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John Williams To Possibly Compose Deathly Hallows Films


scallenger

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Hey... maybe Nicholas Hooper is reluctant to come back (because he knows he isn't good with this)!

Now that would be a surprise.

After reading our message board he actually may attempt suicide.

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As KM said, a sliver of hope. I remember while reading Book 7 the first couple of times thinking to myself "this HAS to have a Williams score". It's nice to know they're at least talking about it, so the chances have just gone from near zero to possible.

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Hey... maybe Nicholas Hooper is reluctant to come back (because he knows he isn't good with this)!

Now that would be a surprise.

After reading our message board he actually may attempt suicide.

Or he may decide to INSIST on doing DH just to spite us. :)

so the chances have just gone from near zero to possible.

Chances have not been zero since JW expressed his wish to do it.

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I take everything Williams says with a grain of salt, for all we know he was just being polite, as usual. This is the first semi-hard evidence we've had that it even has a chance of happening.

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I take everything Williams says with a grain of salt, for all we know he was just being polite, as usual.

Are there precedents for that? Saying something just to be polite but what is completely untrue, I mean?

Didn't think so.

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This is promising news, even if it's still a long-shot that it will actually happen. I mean I'd like to hope he will but my stance has always been that I'm not going to hold my breath for it.

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didn't he initially say something along the lines of 'I'd like to do it if they asked me to return'. But since at that time no word was said about producers looking for a new composers, and Yates seemingly happy with his buddy....I'd say chances were about zero.

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This is promising news, even if it's still a long-shot that it will actually happen. I mean I'd like to hope he will but my stance has always been that I'm not going to hold my breath for it.

Well, I'm still not holding my breath.

But it's good to know that the producers are at least talking to him.

Now, if JW doesn't do it, we know that it's because of JW's schedule and not because he didn't get asked or because of Hooperman...

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YES!!!

Also, working with different directors always seems to get the best of Williams, so there's a lot of hope for a fantastic score.

Really? I always thought JW does his best work for Spielberg... ;)

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YES!!!

Also, working with different directors always seems to get the best of Williams, so there's a lot of hope for a fantastic score.

Really? I always thought JW does his best work for Spielberg... ;)

Well... I think that more than the director, it's the movie. If the movie is good, JW will feel inspired, I suppose.

But take for example Williams working with Cuarón. That collaboration got the best out of him.

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YES!!!

Also, working with different directors always seems to get the best of Williams, so there's a lot of hope for a fantastic score.

Really? I always thought JW does his best work for Spielberg... ;)

Indiana Jones 4? ;)

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I have it on good authority (yes, this is your basic "I know someone who knows someone" story, but in this case I know the guy who heard it to be trustworthy and I know who his source is and that he should definitely know what he's talking about) that Williams condition for scoring DH is that he can record in LA.

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I guess I can see why he wants to record in LA, since isn't that where he now resides? And perhaps since it is two films basically back-to-back, perhaps he wouldn't want to make a London trip for that long. But if this really is the case, why would it be a problem for the producers to grant this request? In a way wouldn't it also cost them less for him to do it in Los Angeles? Or am I forgetting something...

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I have it on good authority (yes, this is your basic "I know someone who knows someone" story, but in this case I know the guy who heard it to be trustworthy and I know who his source is and that he should definitely know what he's talking about) that Williams condition for scoring DH is that he can record in LA.

You could at least have expanded this tidbit into like 10 paragraphs so my excitement could have been at a sustained heightened pitch for longer than it was. I live and die off little Williams scoring tidbits like this.

Does your insider knowledge tie in at all with Heyman's quote?

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I have it on good authority (yes, this is your basic "I know someone who knows someone" story, but in this case I know the guy who heard it to be trustworthy and I know who his source is and that he should definitely know what he's talking about) that Williams condition for scoring DH is that he can record in LA.

No chance for LSO then? Too bad, but I could go it for that if he is going to write the score.

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YES!!!

Also, working with different directors always seems to get the best of Williams, so there's a lot of hope for a fantastic score.

Really? I always thought JW does his best work for Spielberg... ;)

Indiana Jones 4? ;)

Yes, excellent score

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I have it on good authority (yes, this is your basic "I know someone who knows someone" story, but in this case I know the guy who heard it to be trustworthy and I know who his source is and that he should definitely know what he's talking about) that Williams condition for scoring DH is that he can record in LA.

No chance for LSO then? Too bad, but I could go it for that if he is going to write the score.

Wasn't the first one recorded with session players as well?

That sounded pretty damn good to my ears.

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Yes, excellent score

If only most of his other scores weren't... well, more excellent...

but when judged against the larger picture, and especially when considering recent film music in general....

