To the surprise of pretty much no one, John Williams is returning to compose the music for the next Star Wars film. There was of course some initial speculation as to whether he would come back, or whether JJ Abrams would enlist his regular composer, Michael Giacchino, but it’s hard to imagine Star Wars without Williams’s music.
As the Hollywood Reporter reminds us, Williams has composed the music for all six Star Wars films, and now it’s official that he will be back for more. While Williams’s detractors feel he writes the same score over and over again, he’s actually had a varied career in Hollywood, writing music for TV shows like Gilligan’s Island, and working for rebel director Robert Altman (Nashville, The Player).
Steven Spielberg knew Johnny’s music well, and always wanted to work with him, so he brought him aboard for Sugarland Express, then the film that changed both Spielberg and Williams’s lives: Jaws. Many incredible scores followed, including Superman, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and too many more to list.
The music for Star Wars is such an integral part of the movies, whoever would compose the music would have to reference Williams’s classic score in some way, or it just wouldn’t be Star Wars. Many feel Williams’s Star Wars score raised the film to a whole new level, and it’s still remarkable music after all these years. What else can we say except it’s certainly good to hear he’s back.
