Hans Zimmer: Last News

Journalist and TV presenter Henry Kelly died Tuesday. He was 78.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is heading this June to the Banff World Media Festival, where he will be recognized with a career achievement award. Zimmer will receive the honor during the Rockie Awards on June 9 — repping the first time Banff’s Gala Honours will be combined with the Rockie Awards International Program Competition.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Back in the early days of the broadcast networks, natural history shows were a part of the programming diet: NBC ran “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” for much of the 1960s, and around that time ABC brought “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” to U.S. audiences. Over the past several decades, however, those kinds of programs mostly became the domain of PBS (“Nature”) and cablers like Discovery (“Planet Earth”).

Oscar-winning film composer Hans Zimmer has revealed the imaginary figure he uses as inspiration for his work.For over 40 years, Zimmer has composed scores for the best-known TV shows and movies and is perhaps best known for his work on Gladiator, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, his many collaborations with Christopher Nolan, and the Dune series.His career is celebrated in the new concert film Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert, released this week (March 19) in cinemas.“I don’t write for directors, I don’t write for producers, and I certainly don’t write for movie studios,” he said to Deadline while promoting the film. “I have this fictitious figure in my head”.He explained: “She’s called Doris.

“I don’t write for directors, I don’t write for producers, and I certainly don’t write for movie studios,” Hans Zimmer says in his new concert film Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert. 

Hans Zimmer‘s ‘A New Dimension’ show will tour across the UK and Europe next year.The shows – which are presented and curated by Zimmer himself – will see an orchestra treat attendees to the Grammy and Academy Award-winner’s most famous scores. The performances – led by film orchestrator, arranger and conductor Matt Dunkley – will feature new orchestral suites, visual projections and solo performances.The performances will come from the Odessa Orchestra and Friends as well as the Nairobi Chamber Chorus.

Hans Zimmer has called Dune: Part Two‘s disqualification from the Oscars‘ Best Original Score category “stupid”.The composer’s work on last year’s sequel was ruled ineligible for this year’s Academy Awards due to its use of elements of music from the first Dune film.Academy rules state that in “cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must not use more than 20 per cent of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise”.Opening up about the controversy on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Zimmer reflected: “You know something? It’s not really a sore point. It’s just such a stupid point — how can it be a sore point?“I got disqualified because I was using material from the first movie in the second movie, but it’s not a sequel.

Hans Zimmer opened up about the Academy disqualification of his Dune: Part Two score for Oscars consideration, calling the ruling “stupid.”

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music ASCAP, the only remaining not-for-profit performing rights organization in the U.S., delivered a record-breaking $1.835 billion in revenue in the 2024 calendar year, an increase of $98 million, or 5.7% over 2023, with $1.696 billion available for royalty distributions — up by $104 million, or 6.5%. The numbers mark the highest amount in revenue and royalty distributions to creators and music publishers in ASCAP’s history, powered by revenue growth and the lowest overall cost allocation overhead rate in the U.S. at 10%, according to the announcement.

Former Going For Gold and Game For A Laugh host Henry Kelly has died aged 78.The writer and broadcaster died “peacefully” on Tuesday “after a period of ill health”, his family said. A statement said: “Henry will be sorely missed by his friends and family, including his partner Karolyn Shindler, their son Alexander, Henry’s daughter Siobhan and her mother Marjorie.” Born in Dublin on April 17 1946, Kelly was a friend of fellow Belvedere College pupil Sir Terry Wogan, who fronted a host of entertainment shows including the Eurovision Song Contest and Blankety Blank.

Damon Albarn, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox have released a silent album in protest of planned changes to copyright AI laws planned by the UK government. Check it out below.Dubbed ‘Is This What We Want?’, the album is completely silent, and is made with the hopes of drawing attention to the potential impact that artificial intelligence could have on the music industry.“In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?” said Kate Bush in a new statement (via BBC).

The Americas is premiering tonight (Sunday, February 23)!

Bigger than Planet Earth? The Americas just might be.

Hans Zimmer is an unlikely rock star.For those unfamiliar with his bona fides, the celebrated 67-year-old German composer made his name conducting sublime operatic scores for blockbusters like “The Dark Knight,” “Dune,” “James Bond” and literally hundreds of other films. His exemplary work has netted him a pair of Oscars, five Grammys and even led to an offer to update Saudi Arabia’s National Anthem.So, when Zimmer announced he was embarking on a North American arena tour in March 2024, he took the world by surprise.We all collectively wondered: what does a Hans Zimmer concert look or sound like?He wasn’t giving us clues either. In tandem with the tour announcement, AP News reported “…there is no conductor, no sheet music in front of each musician, and not a single frame from any of the films he’s referencing.”This exciting — if confounding — information served as a bit of intrigue.