Excellent. Not incredible, but quite excellent. ;)

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Methinks his schedule for part two might clash with Indy 5!!!!!!!!!!

I can see it now; Williams chooses to go with H. Potter and finish with he started, handing over the reins of his Spielberg collaboration at last, to Hans Zimmer. It will be the end of an era and the beginning of a great new friendship.

Zimmer will ditch the crappy Mutt theme and replace it with some booming synth brass and drums. The handover is complete. BRING IT!

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I have it on good authority (yes, this is your basic "I know someone who knows someone" story, but in this case I know the guy who heard it to be trustworthy and I know who his source is and that he should definitely know what he's talking about) that Williams condition for scoring DH is that he can record in LA.

No chance for LSO then? Too bad, but I could go it for that if he is going to write the score.

Wasn't the first one recorded with session players as well?

That sounded pretty damn good to my ears.

I am preety sure it was LSO, but I don't own the album so I cannot check it.

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As much as I love LSO, there are other orchestras that play just as good in my ears. For example, I had no idea Temple of Doom and Last Crusade were NOT LSO scores until years after I heard them. I always just assumed they were because they sounded great.

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Yes, excellent score

If only most of his other scores weren't... well, more excellent...

but when judged against the larger picture, and especially when considering recent film music in general....

Excellent. Not incredible, but quite excellent. ;)

Considering recent film music it was a masterpiece, but considering previous IJ scores, as well as Prequels and even Potters, the score was a letdown in my book. Letdown, but not failure. Despite my criticism, it's still a very well written and enjoyable score.

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YES!!!

Also, working with different directors always seems to get the best of Williams, so there's a lot of hope for a fantastic score.

Really? I always thought JW does his best work for Spielberg... ;)

Indiana Jones 4? ;)

Yes, excellent score

I don't think it is. I think Raiders & Temple are excellent, but I wouldn't say KOTCS is. It's not particulary memorable like the others are.

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I can't see David Yates willingly giving up Nick Hooper, someonne he has worked for for over 15 years, for someone else, even if it is J.W. After all, Mike Newell didn't do it for GOF. O.k., the film suffered as a result, but Newell stuck to his guns. Lets remember that J.W. has not even scored all of Spielberg's films, and he is probably his oldest colleague, if not friend, in the movie business. Not even J.W can score everything we want him to, even if it is Harry Potter. What could be a viable option would be for JW to compose new themes and for Hooper to weave them into the fabric of the movie(s) as well as original themes a la COS. That would certainly satisfy me. IMO, if JW had to choose between Tintin and DH, I would definitely want him to go with the latter! The series is crying out for a rousing, exhilarating, moving, touching, emotional and just plain BIG finish, and it goes without saying that JW is the man to give it that. I hope that he gets his chance to do so.

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A few choice quotes from the responses to the Leaky Cauldron article -- keep in mind that other than these, the response is OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE TOWARDS WILLIAMS:

"Ugh! How many more times do we need to hear Williams rearrange Beethoven’s 5th? I’ve been thoroughly sick of his music since Raiders…"

"please say it ain’t so!!!!!!!!! That is insulting to the other composers, who have come up with something original and in keeping with the Britishness of the films. All John Williams need do is mix up the running order of Star Wars. This is the worst news possible."

"Bringing John Williams back will be David Heyman’s only potential serious mistake throughout the series (other than Dobby’s non reappearance etc). Williams’ scores are heavy-handed Hollywood at its worst, you feel as though you are being clubbed over the head by the soundtrack and it takes away from the acting, production design, and plot. His use of horns and drums is crude and intrusive, and he is utterly devoid of nuance and sophistication. Hedwig’s theme is brilliant but it is a diamond in the rough. Please, please, please, David Heyman, leave well alone. Hooper is infinitely more sophisticated and nuanced he allows the scenes to breathe, and his use of instrumentation is infinitely better, more imaginative, modern, and wider than Williams’s. And he gets on brilliantly with Yates. Why ruin a perfect fit? Bringing back Williams will also be a needless expense. And he will ruin the King’s Cross scene, which requires the kind of subtlety and sophistication shown by Hooper at the end of HBP, not a bludger-like Williams Hollywoodesque assault."

"I actually prefer the Hooper’s scores to Williams’— I think they have a lot more personality and suit the darker tone of the films."

