By David Craig

Published: Sunday, 13 March 2022 at 12:00 am

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Dune composer Hans Zimmer has shed some light on the movie’s Academy Award-nominated original score, which impressed cinema-goers with some unexpected influences late last year.

Based on the novel by Frank Herbert, the film tells the story of the embattled Atreides family, who are given power over the desert planet Arrakis (known colloquially as Dune).

However, their fragile status in the desolate place has been orchestrated by forces who seek to destroy them, with enemies on all sides as young Paul (Timothee Chalamet) settles into his new life.

Dune is one of the Oscars 2022 frontrunners, with nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score for Zimmer’s rousing effort, which made an impactful debut in the film’s first trailer back in September 2020.

Speaking of the distinctive female vocals featured in the soundtrack, which are performed by soloist Loire Cotler, Zimmer revealed that himself and director Denis Villeneuve agreed on the sound they wanted to achieve.

“If this is a movie about a planet 10,000 years from now, and it was a desert planet, [I thought] I should go and invent instruments and sounds you’ve never heard of,” Zimmer told The Hollywood Reporter.

“The only thing that should be a consistent, recognisable thing should be the female voice. Denis and I never even had to talk about it for any time at all.

“We always felt very strongly that the female characters are the driving force of the story. Even when Lady Jessica [Rebecca Ferguson] isn’t on the screen, there will be a femininity within the music — that felt very important.”

Another musical quirk that raised eyebrows when Dune landed in cinemas was a scene in which an individual plays the bagpipes as the Atreides clan are ceremonially greeted.

While the instrument isn’t commonly associated with sci-fi blockbusters, Zimmer has now disclosed his logic behind including them – and it’s unsurprisingly insightful.

“Everybody’s pointing at the bagpipes in the movie, but to me, they make sense,” he continued. “When you’re the Royal House and you’re being heralded on a new planet, it’s either the fanfares or it’s something that is ancient and timeless at the same time.

“I know that [the bagpipes] aren’t just Scottish or Irish. I know that the Middle East is full of [them]. Wherever you find a goat and some wood, you can build bagpipes.

“So, doing this thing where the instrumentation was really from ancient, pre-biblical times, [then adding] the most out-there electronics seemed like an appropriate choice.”

Warner Bros

A second Dune film is officially in the works, with Black Widow star Florence Pugh recently added to the cast, while talk has been circulating about a potential third entry too.

Speaking to The Playlist, screenwriter John Spaihts revealed that he left work on a proposed spin-off streaming show to focus on the long-term future of the film franchise.

“[The television show] is carrying on and I’m not allowed to talk about it very much. But that effort is alive and well,” he said, speaking of HBO Max’s Dune: The Sisterhood.

“I ended up getting moved off of it to work, not just on ‘Dune: Part 2,’ but to investigate other cinematic prospects in the ‘Dune’ universe, which we are still talking about and which, again, I’m not allowed to say very much about.

Previously, director Villeneuve has expressed interest in helming an adaptation of Dune: Messiah, which would close out a trilogy of prestige sci-fi films, but this has yet to be given the green light by Warner Bros.

Dune: Part One is out now on DVD, Blu-ray and digital. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight. 

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