According to a report in the French film magazine Studio Ciné Live, Hans Zimmer has joined the team attempting to fill Vangelis’ enormous, neon-covered shoes as they compose the score for Blade Runner 2049. Fresh off the brutally tense music of Dunkirk, Zimmer is now one of three composers signed on for Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sequel. The Academy Award winner is working alongside Jóhann Jóhannsson, who scored both Sicario and Arrival for Villeneuve and was announced as 2049’s sole tunesmith in 2016, and Benjamin Wallfisch, a Zimmer protege whose credits include A Cure For Wellness and the upcoming It adaptation.
Speaking with Studio Ciné Live, as translated by The Playlist, Villeneuve noted that Jóhannsson will still play a part in constructing the movie’s soundscape, but that a little backup was necessary to help live up to expectations.
[Jóhann] composed the main theme as planned but, given the magnitude of the task, Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer joined the team to help Johann. It’s hard to [follow] Vangelis! We had some astonishing atmospheric [pieces] by Johann, but I needed other options, and Hans helped us.
We’ll have a chance to hear how the trio fared in that unenviable task when Blade Runner 2049 debuts on October 6.