Hans Zimmer is starting to hint at his work on the score to “Dune: Part Two.”
During awards season, director Denis Villeneuve would often joke how Zimmer would continue to send him music long after fellow Oscar-winner editor Joe Walker had finished working on the film. Said Villeneuve: “[Joe] didn’t hear from Hans for a long time. He took a long time to experiment.” Then, during editing, “we started receiving tons of music for weeks. It was like a big creative rush. It became a storm. When the movie was totally finished, Hans was still sending me music.”
When the director told him the project was over, Zimmer would reply, “I know! But there will be a second part! You need music for the second part! Listen to this!”
Speaking with Variety recently about his work on “Prehistoric Planet” and “The Survivor,” Zimmer reveals of “Dune: Part 2”: “I am just getting going. My job with directors is to do the thing they can’t imagine. Otherwise, they would be doing it themselves.” He adds cryptically, “When Denis thinks I’ve already done it — because he’s heard a lot of things, that’s true — but, he hasn’t heard the thing that he can’t imagine.”
Zimmer along with Walker, cinematographer Greig Fraser, production designer Patrice Vermette, costume designer Jacqueline West and makeup artist Donald Mowat, are also returning for the film’s sequel.
“Dune: Part Two” will feature Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Javier Bardem returning to their roles. Austin Butler, soon to be seen in “Elvis,” and Florence Pugh are among the new cast joining them.
The first “Dune” installment earned $400 million at the worldwide box office and picked up six Academy Awards including best original score for Zimmer.
“Dune: Part Two” hits theaters on Oct. 20, 2023.