Dune: Part Two have been celebrating after it won the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media last night (February 2).The victory for the space epic’s soundtrack, composed by Hans Zimmer, came its disqualification from the Oscars after it was ruled ineligible due to the amount of music it carried over from the first Dune movie.The rules from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which presents the Oscars, state: “In cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must not use more than 20% of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.”Dune 2 was still eligible for Grammy nominations, however, and it beat out American Fiction, Challengers, The Color Purple and Shōgun for the accolade. Also last night, it won five awards at the 52nd annual Saturn Awards.Fans of the movie had a lot to say in response, with one on X (Twitter) describing it as having been “robbed” of an Oscar.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic “Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert,” a concert film shot in Dubai that also includes documentary interviews with some of the stars and filmmakers the composer has worked with, will hit theaters globally starting March 19, Trafalgar Releasing announced Wednesday. The bulk of the 158-minute film will be performance footage of Zimmer and his band and orchestra playing selections from films like “Dune,” “The Lion King,” “Gladiator” and “Interstellar,” in locations including Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena and Al Wasl Plaza dome at Expo City Dubai.

Hans Zimmer will be coming to cinemas with a host of famous names in a concert film titled Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond In The Desert.The film features conversations with film luminaries such as Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve; movie stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya; as well as music icons Billie Eilish and Johnny Marr. It will screen in select cinemas across The Americas, Europe, Asia, and United Arab Emirates, with limited screenings beginning March 19.A press release read: “Decades of cinematic masterpieces are brought to life by his band and a world-class orchestra at Dubai’s iconic Coca-Cola Arena, the star-studded Al Wasl Plaza dome at Expo City Dubai and beyond.

Music’s biggest night, the Grammys, is one of the ceremonies that has stuck to its schedule despite the wildfires that broke out in Los Angeles Jan. 7. The show will go on as planned in the first weekend of February, and several performers have already been confirmed.

Gladiator and Dune composer, Hans Zimmer, has been commissioned to write a new interpretation of the national anthem of Saudi Arabia.Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority, announced the news via X (formerly Twitter) ahead of the composer’s live performance in Riyadh on January 24. He shared a picture of himself with Zimmer, and revealed that the title of the piece will be simply ‘Arabia’.Translated from Arabic, the post reads: “Today I met someone who is considered one of the greatest musicians of our time… the legend Hans Zimmer.“We discussed a lot about many future projects that I hope will see the light of day soon… including redistributing the Saudi national anthem with different instruments, as well as making a musical piece called ‘Arabia’ inspired by my dear country, and also making a very large concert with a new idea for the Riyadh season in the coming years”.التقيت اليوم بشخص يعتبر من أعظم الموسيقيين في عصرنا الحاضر…الأسطورة Hans Zimmer …تناقشنا كثيرا في العديد من المشاريع المستقبلية التي أتمنى أن ترى النور قريبا… ومنها إعادة توزيع النشيد الوطني السعودي بآلات مختلفة وأيضا عمل مقطوعة موسيقية بمسمى Arabia مستوحاة من بلدي الغالي… pic.twitter.com/KoI26t4iRl— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) January 20, 2025Alalshikh also disclosed that Zimmer may be involved in the production of the Saudi film The Battle of Yarmouk, saying they “agreed on the broad outlines of all these projects” and he hoped they “will reach a final agreement on them”.Zimmer is one of the most celebrated film composers of all time, having composed music for over 150 movies including The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar and Dunkirk for Christopher Nolan; as well as animated classic The Lion King.

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was celebrated at the fifth edition of Saudi Arabia’s Joy Awards in Riyadh over the weekend, with Anthony Hopkins presenting him with a Lifetime Achievement Award on stage.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Anthony Hopkins made his first public appearance over the weekend since recently losing his home in the Pacific Palisades fire by traveling to Saudi Arabia. The legendary Oscar-winning actor, who is also a composer, hosted a gala concert featuring his pieces played by Britain’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. While in Saudi Arabia, Hopkins also attended the kingdom’s Joy Awards which honors artistic achievements of the Arab world.