Who will become Spielberg's go-to composer after JW?

[Ollie 1,059]

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

I’d wager that Spielberg would choose Zimmer over Giacchino. 

 

That would be the only Spielberg score missing from my collection. Well that and the upcomingwasteoftime west side story.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,513]

3 hours ago, pete said:

I'll do it for free. I'll have to learn how to compose music first though. 

That never stopped Zimmer.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

John Williams Jr.

[Arpy 4,145]

Giacchino has worked with Spielberg before - on Super 8 back in 2011, I wouldn't put it beyond him to be a potential Spielberg collaborator. My two top choices are Thomas Newman and Alan Silvestri, two composers of whom Williams has recommended.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Silvestri needs a better album producer.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

29 minutes ago, Arpy said:

Giacchino has worked with Spielberg before - on Super 8 back in 2011, I wouldn't put it beyond him to be a potential Spielberg collaborator. My two top choices are Thomas Newman and Alan Silvestri, two composers of whom Williams has recommended.

That’s JJ Abrams. If we’re counting projects that Spielberg produced you could say he was responsible for Giacchino’s entire career by demanding an orchestral score for Medal Of Honor. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,054]

I guess no good deed (his JW collaboration) goes unpunished (starting Gia's career).

[Quintus 5,399]

5 hours ago, pete said:

I'll do it for free. I'll have to learn how to compose music first though. 

 

Didn't stop Michael Giacchino did it. 

 

 

 

Ffs someone already beat me to it

[mrbellamy 6,278]

12 hours ago, TheUlyssesian said:

He WILL have a go-to composer because he repeats his film-making crew all the time. He does not like jumping from collaborator to collaborator.

 

8 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Well this is demonstrably false. He has already used two different composers in Williams’ absence. 

 

Yeah it’s not strictly true. There are obviously notable people who have had long (mostly) unbroken streaks with the man but in this century alone he’s had multiple casting directors, production designers, and costume designers for example. A lot of times they’ll do a few movies in a row, or leave and come back later, but only a few people have been sticking it through the entire latter half of his filmography to this point and we all know who they are.

 

I feel like if he’s lucky to make movies into his 80s, he could go back to both Newman and Silvestri for seconds or thirds, maybe add a few scores from another established composer or somebody younger we haven’t heard of yet and that should be about it for whatever he does without JW. He’s not gonna have that much time to really marry somebody else.

 

Plus Williams isn’t dead or retired, anyway, and the score for Spielberg’s next movie already exists, so who the hell knows.

[Alex 2,835]

Thomas Newman for historical dramas.

Alan Silvestri for action/sci-fi.

David Newman for anything else.

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

A SS and Zimmer colab could be great if SS was interested in making a movie that would interest Zimmer but I can’t see that happening. West Side Story and and historical dramas wouldn’t be the place for Zimmer.

 

Now if SS was to make another WWII action movie. That could be interesting. 

[Thor 7,492]

52 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

Now if SS was to make another WWII action movie. That could be interesting. 

 

If so, that would be from Goebbel's propaganda office, and not the SS.

[Bilbo 3,709]

Thor made a funny!!!! 😬

[Arpy 4,145]

3 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

That’s JJ Abrams. If we’re counting projects that Spielberg produced you could say he was responsible for Giacchino’s entire career by demanding an orchestral score for Medal Of Honor. 

Even more reason for why there is a potential collaboration...

