Music composer Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part Two, which was being considered one of the strongest contenders at the upcoming edition of the Academy Awards for Best Original Score, is out of the race for the Oscars.
The score is not eligible for this year’s Oscars due to surpassing the Academy’s limit on pre-existing music; therefore, it cannot be nominated in the best original score category, reports ‘Variety’.
Dune: Part Two, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was met with critical acclaim when it hit theatres in March. Both critics and audiences lauded the film’s visuals, storytelling, and, most notably, the music score by Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
According to “Variety,” the Academy’s regulation stipulates that “the score must not use more than 20% of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise in cases such as sequels and franchises from any media.”
Zimmer’s music for Dune: Part Two does not meet the eligibility requirements because it heavily borrows from his work on Dune (2021).
Zimmer’s work on Dune 2, however, is still up for recognition from other award shows, such as the Grammys, Golden Globes, BAFTA, and Critics Choice Awards.
Zimmer also has another chance to win an Academy Award this year with his score for Steve McQueen’s upcoming World War II thriller Blitz, which is still eligible. In the past, Zimmer and McQueen worked together on Widows and the Best Picture winner, 12 Years a Slave.
With this most recent development, the Academy’s Music Branch has added Dune: Part Two to the list of outstanding film scores that are not eligible for Oscar nomination.
The Arrival soundtrack by Johann Johannsson, the Drive soundtrack by Cliff Martinez, and the Black Swan soundtrack by Clint Mansell are further noteworthy examples. Jonny Greenwood’s work on There Will Be Blood and The Master, which was also rejected from the Oscars, is among the most egregious examples.
