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John Powell's SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018) - Deluxe Edition 2020 / Intrada 2-CD edition October 31, 2023


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12 hours ago, leeallen01 said:

 

 

The first half of this piece was made for Star Wars. It even has an Empire-style theme throughout.

 

 

 

If he brings back the Chicken Run kazoos, I'm sold.

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Huh. Now this is great news. I was just scrolling past the forum thread titles, actually saw this thread a few times but my eyes never went past "Han Solo" without losing interest until this time when I caught John Powell's name. I for one don't want him to temper his bombast here. 

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This is like a fantasy scoring assignment that I would never have thought would actually happen. Massive anticipation for this, even more than Desplat or Gia for Rogue One.

 

Given that it is set in the past and is based on Han Solo who isn't a Jedi and would yet have met Luke or Leia, I don't think the movie will give Powell much opportunity to use JW's themes, except for Jabba's. Maybe the Rebel fanfare if they are part of the story. Maybe the cloud city theme will be "re-purposed" for Lando. The cue most people associate with the Falcon is the Tie Fighter Attack so I'd like to hear him base an action cue around that in his own style. Either way, Powell doing a fun space epic is bound to be excellent regardless if it is Star Wars or not.

 

This is obviously an incredibly high profile job for him. I wonder if this will mark the beginning of Powell becoming a sought after composer for franchise movies like Gia has become.

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15 hours ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

Both a Williams and a Powell Star Wars score all within a 5 month span... magnificent.

 

 Gonna be interesting to have our requisite Spielberg and Star Wars movies with Williams scores in December, followed by two more without.

 

I wonder if there'll be any comparison threads!

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1 hour ago, Damien F said:

Given that it is set in the past and is based on Han Solo who isn't a Jedi and would yet have met Luke or Leia, I don't think the movie will give Powell much opportunity to use JW's themes, except for Jabba's. Maybe the Rebel fanfare if they are part of the story. Maybe the cloud city theme will be "re-purposed" for Lando. The cue most people associate with the Falcon is the Tie Fighter Attack so I'd like to hear him base an action cue around that in his own style. Either way, Powell doing a fun space epic is bound to be excellent regardless if it is Star Wars or not.

 

In TFA, the Rebel Fanfare was pretty much only used for the Falcon and Luke's theme got a couple plays for Han, so you never know.

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1 hour ago, Muad'Dib said:

I think it will sound more like his recent concert works than anything else he's done on film, with the exception of X-Men 3 and some parts of HTTYD2.

 

I'm not so familiar with his work on concerts, but I believe JP will emulate JW style as well as MG. The fans want it to be this way.

 

Most people's thoughts:

 

20 hours ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

I keep seeing articles on Facebook saying "John Williams isn't scoring the Han Solo film!" and idiots commenting "oh no, that must be a bad sign! Now I won't see it!" Man I want to slap all of these people in their faces.

 

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6 hours ago, igger6 said:

I love this assignment, but my biggest fear is that he'll write some jaunty Powell adventure music that's miles from the Star Wars sound.  So I guess Disney has my number with that shout-out in the press release. 

 

I'm mostly hoping for a soft, intriguing flute rendition of the "Asteroid Field" fanfare when Han first looks at the Falcon.  Otherwise, I'd love it if the little-used B section of the Main Title became a real Han motif, as David Collins argued it was becoming in the beginning of the TESB score.  (In one of the TESB episodes of Star Wars Oxygen, he pointed out that this motif accompanied Han onscreen twice, one of which was dialed out of the Echo Base establishing shots).  But it would need some new closure of its own to avoid sounding incomplete.

Could you point me towards that episode of SW Oxygen please?

 

I don't expect such pedantic thematic play. Remember that Powell is loose with his themes. I expect next-to zero familiar themes (maybe Jabba's?), considering this film is set in the underworld away from the war, but I anticipate a rich and rewarding score regardless.

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Well I listened to SW Oxygen #32 (Restoring ESB music) and didn't hear any reference to Asteroid Belt sub-theme being used in the Hoth sequences at the start. I've also listened through the Hoth music and cannot here anything familiar from elsewhere. Anyone care to point out some time-stamps for the use of an Asteroid Belt sub-theme elsewhere in the score?

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36 minutes ago, Miz said:

Well I listened to SW Oxygen #32 (Restoring ESB music) and didn't hear any reference to Asteroid Belt sub-theme being used in the Hoth sequences at the start. I've also listened through the Hoth music and cannot here anything familiar from elsewhere. Anyone care to point out some time-stamps for the use of an Asteroid Belt sub-theme elsewhere in the score?

 

That part referred to the Main Title B, not the Asteroid Field, I believe.

