Star Wars IX Will Be the Last With John Williams

With three trilogies nearly wrapped up and an increasing amount of spin-off films on the way, the Star Wars franchise is one of the most successful and captivating story-lines in modern history. Generations of Skywalkers have come and gone, and although Disney has reported that more trilogies will be made in the future following next year’s Episode IX, it is unclear if upcoming plot lines will even feature a character deriving from the Skywalker bloodline. Given the passing of Luke Skywalker in last year’s Episode VIII and the necessary passing of the late Carrie Fisher’s character, Leia, trilogy antagonist Kylo Ren will be the last surviving heir of the Skywalker lineage.

Although the story of Star Wars has grown and evolved much in the last forty plus years, one core aspect has remained constant — the beautifully moving and now instantly recognizable music of composer John Williams. From grand sounds of victory to the fear-instilling anthem of Darth Vader, Williams’ scores have been a part of each one of the nine main films. With the future plot and direction of Star Wars franchise up in the air at this point in time, Williams appears to be calling it quits after he finishes working on Episode IX, which is slated for release in winter of 2019.

Speaking with California-based radio station KUSC, Williams stated, “We know J.J. Abrams is preparing [Star Wars: Episode IX] now that I will hopefully do next year for him. I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine, that will be quite enough for me.”

Episode VIII: The Last Jedi earned Williams his 51st Oscar nomination last week, increasing his lead as the record holder for the most Oscar nominations ever. The notion that the famed composer has been with the franchise longer than its creator George Lucas is awe-inspiring to say the least, and he has given lifelong fans far more than they bargained for all those years ago.