Denis Villeneuve has expressed his disagreement with the Academy Awards’ decision to make Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part Two ineligible for the Best Original Score category. The Academy ruled that the sequel’s score included too much music from Villeneuve’s original 2021 film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel.
Villeneuve strongly disagreed with the Academy’s choice, stating that he believes Zimmer’s score is one of the best of the year. He praised Zimmer, saying he rarely uses the word “genius” but considers him to be one. Villeneuve explained that the music in Dune: Part Two is connected to the first film, as the two movies together form one large story, split into two parts.
He made light of the situation, saying, “I’m not here to complain,” and added that the sequel’s soundtrack continues the themes from the first movie. Despite the disqualification, Zimmer received a nomination for Best Original Score at the 82nd Golden Globes. He had won an Oscar for the score of the first Dune film.
After David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation of Dune, Villeneuve returned to the material in 2021 with his own version and followed it up with Dune: Part Two. The first film won six Oscars, and both films together have earned over $1.1 billion worldwide.
The Dune franchise also includes a prequel series called Dune: Prophecy, which is airing new episodes on Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max. Villeneuve has shared plans to begin filming the third movie in the franchise, Dune Messiah, around late 2025 or 2026.
