Star Wars: Episode VIII wrapped filming late last month, and post production is trucking along in anticipation of the December 15, 2017 release date. As he did for last year's hugely successful The Force Awakens, original composer John Williams is returning yet again to score the next chapter in the intergenerational narrative of the Skywalkers, Solos and....whatever Rey is.
Turns out, Williams doesn't know the answer to that burning question either, as he told the crowd at Tanglewood Music Center last night where he conducted a 30-minute performance of his iconic Star Wars compositions. If Williams doesn't know who Rey's parents are yet, he may learn soon, depending on how long the folks at Lucasfilm want to drag that particular mystery out.
Per a report on MassLive, Williams told the Tanglewood crowd that he will begin work on scoring Episode VIII in a few weeks after screening an early cut of Rian Jonhson's highly-anticipated follow-up to The Force Awakens. He also told the audience that he accepted Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy's invitation to return for Episode VIII "mainly because he was enchanted by actress Daisy Ridley's portrayal of Rey and does not want another composer scoring her scenes." Fair enough. Ridley is an indisputable breakout of The Force Awakens and Williams' score for "Rey's Theme" is one of the most celebrated pieces of music to come out of the new trilogy so far.
Along with Ridley, Star Wars: Episode VIII, stars returning cast members Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis. New cast members will include Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.
Be sure to check out Adam's ranking of John William's 10 greatest scores, and for more on Star Wars: Episode VIII, take a look at some of our most recent coverage in the links below:
- “Star Wars Celebration” Day 1: Video Recap & Reaction to Today’s Panels & Events
- ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII': Mark Hamill Talks Secrecy Issues, Teases New Catchphrases
- Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley Wrap on ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ in Time for a Celebration
- 6 ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Characters Who Need to up Their Game in ‘Episode VIII’
- Here’s When ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ Filming Wraps
