and Christopher Walken, creating an epic world under Villeneuve’s direction. Dune: Part Two is now available to stream on Max.
Source: Variety