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. 🙂
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