When Indiana Jones 5 finally makes its way to screens after years of delays it’s going to be a big deal. The long awaited installment of a massively popular franchise will put Harrison Ford back in the fedora for what will almost certainly be the final time. It will be the end of an era. However, it turns out it might also be the end of another era, as Indiana Jones composer John Williams is indicating that the next Indy movie may be his last film score.
Nobody in the history of film has done more with music that John Williams. He’s written themes and scores for well over 100 movies and created some of the most iconic pieces of music for movies from Jaws, to Star Wars, to Harry Potter and, of course, Indiana Jones. He’s the go-to composer for Steven Spielberg. He’s been nominated for 52 Oscars in his career and he won a Grammy for music he wrote for Disneyland. There has never been a career quite like his, but it must end at some point and Williams tells the Associated Press that he’s thinking he’ll make Indiana Jones 5 his final score. Williams says…
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.
Harrison Ford has not confirmed publicly that Indiana Jones 5 will be his final film. He has a pair of TV projects still in his future, though no other big screen outings are officially in development. Whether or not Indy 5 is Harrison Ford’s last movie, it will mark a significant ending, and John Williams clearly sees that possibility for himself as well.
Having said that, John Williams isn’t quite ready to commit entirely to retiring. The main issue seems to be that Williams, who recently had a birthday and is 90-years-old, doesn’t want to commit the time that a major film score requires. Namely about six months of work according to him. And Williams isn’t claiming he’s going to just stop making music or doing other things. He does have other musical projects in the works. He continues…
I don’t want to be seen as categorically eliminating any activity. I can’t play tennis, but I like to be able to believe that maybe one day I will.
The day that John Williams stops writing film scores will certainly be a sad day for movie fans. But that day must come eventually, and Williams has certainly earned retirement. Fans will still have his dozens of film scores, and the movies that include them, to enjoy. If Indiana Jones 5 really is the end for John Williams it will give us yet another reason to look forward to that movie. Indy 5 is set to arrive in theaters almost exactly one year from now, June 30, 2023.
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