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

Blackhawk - Hans Zimmer

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara - Thomas Newman

Pirate Latitudes - Alan Silvestri

It's What I Do - Rachel Portman

Napoleon - Alexandre Desplat

Robopocalypse - Alexandre Desplat or Alan Silvestri

Ulysses S. Grant movie - Carter Burwell

[Thor 7,492]

To expound a bit upon my previous assertions:

 

I still can't let my Billy Goldenberg idea go. His last 'proper' score was for the TV movie MONDAY AFTER THE MIRACLE (1998), but he did a short film in 2011 called SURPRISE, SURPRISE, MR. CONOVY. So he's hopefully still doing music. A new collaboration between them could be introduced by a special "The Spielberg/Goldenberg Collection" that would include these scores:

 

"Eyes" from NIGHT GALLERY

"LA 2017" from THE NAME OF THE GAME

"Murder by the Book" from COLUMBO

Selections from DUEL

(maybe something from AMAZING STORIES, even if Spielberg was only producer on the episodes Goldenberg scored)

 

But of course, by the time Williams moves on, so will ol' Billy. So it's just a fun thought experiment.

 

More realistic is, as I mentioned earlier, that he'll continue to mine the other, younger composers from the AMAZING STORIES days. He's already used Thomas Newman, David Newman and Alan Silvestri. Those that are still around from that time -- and that I consider realistic choices -- would be Bruce Broughton and David Shire (if he's doing another thriller, but Shire's getting up there too, even if he's still active). Less realistic would be Danny Elfman, Brad Fiedel, Steve Bartek, Pat Metheny, Lennie Niehaus (he has retired from Clint too!), Craig Safan...

 

Finally, there are other composers from that (more or less same) generation -- James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer (quite realistic, as previously suggested), Bill Conti (OK, a bit older), Joel McNeely, John Debney, Patrick Doyle. James Horner would have been a surefire candidate, had he still been alive. Of newer composers, perhaps someone like Benjamin Wallfisch or John Powell. I cross every fibre and bone in my body that he will never go for Desplat or Giacchino. I doubt he'll go outside the comfort zone of American/Hollywood composers, but I would be delightfully surprised if he did.

 

OK, enough speculation. Let's just see what happens, shall we!

 

[mrbellamy 6,278]

I don't think Elfman's that unrealistic?

[Jurassic Shark 12,054]

32 minutes ago, Thor said:

Joel McNeely, John Debney

 

I'm guessing he'll go for someone who's closer to being an A-list film composer than these guys.

 

12 hours ago, dougie said:

Silvestri needs a better album producer.

 

But they're all dead!

[Thor 7,492]

52 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I'm guessing he'll go for someone who's closer to being an A-list film composer than these guys.

 

Perhaps. But they're great pastiche composers of John Williams' sound, should it be required. Also, Debney is pretty A list, I think.

[Jurassic Shark 12,054]

1 minute ago, Thor said:

Also, Debney is pretty A list, I think.

 

I guess he might have improved his standing in recent years.

[mrbellamy 6,278]

Becoming Favreau’s guy was a good break for him. I still don’t get the sense that he’s anyone else’s #1 choice, but seems like lower A-list, upper-B-list is where he hovers around in the hierarchy. He and Christophe Beck are kind of in that zone. 

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

Why is everyone so concerned with who is going to succeed JW...after he's dead.

[gkgyver 1,645]

23 hours ago, John said:

I imagine Spielberg would go for a more “prestige” composer in Williams’ absence. Maybe Thomas Newman or Silvestri. 

 

"Absence" is a nice repackaging of "death",

[crumbs 14,306]

Williams is really the only reason I'm still following Spielberg's career post-Munich. He's really only made one great movie since (Lincoln).

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I'll take your word for that. I fell asleep during that one.

[Jurassic Shark 12,054]

My friend fell asleep in the cinema during one of the LotR films. I don't blame him!

[Thor 7,492]

7 hours ago, crumbs said:

Williams is really the only reason I'm still following Spielberg's career post-Munich. He's really only made one great movie since (Lincoln).

 

I don't agree. THE POST was fantastic; better than LINCOLN (which was also good, as was BRIDGE OF SPIES). The others have great qualities too. I'm kinda opposite as you; I'm still following Spielberg's career DESPITE Williams' music, which is often rather underwhelming post-2005.

[Lord Zimmer 211]

Justin Hurwitz.