Will we see another Spielberg/Williams Collaboration?

[Josh500 1,615]

Indy 5 may be a hope, but I'm not sure about that at all. Remember how long it took to even make KotCS happen! 

 

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm starting to feel that The Post was indeed the last. 

 

What do you think? 

[TownerFan 4,983]

Indy 5 won't be directed by Spielberg anymore. James Mangold is attached now to direct.

 

If the right project will come at the right time, there's no question we'll see Spielberg and Williams collaborating again together.

[Josh500 1,615]

1 minute ago, TownerFan said:

If the right project will come at the right time... 

 

Well, that's my question. Will that happen, do you think, or not? 

[Thor 7,458]

Yes, unquestionably.

[Edmilson 7,376]

I hope so. 

[bollemanneke 3,334]

No.

[crumbs 14,287]

I really hope so but honestly don't see it happening. I think The Post will be their last collaboration, in spite of their intent to reach 30 collaborations. If they managed to reach 30 film scores in 2024 it would be doubly sweet (in line with the 50th anniversary of Sugarland Express).

 

But hey, I had my doubts about Williams finishing a third Star Wars trilogy and he ended up writing 10 hours of music plus themes for a spin-off and theme park! More than happy to be proven wrong again.

 

The more significant factor is the impact of COVID-19 on film production in the US. The handling of the virus there has been utterly disastrous; pair that with international travel restrictions and the prospect of new Spielberg projects in the next few years is slim indeed. Even if Spielberg didn't pass on Indy 5, that project now appears dead in the water (unless they repeat the KOCS mistake of filming the whole movie in the US).

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Right. I’m not expecting a thing, especially while we’re in a pandemic. I honestly still can’t believe our luck that he finished Star Wars in time, not to mention he was already an old fuckin man anyway when he committed to a 5 year project. 

 

It’s great to know that he’s writing his own music as we speak and so we have certainly not heard the last from John Williams. But if he does another film score, it’s clearly not gonna be before he’s 90. Every one going forward will be a miracle to me and he’s already been beating the odds as it is. I’m grateful for an unexpectedly amazing 2010s. I absolutely did not see him being this prolific and I was frankly biting my nails the whole way through every time a new project was announced. 

 

Now, that epic marathon is over and the film and music industry have gone into slow motion, if not at a total standstill, while time marches on as ever. It would be awesome to be looking back again at more great work when we’re approaching his 100th bday. I’m not celebrating until I at least know a score has been composed.

 

When War Horse and Tintin came out just before his 80th, my entire perspective shifted on this. I was so happy to have those two and I felt like that was a really full meal, like wow, how lucky. 9 years later I feel like The BFG at Buckingham Palace.

[TownerFan 4,983]

The pandemic and all its consequent restrictions are likely to stay here with us for at least another 18-24 months at the least, so it's better not to hold the breath for any film project materializing soon, sadly. The best we can hope is live concert activities resuming in some form next year so that the new violin concerto can premiere.

 

Both Spielberg and Williams have longevity genes in their families, so it's definitely heartwarming to hope that they could both be very active for at least another several years from now.

 

Next year Spielberg will turn 75. At the same age, JW was about to write Indy 4 and was very active doing concerts all around US.

 

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

If we don't get a new score, perhaps we can expect a Spielberg/Williams Collaboration Vol. IV.

[Fabulin 3,506]

.

 

[Jay 37,271]

Something still rubs me the wrong way about other composers doing Bride of Spies, Ready Player One, and West Side Story for Spielberg instead of Johnny Dubs.  Like I feel as though Spielberg had the power and clout to select different release dates for these films to accommodate Williams' Star Wars schedule, but elected not to.

 

if there was no pandemic, we have no idea what Spielberg would be doing next after West Side Story.  Since it was filmed from August-September of 2019 and Spielberg notoriously has a very fast and efficient post-production, it's possible the film has been more or less in the can for quite a while now.  Would we have had an announcement by now of him starting pre-production on a new production of some kind?  Possibly.

 

But with the pandemic it just seems so unlikely that Spielberg is going to be directing an entire feature length movie any time soon.  Like probably not until 2022 at the earliest.

 

I do think if Spielberg does shoot another feature, JW will be his first choice to score it, and if JW's health is fine at the time, he will agree to do so

[crumbs 14,287]

21 minutes ago, Fabulin said:

are they?

