We're a little over two months away from seeing Blade Runner 2049. It's the stage in a film's life when everything is nearly locked down and work starts on preparing a film for release – so it's a little surprising to read a report in Vanity Fair that uber-composer Hans Zimmer will be stepping into scoring duties on Denis Villeneuve's hugely-anticipated sci-fi sequel.
Having worked with directors like Christopher Nolan and Werner Herzog, Zimmer is obviously up to the challenge. But Blade Runner 2049 has, until now, listed only Jóhann Jóhannsson as its main composer. Jóhannsson is Villeneuve's regular music man, having collaborated on Arrival, Sicario and Prisoners, and has spoken enthusiastically about respecting the spirit of Vangelis' classic original score.
At this late in the day, it seems Zimmer is not replacing Jóhannsson, only providing "additional music". Jóhannsson will still be involved with Zimmer, according to Vanity Fair. We wouldn't suggest this is attack-ships-off-the-shoulder-of-Orion bad – with other projects on Jóhannsson's plate this year, it may just be a simple question of scheduling conflicts.
It's not unusual for other composers to step in at the last minute – Michael Giacchino stepped in for Alexandre Desplat on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, composing the entire score in only a month. Earlier this year, it was announced that Alan Silvestri will be composing the score for Ready Player One, a rare non-John Williams score, as Williams will be busy on another Spielberg joint, The Papers.
It remains to be seen what percentage of music will be Zimmerian and what will be Jóhannssonian; we'll find out on October 6, when Blade Runner 2049 arrives in UK cinemas. Read all about it in the latest issue of Empire, on sale now.
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