 

 

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11 hours ago, igger6 said:

Otherwise, I'd love it if the little-used B section of the Main Title became a real Han motif, as David Collins argued it was becoming in the beginning of the TESB score.  (In one of the TESB episodes of Star Wars Oxygen, he pointed out that this motif accompanied Han onscreen twice, one of which was dialed out of the Echo Base establishing shots).  But it would need some new closure of its own to avoid sounding incomplete.

 

Han Solo and the Princess is Han's theme in ESB.

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2 hours ago, Holko said:

 

That part referred to the Main Title B, not the Asteroid Field, I believe.

 

 

 

Oh yeah. Okay, I see how it was used in that way. It'd be a good one to carry across to the Han Solo film, but its melody is a little to regal for the rascal.

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2 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

Seeing TFA 3 times in the theater around Christmas with different family and friends each time is a memory I'm already looking back on very fondly.

 

Only 3 times? Pfft!

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Totally agreed.  Summer should be for Disney's own IPs and Marvel movies, December for Star Wars

 

I think Lucasfilm is aiming to flip between summer and holiday releases for subsequent Star Wars films. Like Warners did with the eight Potter films, half came out in June/July while the rest was pre-Thanksgiving.

 

Also, Disney did not push back Han Solo when Ron Howard came on. They obviously want to reclaim the Memorial Day weekend for that film as well as Episode IX.

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1 minute ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

 

Only 3 times? Pfft!

 

On the spectrum of Star Wars fans, I'm more towards the casual end of the line.  Big fan, but not weird about it.

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It's pretty telling that Disney is moving forward with May releases for future SW entries, as WB moved Aquaman to December 21, 2018 and slated Wonder Woman 2 for December 13, 2019.

 

But Warners would move them if they moved Han and Episode IX back to December.

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I would just like to point out that the title of this Hollywood Reporter round table video is:

 

"Trent Reznor, Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman and More Composers for THR's Roundtable"

 

With poor John Powell and Marco Beltrami relegated to being "more composers."  Maybe after this high-profile assignment he'll finally get the wider respect he deserves!

 

 

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I wouldn't mind getting Star Wars earlier but you're right, there is something magical about them coming out near Christmas every year. in this case though with a film that's changed directors entirely, I highly expect this to get delayed to December.

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3 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

"Trent Reznor, Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman and More Composers for THR's Roundtable"

 

They put Reznor's name first, eh? What's going on, it's a madhouse!

 

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

Haha:

 

Quote

Powell was announced as the primary composer for “Solo” back in July. “His assignment is something I’m very happy about,” Williams adds. “What I will do is offer this to John, and to [director] Ron Howard, and if all parties are happy with it, then I will be happy. … John [Powell] will complete the score. He will write all the rest of the themes and all of the other material, which I’m going to be very anxious to hear.”

 

What an elegant way of saying 'Take it or leave it, John Powell'.

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I just wish they could have done this with Rogue One also so that wouldn’t have sucked so much. 

 

Great news, I have full confidence in Powell to do justice to the theme throughout the score!

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Probably Kasdan and Kennedy seized the opportunity. Though it might make Powell smirk a little (which real composer likes to have his main theme taken away from him?) i'm sure the Williams theme will be a great foundation so this is not really bad news.

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30 minutes ago, publicist said:

Haha:

 

 

What an elegant way of saying 'Take it or leave it, John Powell'.

 

Exactly. John Williams kindly offering to help with your Star Wars score, if you please, is like Steve Jobs offering to "help" with the iPod design. You only have to take his suggestions if you like them.

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I don't mind. This could be interesting. Although is perfectly capable of writing a good theme himself.

 

Having said that, it's that Williams is to finally grace Han Solo with a theme. :)

 

Karol

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Wow, this was unexpected to say the least! But not at all unwelcome.

More Williams is always good. More Williams for Star Wars is even better! :D

 

I was literally wondering last week which Williams themes could be used in "Solo" and could not really think of (m)any.

Apparently I was not the only person to wonder that and the staff at Lucasfilm were asking themselves the same question!

 

That being said, I do not think this was actually necessary.

John Powell is a more than capable composer and he would have done a great job even without Williams writing a main theme.

 

Michael Giacchino's "Rogue One" was also pretty darn good as far as I'm concerned!

I won't claim it's perfect and it's certainly not at Williams' level.

But it is still a respectably good score and I wouldn't mind him returning to the Star Wars universe at some point.

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8 minutes ago, Pieter_Boelen said:

Wow, this was unexpected to say the least! But not at all unwelcome.

More Williams is always good. More Williams for Star Wars is even better! :D

 

I was literally wondering last week which Williams themes could be used in "Solo" and could not really think of (m)any.

 

Unless Powell is going to pull a Giacchino on us and use multiple themes from Williams catalogue in inappropriate ways.

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