JAWS composer John Williams confirms he's not retiring after Indiana Jones 5
To paraphrase Mark Twain, it is pleasing to hear that rumours of the retirement of John Williams have been greatly exaggerated.
That's right, John Williams - the man who gave us the music to Close Encounters, Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones E.T. - the extra-terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List and Harry Potter - will keep scoring movies.
Cue a collective sigh of relief from film and music fans from around the world, not to mention one Steven Spielberg.
It had been widely reported that Williams was putting down his film composing baton after the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but thankfully destiny has a different path for the famed composer.
As was reported in Variety, Williams said: "You can’t retire from music... it’s like breathing. It’s your life. It’s my life. And so a day without music is a mistake.”
Williams was sat with his most synonymous collaborator, Steven Spielberg. The pair were at an American Cinematheque tribute, celebrating five decades of their winning partnership, so hopefully this is news we can look forward to their sixth decade.
They first worked together on The Sugarland Express (1974), began working on that film in 1972, and the rest has not only been film history but an integral part of our lives and popular culture.
Their latest film together has been The Fabelmans (2022) and asked if the pair would ever work together again, Williams said: “Well, Steven is a lot of things. He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say no to.”
With a visibly happy Spielberg then reporting that he better plan what he is doing next, one hopes this cinematic force is one that shall continue for several more years to come.
And even better if that is a JAWS prequel focusing on Quint and the sinking of the USS Indianapolis – which Spielberg had once mooted as a follow up to the first film – but now with Ian Shaw, from hit stage play The Shark Is Broken, stepping into the shoes of the role that his dad, Robert Shaw, played in the original JAWS back in 1975. Hey, one can dream, and it doesn't hurt to dream a little.
If nothing else, it would almost be the perfect bookend to an amazing, illustrious, award-winning and box office-busting career as they showed us the way to go home and back to the world of JAWS.
Words by Dean Newman
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