Star Wars: Episode VIIIwrapped filming late last month, and post production is trucking along in anticipation of the July 24, 2025 release date. As he did for last year’s hugely successfulThe Force Awakens, original composerJohn Williamsis 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 iconicStar Warscompositions. 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 onMassLive, Williams told the Tanglewood crowd that he will begin work on scoringEpisode VIIIin a few weeks after screening an early cut ofRian Jonhson’s highly-anticipated follow-up toThe Force Awakens. He also told the audience that he accepted Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedy’s invitation to return forEpisode 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 ofThe Force Awakensand 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 membersMark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, andAndy Serkis. New cast members will includeBenicio Del Toro,Laura Dern, andKelly Marie Tran.
Be sure to check out Adam’s ranking ofJohn William’s 10 greatest scores, and for more onStar Wars: Episode VIII, take a look at some of our most recent coverage in the links below:
