*Courtesy of John Nacion / Getty Images.*

‘Dune: Part Two’ director Denis Villeneuve has expressed his disapproval of the Academy Awards' decision to disqualify Hans Zimmer's score for ‘Dune: Part Two’ from the Best Original Score category.

Villeneuve, a three-time Oscar nominee, reacted to the Academy's ruling that the sequel's score relied too heavily on musical themes from his 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel. Speaking to SlashFilm, Villeneuve criticized the decision, stating, "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 elaborated that the music for the sequel is original while deeply tied to the first film, explaining, “The soundtrack is really a continuity of Part One." He added, “It’s rooted in Part One, of course, because there is a continuity,” describing the two films as “one big movie that is cut in half.”

Villeneuve, maintaining his humor about the situation, remarked, “I’m not here to complain.”

Despite not being eligible for an Oscar this time, Zimmer received a nomination for Best Original Score at the 82nd Golden Globes, losing out to Trent Reznor’s score for ‘Challengers,’ in which many feel Zimmer was snubbed.

Zimmer won an Oscar for the same category for ‘Dune: Part One’ in 2022.

‘Dune’ (2021) was a critical and commercial success, earning six Oscars and ending its theatrical run with $407.6 million worldwide. Similarly, ‘Dune: Part Two’ is a critical and commercial success, earning $714.4 million worldwide, while being hailed as one of the greatest sci-fi films ever made.

Villeneuve disclosed to Deadline plans to begin production on the third film of the franchise, based on Herbert’s 1969 novel ‘Dune Messiah,’ in late 2025 or early 2026 — with Hans Zimmer returning to score the conclusion of Villeneuve’s trilogy.

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