If you ask the average moviegoer to name a film composer, more often than not you'll get John Williams for an answer. However, running a close second is Hans Zimmer. The man has scored some of the most popular films of the last thirty years, everything from THE DARK KNIGHT, to PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, to DAYS OF THUNDER. An eleven time Oscar nominee, Zimmer can now add a Bond film – James Bond – to his storied list.
Last month NO TIME TO DIE's composer Dan Romer was dismissed from Cary Fukunaga's film citing that ubiquitous term "creative differences." The dismissal comes as a bit of shock considering Romer previously worked with Fukunaga on BEASTS OF NO NATION and the Netfix show Maniac. With the release date for the latest Bond feature just three months away, MGM had to move fast to replace Romer and it seems they finally have their man.
NO TIME TO DIE is currently in post production and despite the honor of composing a Bond film, Zimmer is up against it time wise. Bond scores are usually propulsive and intense in order to accentuate the action. That's not an easy feat to pull off even for an accomplished composer like Zimmer. The score itself will need to be completed by mid-February according to reports. Due to time constraints it's very likely Hans Zimmer will need to enlist help. The top two candidates are rumored to be either Benjamin Wallfisch or Lorne Balfe, both of whom have assisted Zimmer in the past.
Despite being sixty-two years old, Hans Zimmer seemingly has the prowess and stamina of someone forty years his junior. In addition to NO TIME TO DIE, Zimmer has four – count 'em four – other films due out this year. And it's not like these are romantic comedies either, these are major tentpole films. He's got THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN due out in May, followed by both Patty Jenkins' WONDER WOMAN 1984 and Joe Kosinski's TOP GUN: MAVERICK in June, and finishes out the year with Denis Villeneuve's DUNE in December. Now that is a music sheet folks.
So what say you guys? Are you fans of Hans Zimmer? Are you glad he's being brought on for NO TIME TO DIE? Sound off in the comments below!
NO TIME TO DIE starring Daniel Craig, Lashana Lynch, Jeffrey Wright, Léa Seydoux, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, and Rami Malek, hits theaters April 10, 2020.