John Williams officially returns as Star Wars composer
29 July 2013, 13:55
John Williams has been officially confirmed as the soundtrack composer for the new Star Wars film, the seventh film in the long-running saga.
The announcement was made by LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy at this year's SW Celebration event in Essen, Germany: "I had breakfast with someone very important to the Star Wars family last Friday, and he has committed to working on Episode VII. And that is Mr John Williams."
Previously, both Williams himself and the new film's director, JJ Abrams, have confirmed that they would both expect Williams to be working on the project, but this is the first official confirmation that the new film will feature a Williams score.
All six of the previous Star Wars films have featured music composed by John Williams, so the news will be welcomed by long-term fans of the franchise.
It was speculated for a time that Abrams' regular music collaborator Michael Giacchino would be the composer for the new films, but even Giacchino himself admitted that he would only want to hear a John Williams soundtrack.
Star Wars Episode VII will begin filming in 2014, partly in the UK. As yet it is unconfirmed that the London Symphony Orchestra will play on the soundtrack as in previous instalments.
