Who should take over the STAR WARS series after Williams?
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John Williams has made it clear that he’s retiring from STAR WARS after IX.
Who, in your opinion, should continue his legacy?
Personally, I absolutely hated Giacchino’s ROGUE ONE, so I hope it’s not him. Also not Desplat.
Should one go for the brilliant pastiche composers like Joel McNeely or John Debney? Or try something more radical?
Star Wars should have a more classical sound (and yeah, it’s something that Giacchino or Desplat can deliver), however I wouldn’t refer to the classical sound, even if referencing the old masters, pastiche. That would make the original Star Wars a pastiche score, which perhaps to an extent it was, but still…
I assume the question is which composer would be the best to write new scores in Williams’ established Star Wars style. Not only does such a composer need to have the skills to write in this particular style, but also be willing to do that for the entire score while prioritizing the Star Wars style over his/her own style. I think McNeely has shown he’s not up to the task with Shadows of the Empire. I also doubt Desplat’s able, judging by his Harry Potter scores.
I would say the best qualified among the established Hollywood composers are Harry Gregson-Williams, David Arnold, and John Powell. It will be interesting to see whether Powell succeeds with Solo!
I think McNeely has shown he’s not up to the task with Shadows of the Empire.
Really? I love that album.
This is a difficult one..!
I think if you put so much restraints on the new composer(s) so that he or she has to almost “disregard” their own style to make it sound the way Star Wars has “always” sounded, you have already lost. Even John Williams himself took the music in a lot of new directions with the prequel trilogy (and did some of the best work of his career, IMHO). I’m sure he wouldn’t want his followers to imitate his style or styles, more than doing their own thing.
That’s why I would prefer someone other than Giacchino, who would maybe stick too much to the pastiche thing.
That said, I don’t exactly want a Daft Punk or a Trent Reznor Star Wars either. Neither do I want a Hans Zimmer Star Wars.Someone who doesn’t stray too far away from the classical way, with an orchestra and with themes, but still has their own voice to add to it, instead of just imitating Williams.
James Newton Howard might not be a bad idea…
My vote would go to James Newton Howard who has a classical background. Perhaps Thomas Newman also.
Interesting suggestion, especially since Williams and the Newmans go way back, and Williams has spoken highly of Thomas Newman.
I think if you put so much restraints on the new composer(s) so that he or she has to almost “disregard” their own style to make it sound the way Star Wars has “always” sounded, you have already lost.
I’m not saying composers should disregard their own style, but rather stay away from stylistic traits which definitely don’t belong. For example, I don’t think Desplat’s mechanical, repetitive patterns would fit well in a Star Wars score.
Eirik beat me in suggesting James Newton Howard 🙂 . I think he – and Alan Silvestri – would be excellent choices.
With those two, there would be no need to actively try to emulate Williams – if they stick to their own, large-scale orchestral styles, it would mean we could still get meaty, skillfully orchestrated scores that would sound late-romantic, but still modern.
A lot of people seem to think Giacchino and Desplat would be natural choices, but I’m with others here that they would not be at the top of the wish-list. To my ears there’s something too straightforward and unimaginative about their orchestrations, especially when they write large blockbuster-type scores.
Of these two, I think Silvestri is the best at writing good themes, which is a necessity for a Star Wars score. But he’s not exactly young – neither is Howard. They’re both close to retirement age, and I don’t expect anybody to continue in the business for as long as Williams.
Yes, they’re both in their 60s now, but if they stay active and healthy, we could still get quite a few years of Star Wars music from them. 🙂
Composers are now “taking over from Williams” all over the place, with all the new films and TV series coming out. So it’s a somewhat different situation than when this thread was first created in 2018. Interesting. But sorry to say, I’ve largely been disappointed with most of what has come out, score-wise, from these new films and TV shows.
No, it’s a bit cumbersome, unfortunately. You have to copy/paste the text and then use B-QUOTE around it.
That’s okay, but then the “REPLY” link/button on every post doesn’t really have a function other than bringing you down to the editor at the bottom of the plane?
Noted. Sorry for derailing the thread – perhaps there could be a separate thread for questions regarding the forum itself.
To answer your Star Wars question: I think Christopher Willis could have been an good choice for a Star Wars composer, probably capable of emulating the classic Star Wars sound. He’s shown great skills at creating good pastiche scores, such as The Death of Stalin and David Copperfield.
Noted. Sorry for derailing the thread – perhaps there could be a separate thread for questions regarding the forum itself.
Yes, good idea. Added now.
To answer your Star Wars question: I think Christopher Willis could have been an good choice for a Star Wars composer, probably capable of emulating the classic Star Wars sound. He’s shown great skills at creating good pastiche scores, such as The Death of Stalin and David Copperfield.
Interesting suggestion. I’ve never really latched on to Willis myself, but he definitely has the chops.
I find it curious when this sort of question is asked. There seems to be a presumption that a composer may only be as good as what they have done already and couldn’t do something novel.
(I have had a few glasses of wine and may be a bit argumentative.)
I am sure that there weren’t many who thought that Howard Shore was a bizarre choice for Lord of the Rings (and, perhaps, hadn’t heard Looking For Richard but couldn’t see how that style would have been a good fit for Middle Earth).
I am sure that there weren’t many who thought that Howard Shore was a bizarre choice for Lord of the Rings (and, perhaps, hadn’t heard Looking For Richard but couldn’t see how that style would have been a good fit for Middle Earth).
While I did knew Richard III I was indeed surprised about the choice back then. Not sure who I expected but certainly more someone like James Horner. WHile I liked Shore’s score I originally found it a bit too traditional and would have loved more “roughness” it originally.
With taking over Start Wars the question is, do we need someone to mimic the style of Williams exactly actually? Mandalorian did part a lot and I found interessting.
We surely have people like McNeely (SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE is great), Debney who can mimic “anyone” and Kiner can do Williams more or less as well. Maybe give Gordy Haab a movie finally… Or Conrad Pope or William Ross. Ross’ adaption on OBI-WAN KENOBI were more convincing that Nathalia Holt’s parts but that’s maybe a bit unfair as there was no collaboratin… Or what about John Powell. As unnecessary SOLO was the score was entertaining.
I have not seen the new shows expect some free epsiode or excpert here and there but partly listened some score so far. Most were bland/servicable but they have big shoes to fill…
I think the scores would be less bland if they hired someone capable of composing in the SW idiom.
I fear if they wanted that they would have done it…
Yup. Too bad they didn’t want that, as the original musical style is an integral part of the Star Wars experience.
If they ever decide to go back to Williams’ style, one excellent choice would be Kevin Kaska. To my ears, he’s the best Williams clone out there. The score he did for THE ORVILLE episode “Electric Sheep” is terrific. He doesn’t just try to sound like Williams there, he actually pretty much does sound like him. His orchestrations are vibrant and exciting. Granted, in that episode, some tracks are clearly inspired by things like “Battle in the Snow” and “The Adventures of Mutt”, but they’re far from copies.
I’ve been thinking lately about what STAR WARS scores NOT by Williams that I actually like.
For me, there are really only three. Joel McNeely’s SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE stands on top. I also like Bernstein’s EWOKS and Powell’s SOLO. But I’m sorry to say that ALL of the rest leaves me cold, in one way or another. And yes, that includes all those videogame scores that everyone raves about.
As I touched on in the Thomas Newman thread, I do have some vague expectations for his upcoming STAR WARS score, but I fear it will disappoint.
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