'Dune' Soundtrack Releases Two Tracks, Teasing Hans Zimmer's Unique Score

Dune is the latest epic from Denis Villeneuve, which sees the filmmaker finishing off an impressive stretch of directorial efforts that includes Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. We only just received some exciting footage to pore over and further whet any fan's appetite, but it's the soundtrack from legendary composer Hans Zimmer that I just might be looking forward to the most. Now, as if in direct response to my musically-inclined heart, we can take a listen to some evocative teases from the score.

Earlier today, Zimmer tweeted out the first two tracks of the soundtrack. You can check them both out below.

It's only a brief taste of (what's sure to be) a lengthy soundtrack, but these few minutes certainly go a long way towards establishing Zimmer's approach with this material. The haunting and almost ethereally distorted human voices add plenty of "oomph" to the proceedings, while the hint of Eastern influences point to the real-world parallels of the overall story. As detailed in our thoughts on the extended preview, the score is purposefully meant to add to the alien and inhuman feel of the film's opening ten minutes.

And then there are the two track titles, both of which come loaded with meaning.

"Paul's Dream" could very well refer to the visions that Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides experiences, which can be interpreted as signposts for the future — particularly his integral role to play in the grand scheme of things. It's your basic "Chosen One" trope on an epic scale, though previously-released footage point toward an intriguing connection with Zendaya's mysterious Chani.

"Ripples in the Sand," meanwhile, has the feel of a foreboding action sequence mixed with world-building to help set the tone. Even newcomers have become aware of the giant sandworms that populate the (under)world of Arrakis and it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say this is a likely reference to the local wildlife. Spice, of course, plays a key role in Dune lore and we can certainly imagine some info-dumping going on while set to the melodious strains of this Zimmer track. Hey, if it worked with Christopher Nolan in Inception (and any number of his other films, for that matter), it'll almost certainly be effective here as well.

In addition to Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac, the ensemble cast joining the action includes Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, David Dastmalchian, Stellan Skarsgård, and plenty more.

Dune will be available in theaters and HBO Max on October 22, 2021.