"John Williams is good, but all of his soundtracks sound so much the same. There are a few tracks, such as the Harry Lupin one on the bridge in POA, that stand out. Otherwise, they run together. I liked Patrick Doyle’s score for GOF and listen to it often. And I love Nicholas Hooper’s score for OP. The other day when they had the whole HBP soundtrack on-line, I listened to it and absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to go buy it today. Now that we have two of his to compare, what I see is that he is able to bring out things unique to each movie, while Williams just seems to rearrange and repeat. I really wish they would just keep Hooper and let Williams move on."

But yes there are reasonable people in this world:

"I believe nothing – absolutely nothing, with the potential exception of the publication of another book in the Harry Potter saga- could bring as much joy to the fans as seeing John Williams contribute his fantastic talents to the closing acts of this franchise. I hope he does return!"

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Perhaps this is foolish optimism, but if I had to make a bet I would bet on Williams writing the score. When are the films supposed to come out?

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November 2010 and July 2011

First one's 1 year, 4 months away, so JW wouldn't have to start until this time next year.

TinTin comes out 3 months after Part II.. that's ages to do the score. You've got no excuse at all Johnny!

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Knock on wood and all, but you know how Williams' mother is still alive (or at least made it into her 90s)? I'm starting to feel good about Williams' swansong years.

I'd be quite pleased if Williams kept up this semi-retirement for another 15 years, to see me through to my 40s. As long as he never works with George Lucas again.

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If Williams really wants to he'll be able to, regardless of Tintin and Lincoln. He scored 4 films in 2005, two in the winter and two in the summer. Although if DH are being filmed back to back he may be required to score them both at once, which would be like adding an extra film to the schedule. Still, that'd only be four, which he's done before. Maybe he'll just have to knock off a few concerts.

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A few choice quotes from the responses to the Leaky Cauldron article

It seems there is balance in the FORCE.

As much fanboyism as we have here there is as much hate and dislike toward john williams in the 'real' world.

BTW, i cant believe that someone has the guts (and the lack of wits) of saying that hooper's use of instrumentation is better than williams' when hopper score is not near orchestral in any form. Maybe ensemble pieces...

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If Williams really wants to he'll be able to, regardless of Tintin and Lincoln. He scored 4 films in 2005, two in the winter and two in the summer. Although if DH are being filmed back to back he may be required to score them both at once, which would be like adding an extra film to the schedule. Still, that'd only be four, which he's done before. Maybe he'll just have to knock off a few concerts.

Yes and Spielberg said he was exhausted after scoring 4 in 2005, or something like that.

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I have it on good authority (yes, this is your basic "I know someone who knows someone" story, but in this case I know the guy who heard it to be trustworthy and I know who his source is and that he should definitely know what he's talking about) that Williams condition for scoring DH is that he can record in LA.

;) This is an outrage. The principal charm of the Harry Potter music has always been in its performance -- in its endemically British dignity and reserve. If the LA session players get their unrefined hands on the franchise, it will be a disaster. Those West Coast musicians -- or should I say "dudes" -- will get all funky and loose with the music, and its integrity will be destroyed. Hopefully Heyman comes to his senses and nixes any such deal with Williams.

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If Williams really wants to he'll be able to, regardless of Tintin and Lincoln. He scored 4 films in 2005, two in the winter and two in the summer. Although if DH are being filmed back to back he may be required to score them both at once, which would be like adding an extra film to the schedule. Still, that'd only be four, which he's done before. Maybe he'll just have to knock off a few concerts.

Yes and Spielberg said he was exhausted after scoring 4 in 2005, or something like that.

True, but I forgot that Lincoln isn't even a guarantee right now (or anything close to that). I think odds are slim that it'll be made by 2011. Also, even though I said DH is like two seperate films I don't think it'll be the work equivalent of that, as by the time Williams moves on to begin score Part II he will already have the essential themes and style of the score down from Part I (and also from SS, CoS, and PoA). And again, he may not be required to score them both at once--perhaps Yates will wait for the reviews of Part I befoe he starts editing Part II so he can ensure the audience reaction is favorable. So, best case scenario would be Williams scores Tintin and Part I for a 2011 release. Worst case he scores Tintin, Lincoln, Part I, and Part II, but the last one wouldn't be the work equivalent of an entire new project.

Although as soon as Williams is signed on to the project I'd actually prefer he does Part I and II at the same time, as time is very valuable with him.

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Wow...fantastic news! Seems credible coming from Heyman, moreso than Williams' diplomatic non-answer from last year. Hopes cautiously up!

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Actually now I'm doubting myself. Does Heyman's quote imply that 7 Part I is out of the question, because Hooper is already attached?

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Actually now I'm doubting myself. Does Heyman's quote imply that 7 Part I is out of the question, because Hooper is already attached?

That's how the person who posted the YouTube video interpreted it.

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