For all the acclaim and popularity he has achieved over the years, it’s quite staggering composer Hans Zimmer hasn’t won a second Academy Award in almost three decades. It was way back in 1994 that Zimmer won his first and only Oscar for Disney’s The Lion King. After nine unsuccessful nominations, this could finally be his year for his work on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Much like Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ Soul last year, Zimmer could sweep this season.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. There’s a litany of wonderful scores waiting in the wings to spoil Zimmer’s party. Similarly to Reznor and Ross in 2020, Jonny Greenwood could find himself a double nominee this year for his work on both The Power of the Dog and Spencer. And he may have a third contender in the mix with Licorice Pizza. Whether this will ultimately work against Greenwood remains to be seen.
It was looking like Alexandre Desplat might be our other possible double nominee this year for The French Dispatch and Nightmare Alley until scheduling conflicts saw him drop out of the latter. Desplat is an Academy favourite, so a nom for Wes Anderson’s latest seems fairly assured. As for Nightmare Alley, Nathan Johnson has stepped in to replace Desplat. A relative newcomer, Johnson could find himself up for his first nomination if he cooks up something special.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune – Hans Zimmer (Warner Bros.)
2. The Power of the Dog – Jonny Greenwood (Netflix)
3. Spencer – Jonny Greenwood (Neon)
4. The Tragedy of Macbeth – Carter Burwell (A24/Apple TV+)
5. The French Dispatch – Alexandre Desplat (Searchlight Pictures)
IN CONTENTION
Belfast – Van Morrison (Focus Features)
Cyrano – Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner (Sony Pictures Classics)
Don’t Look Up – Nicholas Britell (Netflix)
Encanto – Germaine Franco (Disney)
House of Gucci – Harry Gregson-Williams (MGM)
King Richard – Kris Bowers (Warner Bros.)
Licorice Pizza – Jonny Greenwood (MGM)
Luca – Dan Rohmer (Disney/Pixar)
Nightmare Alley – Nathan Johnson (Searchlight Pictures)
No Time to Die – Hans Zimmer (MGM)
