Composer Hans Zimmer’s Dune 2 score out of Oscar race

Acclaimed composer Hans Zimmer’s score for the Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya-starrer Dune 2 has been declared ineligible for the Oscar 2025 owing to an Academy rule. The Dune 2 score has exceeded the limit of the Academy’s pre-exisiting music, which is why it will not be nominated for the Best Original Score, Variety reported.
The Academy’s rule mentions, “In cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must not use more than 20 per cent of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.” Since Zimmer’s Dune 2 score borrows heavily from Dune, which he had also scored, it will not be qualified to compete with other nominees.
However, the German maestro was unfazed by the news as he told the publication he doesn’t do music for awards, “I’m immensely proud of what we’ve collaboratively crafted with visionaries like Denis Villeneuve. This is our contribution to a larger cinematic experience.”
Dune 2 garnered critical and commercial acclaim upon its release earlier this year. Based on writer Frank Herbert’s books, the film starred Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, among others in pivotal roles.