Just before the holiday weekend, Shawn Levy shared some new details about Star Wars: Starfighter, specifically its score.
The music of the franchise has been some of the most iconic, largely thanks to the efforts of John Williams. For the new film, composing duties will go to one Thomas Newman, best known for The Shawshank Redemption, Spectre and Skyfall, and more recently The Thursday Murder Club. On an episode of Kevin McCarthy’s “On Film…” podcast, the director revealed Starfighter would be “classically inspired” and avoid replicating what Williams has already done.
“It may be inspired by some of that,” he acknowledged, “but I knew that I needed a big-hearted movie score from a composer who, like John, doesn’t shy away from themes.” As far as getting Newman onboard, Levy said he simply called the conductor up: “I said, ‘Hey, it’s Shawn, would ever consider–?’ And he said, ‘Send me the script, and describe your vision.’ And I did both those things, and it was yes, and I’m so stoked.”
“If you asked me to name my favorite scores, five of the top ten are Tom Newman. The guy is a maestro,” Levy continued. What he wants from the score of Star Wars: Starfighter is “myriad musical signatures that help tell the narrative alongside, and in addition to, the words and images.”
Promising words, and an exciting prospect for those into Star Wars’ music. Hopefully we get to hear whatever Newman’s cooked up at Star Wars Celebration at some point before Star Wars: Starfighter itself hits theaters on May 28, 2027.
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