News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Award-Winning Composer John Williams Set for STAR WARS Episode VII?

By: Feb. 18, 2013
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

According to Comingsoon.net, Academy Award winning composer John Williams may be returning for the highly anticipated installment of the STAR WARS Saga.

At last week's Young Musician's Foundation Debut Orchestra at which he conducted, Williams announced before, "We're about to play Star Wars and each time we play it, I'm reminded of The First Time we played it decades ago. Neither I, nor George, nor anyone else involved thought this would go far or in a few years there would be a sequel and I'd have to revisit the themes...and years later another trilogy. Now we're hearing of a new set of movies coming in 2015, 2016...so I need to make sure I'm still ready to go in a few years for what I hope would be continued work with George."

One obstacle in his way may be the fact that former Star Wars director George Lucas is no long associated with Episode VII of the franchise. J.J. Abrams, who will helm the upcoming film, has worked almost exclusively with composer Michael Giacchino on recent projects. It will be up to LucasFilms to decide which composer will be picking up the baton to lead the renown score.

In a career spanning over six decades, Williams has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Home Alone and its sequel, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, War Horse and the first three Harry Potter films. He has had a long association with director Steven Spielberg, composing the music for all but two (Duel and The Color Purple) of Spielberg's major feature films.

Other notable works by Williams include theme music for four Olympic Games, NBC Sunday Night Football, the NBC Nightly News, the Statue of Liberty's rededication, and the television series Lost in Space and Land of the Giants. Williams has also composed numerous classical concerti, and he served as the Boston Pops Orchestra's principal conductor from 1980 to 1993; he is now the orchestra's conductor laureate.

Williams has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards and twenty-one Grammy Awards. With forty-eight Academy Award nominations, Williams is the second most-nominated person, after Walt Disney. ] Williams was honored with the prestigious Richard Kirk award at the 1999 BMI Film and TV Awards. The award is given annually to a composer who has made significant contributions to film and television music. Williams was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2000, and was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.




Comments

To post a comment, you must register and login.



Videos