June 17, 2016 – Good news, Star Wars fans: After previously saying that The Force Awakens would be the last Star Wars film he would ever score, composer John Williams has had a change of heart.
The 84-year-old American composer, conductor and pianist was honored this week by the American Film Institute for a lifetime of achievement. He told Variety that after he finishes scoring Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One in November, he will begin working on the music for Star Wars Episode VIII.
Williams told Variety: “If I can do it, I certainly will. I told Kathy Kennedy I’m happy to do it, but the real reason is, I didn’t want anybody else writing music for Daisy Ridley.”
John Williams’ six decades of composing and scoring have included music in Jaws, all Star Wars films, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List and the first three Harry Potter films.
With 50 Academy Award nominations to his name, Williams is the second most-nominated individual. The most nominations have gone to Walt Disney. In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams’ Star Wars (1977) score as the greatest American film score of all time.
