Hans Zimmer To Grace 'Blade Runner 2049' Score With His Rock-Star Presence

Hans Zimmer is currently living the rock star lifestyle — touring on the road, shredding to his famous scores, and meeting his adoring fans. But he'll temporarily disembark the tour bus to board the spinners of Blade Runner 2049.

Zimmer is joining the musical team of Blade Runner 2049 to help compose the score to Denis Villeneuve's stunning sequel to the sci-fi classic.

According to a French publication Studio Ciné Live (via Heroic Hollywood), Villeneuve wanted to bring in extra help for composer Johann Johansson to score the film. So in order to match the iconic Vangelis composition from the original Blade Runner, Villeneuve brought in both Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, who was recently behind the score for A Cure for Wellness and worked with Zimmer on Dunkirk and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Villeneuve said:

"Johann Johannsson of Iceland composes the main theme as planned. However, given the scale of the task, Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer joined the team to help Johann. It's hard to get to Vangelis' angle. We have Johann's breathtaking atmospheric sounds, but I needed other things, and Hans helped us."

It hasn't been uncommon lately to juice up the scores for blockbuster films. Justice League is doing the same with Danny Elfman, a composer of classic superhero themes, stepping in to help finish a score by Junkie XL — though the behind-the-scenes transition was seemingly much messier than it seems to be with Blade Runner 2049.

Zimmer is an inspired choice for a sci-fi film that already looks to be a spectacular visual feast. Other than his newly minted rock-star status, Zimmer has been doing some groundbreaking work with his frequent collaborator, director Christopher Nolan, on Dunkirk, channeling the ticking of a clock to create a nail-biting auditory illusion.

Vangelis' operatic, synth-heavy score for the 1982 Blade Runner helped cement the film as a sci-fi classic, and is clearly daunting for Villeneuve and his composers to live up to. But if anyone can help pay homage to the original moody score and establish a new, inspiring one for this day and age, it's Zimmer.

Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, and Dave Bautista. Directed by Villeneuve, the long-awaited sequel is shot by Roger Deakins and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green.Blade Runner 2049 hits theaters October 6.