John Williams, who composed the scores for Star Wars I-VI, is coming back for Episode VII.
There are more than a few films for which music is an ancillary thing. It chugs along in the background, barely noticed save to play compliment to the main attraction of the visuals, stories and characters. In Star Wars, the music is an arguable character in its own right. You could be walked into the theater blindfolded and with the first notes of the score know exactly what you’re about to sit through. Even in the prequel trilogy, black holes of film that they are, the music stands out as being undeniably Star Wars. That definitive quality is something owed to composer John Williams, whose lengthy career has included providing scores for Star Wars episodes one through six. Now, it’s been revealed that Williams will be returning for Star Wars: Episode VII.
The news came at the ongoing Star Wars– Celebration Europe event where Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy made the announcement. A video was then released where Williams discussed his role in the new film. “I’m just happy to be continuing to be a part of the whole fun of doing it,” he said. He then affirmed that, though he has yet to see a script, he’s confident his experience with Episode VII will be comparable to what he’s done in the past. “In each case I’ve been able to use the earlier material and create new material that would co-exists with it and hopefully feel like a part of the fabric of the film.”
Williams also commented on the accumulating talent backing the film, discussing a meal he shared with Kathleen Kennedy and Episode VII-director J.J. Abrams. “They are two people that I think are perfectly chosen to continue George Lucas’s great odyssey. They’re both young, they’re both extremely gifted, they have tremendous energy,” he said. He had particular compliments for Abrams. “He’s had some great success with large scale projects…He brings with him a lot of expertise.”
Williams return is without a doubt going to be a boon for the new film and will likely help, at least on the audio side, in making the Episode VII feel like a proper sequel to its predecessor, the now thirty years old Return of the Jedi. Williams involvement may also surprise some who perhaps had not expected him, at the age of 81, to be up to the arguably monumental task of scoring another Star Wars film. For our part, we’re just happy to see him back and hope that he’s able to continue his work on the franchise through the entirety of the forthcoming trilogy.
Source: Star Wars
