Denis Villeneuve is disappointed 'Dune: Part Two' was not nominated for Best Original Score for the 97th Academy Awards.

The sci-fi blockbuster's 2021 predecessor 'Dune' took home the accolade at the 94th Academy Awards, though was rejected from the category for this year's ceremony.

Now, Villeneuve, 57, has voiced his dismay that composer Hans Zimmer will not be bagging another award this year for his work on 'Dune: Part Two'.

The moviemaker told website Slash Film: "I am absolutely against the decision of the Academy to exclude Hans, frankly, because I feel like his score is one of the best scores of the year.

"I don't use the word genius often, but Hans is one."

The Academy - which rules that 80 per cent of a movie's score had to be unique - disqualified 'Dune: Part Two' from the Best Original Score category due to its similarity to its predecessor's composition.

While 'Dune: Part Two' doesn't meet the Academy's requirements, Villeneuve insisted both blockbusters were "one movie that is cut in half", and so of course there would be a musical "continuity" between the first and second films.

Even if 'Dune: Part Two' won't be up for the award, the 'Blade Runner 2049' filmmaker stressed a lot of the franchise's success was due to the work of Zimmer.

He explained: "Hans has been my partner since day one.

"The first artist I contacted was Hans Zimmer. I knew he loved the book, I knew he wanted to work with me on this project. [He's] my closest ally to discuss the underlayer of what the movie meant."

Currently, Villeneuve is working on his third and final entry into the sci-fi series 'Dune: Messiah' - which is based on author Frank Herbert's 1969 book of the same name, though it has now been rumoured that Warner Bros. are eyeing a fourth film with or without the director.

While Villeneuve - who has helmed the film franchise since its debut in 2021 - previously said he would exit the series after 'Messiah', Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman claimed Warner Bros. were exploring ideas for both a fourth flick and another TV spin-off after releasing the Max show 'Dune: Prophecy' in November 2024.

'Dune: Messiah' - which will see the return of Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy - will follow Paul Atreides 12 years into his reign as the Emperor of the Known Universe as the religious cult he created around himself begins to spiral out of his control.

Recently, Zendaya - who plays the Fremen warrior Chani - admitted that while she enjoyed working on 'Dune: Part Two', shooting in the intense heat in the Jordan desert had led to her getting heatstroke after she avoided drinking water to minimise bathroom breaks.

Opening up to W Magazine, she said: "We were in Jordan. It was very hot, and I remember thinking, 'Oh, man, the bathrooms are so far away,' because we had to hike to the locations. If you have to pee, you need at least 10 minutes to get out of the costumes. I was like, 'Damn, I don't want to drink too much water.' I had such a fear of peeing myself or s******* myself, honestly, in the suit on set.

"One day, I didn't drink enough and I had a heatstroke. I remember calling my mom on the bathroom floor, saying, 'I feel terrible.' She was like, 'Did you drink water today?' I said no. I thought I was being smart, but you can't do that. So, lesson learned."