 

Well, the virus ain't gonna disappear overnight and it's running rampant across the US. The sad reality is that Williams is in the highest risk category; if he comes down with the virus it would likely be fatal. I don't want him even conducting in public until a vaccine is widespread, and even that seems like a long shot.

 

Society might eventually lift restrictions and find a way to "live" with the virus, but it won't change the high-risk factor for certain demographics.

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

4 minutes ago, Jay said:

Like I feel as though Spielberg had the power and clout to select different release dates for these films to accommodate Williams' Star Wars schedule, but elected not to.

 

I doubt even Spielberg has that power now. It's the money that decides.

[crumbs 14,287]

11 minutes ago, Jay said:

Something still rubs me the wrong way about other composers doing Bride of Spies, Ready Player One, and West Side Story for Spielberg instead of Johnny Dubs.  Like I feel as though Spielberg had the power and clout to select different release dates for these films to accommodate Williams' Star Wars schedule, but elected not to.

 

Add those 3 projects to their history and they reach their 30 collaborations (and, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't West Side Story mark their 30th together? What a perfect bookend that would have been to JW's career, considering he played piano on the original score).

 

11 minutes ago, Jay said:

I do think if Spielberg does shoot another feature, JW will be his first choice to score it, and if JW's health is fine at the time, he will agree to do so

 

And ultimately JW is still perfectly able to continue scoring projects from home; risk is only introduced once he attends scoring sessions and mingles with musicians/recording crew. Not sure he'd be interested in writing scores if he wasn't able to conduct them, unless there was no other choice.

[Jay 37,271]

Sure but if it isn't safe for JW to leave his house an attend scoring sessions, then it isn't safe for Spielberg to go shoot a movie either

[TownerFan 4,983]

Bridge of Spies was originally set to be scored by JW. Disney and Amblin even worked out schedules and planned a hiatus from Star Wars duties for JW to allow him to spot, write and record the score for BoS and then letting him finish TFA afterwards. However, JW did a medical treatment and had to rest for almost 2 months (exactly the window allowed for JW to do Bridge of Spies), so there was no chance he could work on BoS, as he had to be back at work on Star Wars. I doubt the studio, i.e. 20th Century Fox would have allowed a new release date on such a short notice. Allegedly, Spielberg thought to go on without an original score, but then he and JW decided to ask Tom Newman to do it.

 

Ready Player One release date was originally December 2017, but then Warner Bros. decided to move it on March 2018 after The Last Jedi release date was moved 6 months ahead from May to December 2017. I think JW's schedule originally was fine nevertheless (he scored TLJ between December and June 2017) and he was still officially attached to RP1 until June 2017, but then Spielberg fast-tracked The Post and basically shot, edited and did post production it in a 6-months turnaround for a release in December 2017. It was virtually impossible for JW to write two scores simultaneously, as he never did that over his career and he doesn't use additional composers to help him out with deadlines. My hunch is that Spielberg offered to score both films and let JW choose whichever he preferred (I guess he chose The Post because it likely felt like more relevant to him).

[Alex 2,833]

I currently feel that if JW was never to score something again, I’d be OK with it. He completed the sequel trilogy (the main thing I was worried about when he started scoring TFA ages 83). Anything else now is just a bonus.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

55 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

If we don't get a new score, perhaps we can expect a Spielberg/Williams Collaboration Vol. IV.

 

I guess if they wanna go back and do more highlights from previous collabs. Though “The Presses Roll” is the only new piece they could feature since III, yeah?

 

Unlikely but I somehow got the idea in my head that it’d be sweet if he were able to do a Star Wars greatest hits album with the LSO that included some or all of the new concert pieces. Even to do one of them in concert would be a special moment, I can’t remember if he had programmed one or not in 2018. That and a 30th movie with Spielberg would be a couple little bows on his career I’d love to see.

 

And the revised symphony. Premiere and release.

 

[Holko 9,491]

17 minutes ago, Alex said:

I currently feel that if JW was never to score something again, I’d be OK with it. He completed the sequel trilogy (the main thing I was worried about when he started scoring TFA ages 83). Anything else now is just a bonus.

Same here. Let him work on concert pieces, more Mutter arrangements or anything he likes at his own speed and if anything does come out of it and gets recorded, it's a nice bonus.

[Fabulin 3,506]

We have reached the encore age of Williams. Galaxy's Edge, the ASM collaboration, the Vienna Philharmonic fanfare, are all a part of one big timpani roll.

