Dune 2 Score Still Being Submitted for Oscar Nomination, Denis Villeneuve Gives Statement

Warner Bros. is still submitting Dune 2’s score for Academy Awards consideration.

Last month, it was announced that Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune 2 wouldn’t be eligible for Academy Awards consideration given that the movie’s music surpasses the Academy’s limit on pre-existing music and is ineligible to be nominated in the Best Original Score category.

“In cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must not use more than 20% of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise,” the Academy rule states.

Despite this, per Variety, Warner Bros. has submitted Zimmer’s Dune 2 score for Oscar consideration in hopes that “ his innovative contributions to the film will meet the requirements and earn a nomination.”

What did Denis Villeneuve say about Dune 2’s score?

“I don’t think this is over yet… I was there when Hans wrote the music, and he did a tremendous amount of music,” Villeneuve said. “Part Two is a new score. I don’t accept this because it’s one of the most beautiful scores Hans has ever written, and I would love it, at least, to be considered.”

Villeneuve and Zimmer also said that Dune: Part Two is not a direct sequel to 2021’s Dune; rather, they view it as a continuation that completes Frank Herbert’s novel.

“The story starts the second we finish the first movie,” he said. “We are still within that story, those characters, and it would be foolish and completely uncinematic to go and write new themes for the characters instead of enlarging the theme.”

The Oscar nominations will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025, while the ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Dune: Part Two — which stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, and more — is currently streaming on Max.