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How Christopher Nolan Reacted To Hans Zimmer Choosing Dune Over Tenet
Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer has revealed that Christopher Nolan's reaction to him scoring Dune over Tenet was "not great." Zimmer had turned down the offer to write the music for Tenet to instead take on Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel. Tenet was eventually scored by Ludwig Goransson, who won an Oscar in 2018 for his Black Panther score.
Zimmer and Nolan have collaborated many times before, most notably on Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Inception, Interstellar, and his WW2 epic Dunkirk. Zimmer had also previously worked with Villeneuve, composing the music for the director's sci-fi sequel, Blade Runner 2049. Some of Zimmer's other credits include his Oscar-winning score for The Lion King, as well as Gladiator, Hidden Figures, and the most recent James Bond franchise entry, No Time To Die.
In an interview with ReelBlend, the podcast of CinemaBlend, Zimmer talked about how Nolan's reaction to turning down Tenet was "not great." Zimmer has built a more recent career out of live performances, including an appearance at Coachella in 2017, lessening his time in film scoring. The composer made it clear that taking on Dune was his way back into movie scoring, inspiring him the way the original Dune novel book did after having read it as a child. Read Zimmer's full quote on Nolan and live performances below:
Quote:
"Not great. … There’s another part to it as well, which people keep missing out on. I went out on tour, and I suddenly got really interested in this thing that I never thought I’d do. And here I was, sixty-odd years old going, ‘Whoa. This is fun. I like this!’ So Chris realized that, and he realized that that’s where my focus was at that moment."
Zimmer is known for his use of electronically produced music integrated with live orchestral arrangements. This has allowed his music to convey a wide variety of moods and tones over multiple genres, having composed for over 150 films, including the upcoming Top Gun sequel Top Gun: Maverick. Zimmer's other accolades include four Grammys, two Golden Globes, and three Classical BRIT Awards. With Zimmer confirmed to write the music for Dune: Part Two, it's clear the collaboration between him and Villeneuve is far from over. With Zimmer otherwise spoken for once again, Nolan is continuing his collaboration with Goransson for his next film, Oppenheimer, about the architect of the nuclear bomb, to be played by Cillian Murphy.
Though Nolan and Zimmer's collaborations are on ice for now, the door remains open if the two should want to work together again. Their pairing has marked the creation of iconic scores in some of Nolan's best-known works, with the director recently saying he made Interstellar after being inspired by Zimmer's music. Scoring is one of the most under-appreciated professions in the film industry, but also one of the most crucial. The music of a movie subconsciously tells audiences how to feel; when they should be overjoyed or excited, and when they should cry. Music runs through movies seamlessly and, without it, the audience can be left feeling detached and unsure. Zimmer has shown through his Dune score that something as strange as an alien desert planet can feel intriguing, stirring and familiar just through music alone, and no doubt he would have had an equally impressive affect on Tenet.
