Let me be honest about it: Mr. Williams is an old man. I don’t know how many more movie scores he has in him. I’d rather that John Williams makes sure that the one for Episode Nine is written and done first:
Composer John Powell, who may be best known for his memorable soundtracks to the Matt Damon Bourne series, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda (1 and 2), and How to Train Your Dragon (1 and 2), will be lifting the baton to score the upcoming young Han Solomovie, due in theaters next year. Powell is only the third composer to be welcomed into the exclusive family of Star Wars live-action music writers, which includes the legendary John Williams (the eight Skywalker saga movies) and Michael Giacchino, who scored last December’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The untitled Han Solomovie will be scored in the style of the original Star Wars movies but retain Powell’s distinctive voice.
Is this greedy of me? Perhaps. But the scores from the second Star Wars trilogy were about the only thing I liked about those movies, and the last one just won’t be the same without that John Williams touch. And, heck, I liked the music in Kung Fu Panda. That series has been remarkably free of sequel suckitude.