A Whole New World: Episode VII [News and Speculation]

So with the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney announced today, and the initial focus on making the sequel trilogy of live action films, the most important question is, of course:

Will John Williams compose the score?

He's certainly way past his prime scoring days, and I've not read any recent updates on his health or professional ambitions. (I am looking forward to Lincoln in a few weeks.) The fact that Lucas will be something of a creative consultant leaves me with hope that JW may at least score Episode VII.

But if the torch is to be passed on, who would be your choice to compose these new scores?

1) John Williams is 80 years old, he'll be 83 by the time of the movies. Unless he's truly, and I mean truly, dedicated to finishing the Star Wars Saga - he probably won't be back, but you never know. His last feature film he composed was the Adventures of Tin-Tin, so if they begin composing scenes for the movies - he *might* be able to do Episode VII, but Episode VII and finally IX are out of the question.

If not, there are loads of guys to choose from, just not the guy from TCW. The score for the show is awful.

The one mitigating factor for JW at this stage of his career is that if indeed Episodes VII - IX are the sequel trilogy to the original trilogy, then he has six scores rich with themes to draw from. Like with the PT, perhaps one or two new major themes woven into the existing leitmotif world of SW. However, we also saw in the PT an increasing use of non-thematic score.

Just as an aside, if the new trilogy is a true sequel trilogy, and there is some direct connection (e.g. Luke, Leia, R2, 3PO), I really hope Mark Hamill is on board with this, at least for a cameo as Luke. If filming takes place in 2013-14, Mark will be the same age that Sir Alec was filming Star Wars.

I know a few prominent composers that could fill in for Williams:

Hans Zimmer (probably not, but I've heard weirder things)
James Horner (done a lot of epic film scores)
Alan Silvestri (already in-house enough with Marvel that he could be persuaded to do Star Wars).


And Kevin Kiner would obviously be on the list of possibles, since he already is doing music for TCW.

I hope we can get John Williams to do Episode 7. One last SW hurrah. If not why not Howard Shore? His LOTR work is amazing.

Hm, forgot to add Shore to my above list.

It will be Michael Giacchino because J.J. Abrams will end up involved in this project. He just has to if they want it to work out.

I really hope Mark Hamill is on board for this next trilogy in an "Obi-Wan" type role.I'd love to see Ford & Fisher at least make cameos,but having Luke get decent screentime to pass on the saber is a must!

Yes, Luke is the biggest question in my mind

What does that have to do with the score? Take it to the Ep 7 forum, noobs!

In all seriousness, I would say Michael Giacchino. He's brilliant and I believe he did the scores for the new Star Tours based on Williams' themes. They sounded great.

Giacchino did a good job with the newest Star Trek film, so that would be a good fit.

Small-scale projects like The Force Unleashed and The Clone Wars can get away with non-JW scores. In fact, different approaches toward the music can benefit these stories. However, an honest-to-goodness SW feature absolutely has to have a score by John Williams himself. It just wouldn't feel right without him. In my mind, any SW project with a roman numeral in the title requires one of JW's unbeatable scores.

I'd really like to see JW back, but otherwise Harry Gregson-Williams might do a decent job. Also, John Powell has done a brilliant work with the How to train your dragon score - epic themes with pensive and romantic elements, also full of curiosity and adventure, just what a SW score requires imo.

I agree about Silvestri, he's also done some pretty epic soundtracks.

fistofan1 that sentiment is obvious and shared by most of us, but the reality is that John Williams would have to be willing to commit (and live) through 2021 in order to score a sequel trilogy. Do you really think that's likely?

Well, there's nothing to say JW can't just agree to score Ep. 7, and see how things are going when then time comes for 8 & 9 to be scored. Chances are most or all of the significant new characters will be introduced in Ep. 7, and their musical themes along with them.

No matter who ends up composing these scores, one of the big decisions will be how much, if any, the themes from the OT/PT will be used.

He would be the one I'd really like to see do this. His work with the Clone Wars has been quite enjoyable. He's able to capture much of the spirit of the original scores while molding them into something new, fresh, and different.

While I would prefer JW, I would accept Howard Shore or Trevor Rabin.

Williams will not be able to score all the new films, so I think this is the right time to pass the torch, as Lucas has done. Why write episode VII and not the rest?

And he has nothing to finish. The Saga is over. I'd prefer if the music of these new movies was "a whole new world".

You know, there is a part of me that agrees with that. It does sort of feel like the right time to pass the torch. Still, I would want John Williams if it's at all possible.

I would have to say that I hope that he works with a composer to do the final films and eventually passes it on. Williams is one of the only people who can do it.

Giachinno knows William's style but he is NO Williams and his overly dramatic music, and there is a difference between Drama and Opera, would not serve the films (although he's one of the only ones who has a history of writing music in the vein of Williams).

Horner is a no. Just no. He is far past his prime, his overly repetative scores and inability to write any thematic music these days places him as one of the dead last on my list.

Zimmer, although a strong composer himself, has a tendency for a very bombastic 'wall of music' approach that again, doesn't fit Star Wars.

Silvestri is a master but he's only just getting back in the game and I don't think he has what he had in the past to write big operatic scores...I doubt he would be the best choice based on his current work.

There are few composers who have followed Williams in a franchise... Looking at Harry Potter for example, the only person I felt who did a decent job was Nicholas Hooper (Order of the Phoenix; Half-Blood Prince) but both of those scores were highly stylized and what he lacks in thematic mastery he more than makes up in his atonality. But again, he may not fit Star Wars.

STAR WARS is an opera through and through. The music must be dramatic, yet subtle, strong, yet tender...

There's one composer that comes to mind that I think could do it although his history with WB black listed him, Gabriel Yared is more than qualified to write this sort of music.

It's times like this I wish I had pushed myself harder to be out there writing film scores

Hooper was awful. GOD AWFUL. His scores actively detracted from the film and are boring as hell to listen to away from the films. I wouldn't hire that guy to score a porno.

I loved Hooper's themes in HPOOTP. Umbridge's theme, Flight of the Order of the Phoenix, Possession, Death of Sirius, Hall of Prophecy, The Sirus Deception, Fireworks were all amazing

He's definitely not as strong as what would be needed for Star Wars heavily thematic and operatic tone, although his ambient/atonal music worked really well... and although he did well with the themes, they aren't strong enough for a space opera.

Here's an example of Gabriel Yared at his best:

I'm going to be in the vast minority here and say, GET JOEL MCNEELY. His work on both Young Indiana Jones and Shadows of the Empire are wholly underappreciated, and his music composition is a perfect mix between John Williams and his own style, making a very fresh sound.

Yeah he was lame too...