 

Unless Williams writes a symphony next, TROS and the 2nd VC will probably be his last masterpieces, and I am more than fine with that. It's a very elegant closure.

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

21 minutes ago, Fabulin said:

Unless Williams writes a symphony next, TROS and the 2nd VC will probably be his last masterpieces

 

Unless you know something we don't, "probably" seems a bit pessimistic.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Even optimistically I'd say it's still a coin toss.

[Edmilson 7,376]

I'd be happy with another Williams score. To finish his brilliant career with a movie as horrible as The Crap of Skywalker is a depressing thought.

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

1 hour ago, mrbellamy said:

And the revised symphony. Premiere and release.

 

He's been revising it for 50 years. Give the man 50 years more.

[Pawel P. 738]

Williams has assured many times that he will never retire or withdraw from music, so at least we don't have to be afraid of that. If his health allows him, of course. I'll be happy if he writes two or three more scores for movies that he finds interesting. I don't really believe (I'd like to be wrong) that Indy 5 will be among them.

 

But look, this is Williams, he surprised us many times, didn't he? Who knows, maybe we have another wonderful decade ahead of us with cool musical projects, including film scores? And remember that Anne-Sophie Mutter is many things, but what she is not is a woman you can say 'no' to. And she certainly won't let the Maestro out of her hands.

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

It would be cool if he wrote a jazz infused concerto.

[Pawel P. 738]

He wrote one: Escapades. He based it on his music from the movie, but still...

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

Sure, but I was thinking about some even more substantial, preferably for the piano.

[publicist 4,643]

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara will probably go into production soon and it's a movie right up JW's alley, so it's a decent chance. I can't imagine they haven't worked out a reasonable security strategy for movie shootings by now. 

[Tom 4,632]

Well, let's cut to the case: the poll question really is not so much about Williams and Spielberg but concerns how much longer we think Williams will be alive and active.  Assuming he does not retire, one way or another, and assuming the same for Spielberg, of course there will be more collaborations.  If either "retires," then no more collaborations.  As for any further speculation, let both men live and die in peace.  

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

Perhaps they'll do another multimedia project together, like a CD-ROM or something.

[SilverTrumpet 638]

I was thinking about this the other day. He's been doing less and less Spielbergs as it is, and I think he might be done.

 

We know how closely he holds Star Wars to his heart. He might just want to go out with TROS. Not a bad way to go out either, despite how the music was handled in the film.

[mrbellamy 6,270]

5 minutes ago, publicist said:

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara will probably go into production soon 

 

Hm based on what? Haven’t seen any announcements, haven’t heard a peep about it since 2017. I’ve just been assuming he abandoned it.

[publicist 4,643]

I read something about filming in Vatican city not too long ago, but i don't remember where. 

[mrbellamy 6,270]

Interesting. I definitely remember there being some hubbub because he stopped it weeks before filming which upset some international investors. Maybe he was always planning to go back since so much had been in place. Just didn’t seem that way when he kept lining up other movies but you never know with him.

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

They're probably just reshooting West Side Story, retitled C'era una volta il West, after the male lead had to be replaced due to unsubstantiated accusations.

[Jay 37,271]

52 minutes ago, publicist said:

I read something about filming in Vatican city not too long ago, but i don't remember where. 

 

Are you talking about this story from 2017?

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24328-yet-another-spielberg-project-the-kidnapping-of-edgardo-mortara/&do=findComment&comment=1422359

 

The film has been dead ever since then.  He shot The Post and West Side Story instead (Ready Player One was shot in 2016 and not released until 2018)

[mrbellamy 6,270]

I still can't find anything by Googling it. Everything seemed to hinge on finding the kid and who knows if he resumed that search after West Side Story or what.

 

6 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Are you talking about this story from November, 2017?

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/24328-yet-another-spielberg-project-the-kidnapping-of-edgardo-mortara/&do=findComment&comment=1422359

 

The film has been dead ever since then.  He shot West Side Story instead (both Ready Player One and the Post were already shot before that Kidnapping shutdown)

 

The Post was not, he shut Mortara down right before as Streep mentions in the quote you linked.

[Jay 37,271]

Yea, I fixed my post

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

Apparently, the kid got kidnapped and Spielberg couldn't shoot the film without him.

[Jay 37,271]

On 8/31/2020 at 11:45 AM, Jurassic Shark said:

If we don't get a new score, perhaps we can expect a Spielberg/Williams Collaboration Vol. IV.

