Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desplat Scores Included In Oscars Shortlist

Hans Zimmer and Jonny Greenwood each have two scores on the Oscars shortlist for best original score. Greenwood is listed with The Power of the Dog and Spencer; Zimmer with Dune and No Time to Die.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released shortlists in 10 categories on Tuesday (Dec. 21). Members of the music branch voted to whittle the initial eligibility list of 136 scores down to the 15 that are shortlisted. They will also determine the final nominees, which will be announced on Feb. 8. All voters will determine the final winner, which will be announced at the 94th annual Academy Awards on March 27.

Greenwood, the lead guitarist and keyboardist in Radiohead, received his first Oscar nod for best original score for Phantom Thread four years ago.

Zimmer, who has received Oscar nominations in each of the last four decades, could extend that streak to five decades if either or both of his films are nominated. No Time to Die is vying to become the third Bond score to be nominated, following The Spy Who Loved Me (Marvin Hamlisch, 1977) and Skyfall (Thomas Newman, 2012).

If Greenwood and/or Zimmer have two of the five nominees, they will become the first individual first individual film scorer with two nods in the same year since Alexandre Desplat doubled up seven years ago with The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Imitation Game. A scoring collaboration, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, had two of the five nominees at the 93rd annual Academy Awards in April – Soul (the winner, on which they teamed with Jon Batiste) and Mank.

Desplat is on the Oscars shortlist for The French Dispatch, which the Academy is referring to by its full title, The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun. Desplat has amassed 11 best original score nods since 2011, the second-most by any composer in this century. (John Williams leads with 14 nods since 2000.) Desplat won for The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) and The Shape of Water (2017).

Alberto Iglesias could be headed for his fourth nomination in this category with Parallel Mothers. The Spanish composer made the Oscars shortlist for The Constant Gardener (2005), The Kite Runner (2007) and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011).

Nicholas Britell could be headed for his third nod in the past six years for Don’t Look Up. He was nominated for Moonlight (2016) and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). Carter Burwell could be headed for his third nod in the past seven years with The Tragedy of Macbeth. He was nominated for Carol (2015) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

Kris Bowers is shortlisted for scoring King Richard. Bowers was nominated last year for documentary (short subject) for A Concerto Is a Conversation. This would be his first scoring nomination.

All but one of the scores that were nominated for best original score at the Golden Globes and/or Critics Choice Awards were shortlisted here. The sole exception was Nightmare Alley (Nathan Johnson), a Critics Choice nominee that failed to make the cut here.

Dune and The Power of the Dog were both nominated for best original score at both of those other shows. The three other nominees for best original score at the Golden Globes were The French Dispatch, Encanto (Germaine Franco) and Parallel Mothers. The three other nominees at the Critics Choice Awards were Don’t Look Up, Spencer and Nightmare Alley.

Highly-touted scores that failed to be shortlisted include Annette, Ron Mael, Russell Mael (Amazon Studios); Cyrano, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner (United Artists Releasing/MGM); Last Night in Soho, Steven Price (Focus Features); Nightmare Alley, Nathan Johnson (Searchlight Pictures) Stillwater, Mychael Danna, Nathan Johnson (Focus Features).