Hans Zimmer Hid the Dune: Part Two Theme in Plain Sight

Dune: Part Two arrives in theaters in just a matter of days, and the sci-fi epic has already earned quite a lot of praise. In addition to its star-studded ensemble cast and distinct source material, the Dune franchise has been praised for Hans Zimmer’s award-winning score, with the sequel expected to up the sonic ante even further. As Zimmer revealed in a recent interview with The Wrap, he has actually already previewed part of his Dune: Part Two score, playing the film’s main theme during as the opening song for his recent concert tour. Zimmer did not identify the theme when asked by fans, because he wanted the audience to discover the piece’s true origin once they saw the entire movie.

“The main theme, really, for this one, I did something very naughty,” Zimmer revealed. “I toured it with my band through Europe, and I would play it as the opening to our set, and no one knew what the piece of music was. I thought, a year later, wouldn’t it be cool to go to the cinema and they hear this piece of music and they go, ‘Oh, it’s weirdly familiar!’”

Will There Be a Dune 3?

As fans of Frank Herbert’s books know, the grand narrative of Dune extends far beyond the events of the first book, which has led to a lot of speculation about whether or not Dune: Messiah could become the franchise’s next film. Dune director Denis Villeneuve has teased that a script for Dune: Messiah exists, and that he is focusing on telling the best possible distillation of the source material.

“I’m working on four different screenplays — I know that Dune: Messiah will be one of them, I don’t know if it will be the next or the second next,” Villeneuve shared in an interview earlier this year. “My job was to try to keep the spirit of Frank Herbert alive as much as possible — the whole meaning of Dune becomes clear with Dune: Messiah.”

What Is Dune: Part Two About?

Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee. 

The big-screen epic Dune: Part Two includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Léa Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Frank Herbert‘s iconic novel.