It looks like that living legend of film composition, John Williams, has agreed to come out of retirement to score the next Steven Spielberg movie.
That’s what the Juilliard president Damian Woetzel appeared to let slip on Monday (27 October) during an event at the prestigious school honouring Williams, entitled ‘John Williams – A Composer’s Life: A Night Of Stories and Music’.
Woetzel introduced the 93-year-old composer, saying: “John Williams, who is in Los Angeles doing what he does... is working with Steven Spielberg on the next movie. And that is something to be happy about.”
Not much is known about the movie, except that it’s about UFOs, and out sometime in 2026. If what Woetzel said is true, it will be the 30th movie that Spielberg and Williams have worked together on, a partnership that goes back over 50 years to Spielberg’s 1974 feature The Sugarland Express.
Williams appeared to have retired after working on Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny in 2022. Speaking to Associated Press at the time, he said: “Harrison Ford – who’s quite a bit younger than I am - has announced (it) will be his last film. So, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”
But in an interview with The Times in 2023, he didn’t rule out a surprise return, saying: “I don’t care much for grand pronunciamentos, statements that are firm and finished and surrounded by closed doors. If I made one without putting it in context then I withdraw it.”
The first blockbuster Williams and Spielberg worked on together was Jaws, which is, of course, 50 years old this year. Spielberg has previously confirmed that when he first heard what Williams had written for the main title theme, he couldn’t help laugh. “I expected to hear something kind of weird and melodic, you know,” the director revealed. “Really kind of tonal but eerie and of another world.”
“What he played me instead, with two fingers on the lower keys was, ‘dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun’, and at first I began to laugh. He had a great sense of humour - I thought he was putting me on.”
It was only on its second listen that Spielberg realised what his colleague was trying to achieve. “I said ‘Play it again,’ and he played it again and it suddenly seemed right, and John found a signature for the entire movie."
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