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Credit: LucasfilmAfter nearly 50 years of creating some of the greatest music of all time, John Williams is now considering stepping down from the spotlight.
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While the legendary composer has admitted that Star Wars: Episode IX — Rise of Skywalker (2019) was his last Star Wars movie, Williams did agree to work on Indiana Jones 5. Recently, Williams surprised fans by working with Star Wars to create a new theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi which gave fans another warm reminder of the magic he can create.
Besides, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Williams has worked on several classics such as Jaws (1975), E.T. (1982), Harry Potter, Schindler’s List (1993), and Jurassic Park (1993). Now, the composer, 90, doesn’t feel that he can commit to working on another movie at this time.
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In a recent interview, Williams shared that he didn’t think about retiring until he heard that Harrison Ford’s last movie was going to be Indiana Jones 5 which led him to think he could do the same with composing:
“At the moment I’m working on ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ which Harrison Ford — who’s quite a bit younger than I am — I think has announced will be his last film so, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”
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Williams also made it clear that he doesn’t want to be seen stepping away from any of it either. He considers working on a movie as a “long commitment” which is something he can’t do for a while.
This doesn’t mean that Williams is gone from composing a single theme again as he did for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but fans shouldn’t expect to see much more of the composer.
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His plan is to work on composing concert music for a piano concerto he’s writing for Emanuel Ax. Williams did share that he is grateful for everything music has given him and that he could devote his life to something as powerful as music:
“It’s given me the ability to breathe, the ability to live and understand that there’s more to corporal life without being religious, which I’m not especially, there is a spiritual life, an artistic life, a realm that’s above the mundanities of everyday realities. Music can raise one’s thinking to the level of poetry. We can reflect on how necessary music has been for humanity. I always like to speculate that music is older than language, that we were probably beating drums and blowing on reeds before we could speak. So it’s an essential part of our humanity.”
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The legendary composer also admits that it’s hard to believe that his music is heard all over the world as he just focuses on what is next at his piano:
“I’m told that the music is played all over the world. What could be more rewarding than that?” But I have to say it seems unreal. I can only see what’s in front of me at the piano right at this moment, and do my best with that.”
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Star Wars may be about a galaxy far far away, but it’s full of amazing stories and characters. Fortunately, those stories continue to be made as Lucasfilm promises to tell character-driven stories in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and of course The Mandalorian. While the Disney+ series has become the new norm for Star Wars, Taika Waititi is making a movie, and of course, Patty Jenkin’s Rogue Squadron is in the works.