 

On 8/31/2020 at 12:40 PM, mrbellamy said:

I guess if they wanna go back and do more highlights from previous collabs. Though “The Presses Roll” is the only new piece they could feature since III, yeah?

 

There's already more than enough concert works from the existing Spielberg/Williams collaborations to fill another album (or two)

 

Jaws

• Sea Attack Number 1

1941

• Swing, Swing, Swing

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

• Three Million Light Years from Home
• Abandoned and Pursued
• Stargazers

Hook

• The Face of Pan (Revised)

Schindler's List

• Jewish Town (Krakow Ghetto - Winter ’41)

The Lost World

• The Lost World

Amistad

• Cinque’s Theme
• The Long Road To Justice

Saving Private Ryan

• Revisiting Normandy

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

• Abandoned in the Woods
• Where Dreams Are Born
• The Search for the Blue Fairy

Minority Report

• Sean's Theme
• Minority Report

The Terminal

• Jazz Autographs

War of the Worlds

• Escape from the City

• Epilogue

Munich

• Avner's Theme

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

• Irina's Theme
• The Call Of The Crystal

The Adventures of Tintin

• The Adventures of Tintin
• Snowy's Theme

War Horse

• Learning the Call

Lincoln

• The People's House
• Getting Out The Vote
• Elegy

The BFG

• Dream Jars

The Post

• The Presses Roll

[Jurassic Shark 12,012]

Better make that a double CD!

[JoeinAR 1,949]

8 hours ago, Josh500 said:

Indy 5 may be a hope, but I'm not sure about that at all. Remember how long it took to even make KotCS happen! 

 

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm starting to feel that The Post was indeed the last. 

 

What do you 

After the last two star wars 8 and 9 and that horrible horrible han solo theme. JOHN is a shell

Still the greatest though and his mediocrity is better that zims or gias best

[King Mark 3,624]

Scores to episode 8 and 9 and revised Han Solo and the Princess are great

[bruce marshall 1,314]

3 hours ago, JoeinAR said:

 

...his mediocrity is better that zims or gias best

Gimme a break!

[Josh500 1,615]

19 hours ago, crumbs said:

The more significant factor is the impact of COVID-19 on film production in the US. The handling of the virus there has been utterly disastrous; pair that with international travel restrictions and the prospect of new Spielberg projects in the next few years is slim indeed. 

 

Covid-19 is, of course, a subject unto itself. The US film industry should really be the last of most Americans' concern right now, what with the country being increasingly engulfed in chaos and violence, ugly politics and racial division, on top of the virus... 

 

19 hours ago, TownerFan said:

Next year Spielberg will turn 75. 

 

Indeed. But man, that's a bit shocking. How time flies. 

 

19 hours ago, TownerFan said:

The pandemic and all its consequent restrictions are likely to stay here with us for at least another 18-24 months at the least... 

 

Somehow I doubt that. First of all the US economy won't take another 2 years of this. It would totally decimate the country (which already has a debt of like 24 trillion). The Great Depression would look like a day at the beach in comparison. 

 

I think it'll be over by the end of the year (or beginning of next year), one way or another. 

 

16 hours ago, Tom said:

Well, let's cut to the case: the poll question really is not so much about Williams and Spielberg but concerns how much longer we think Williams will be alive and active.  Assuming he does not retire, one way or another, and assuming the same for Spielberg, of course there will be more collaborations.  If either "retires," then no more collaborations.  

 

Not really. It's about Williams and Spielberg. Nobody doubts that Spielberg will make more movies, and Williams will in all likelihood score a few more movies too. 

 

The only question is, will there be another project that would suit them both? Especially now that we know that a Spielberg movie doesn't automatically mean a Williams score anymore! 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Well that is a lot of nothing

[King Mark 3,624]

We can thank our lucky stars Williams finished the SW sequel scores and wrote a few top 20 themes in the past years. Yes I consider Rebellion is Reborn,Rise of Skywalker and Galaxy's Edge some of the best concert versions he ever did

 

But I'd hate that he'd retire from film scoring while he's still at the top of his game .Even if it's forced by Covid 19 related events.

 

And if they make a 4th Spielberg/Williams album for god's sake check the cables carefully on the recording equipment

[Bespin 8,472]

So actually John Williams don't work on any film score? Is that right?

 

He was not supposed to score the next Spielberg movie about that edgardo guy? The movie is supposedly in post production...