Hans Zimmer, a two-time Academy Award-winning composer, has been disqualified from the Best Original Score category for Dune 2 at the upcoming Oscars 2025. Despite his critically acclaimed work on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise, the Academy ruled that his score did not meet eligibility criteria, sparking disappointment from the director.
At a screening of Dune 2 at the Directors Guild of America in New York, Villeneuve expressed his disapproval. “I am absolutely against the decision of the Academy to exclude Hans, frankly, because I feel like his score is one of the best scores of the year. I don’t use the word genius often, but Hans is one,” he said.
He also emphasized the continuity of the music between the two Dune films, describing the franchise as “one big movie that is cut in half.”
The disqualification stems from the Academy’s rule that a nominee in the Best Original Score category must have at least 80 per cent original content in their composition. While Zimmer composed new pieces for Dune 2—including the love theme A Time Of Quiet Between The Storms—much of the score was derived from the first film, which released in 2021.
Zimmer, a legendary composer, has received 12 nominations in the Best Original Score category since 1989. His works include Rain Man (1988), The Preacher’s Wife (1996), Gladiator (2000), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2015), and Dunkirk (2018). He won his first Oscar for Disney’s The Lion King (1994) and his second for Dune (2022).
Villeneuve’s disappointment highlights the broader challenge of creating cohesive music for multi-part epics under the Academy’s current rules. While Dune 2 has been lauded for its stunning visuals and immersive storytelling, the controversy over its score raises questions about how the Academy defines originality in film music.
As the nominations for Oscars 2025 approach, this decision has sparked debates within the film industry about fairness and recognition for composers working on sequels. Fans of Zimmer and Dune alike await to see how the Academy addresses these concerns in the future.
