What Exactly Did John Williams Say About his Start of Episode VIII Scoring!

john-williams-0503121

Yesterday we posted an article with the cool title that John Williams will start working on Episode VIII in a few weeks time. Now thanks to one of our readers we have Williams’ exact words, and it seems that the report we quoted might not be that accurate after all.

 

 

Here’s a video from the event, thanks to our reader Steve Renner, who was at the concert:

 

 

 

While the audio quality is not great, you can definitely hear that Williams is not speaking about his work on the score at all. Here’s a transcript of what he said:

so, our Producer Kathy Kennedy call me from Disney studios a few weeks ago – would you like to do the new Star Wars? And I said  – well, yes I think I would but the honest truth is I don’t want anyone else to write music for Daisy. So, in a few weeks I will receive a first viewing of it (Episode VIII), and we’ll see who Rey’s father is, we don’t know, we’ll find out…

 

As you can see, he is just talking about his first viewing of an early cut of Episode VIII. There is nothing on his start of scoring. This makes much more sense, since it seemed a bit early to start the scoring process 16 months before the movie’s premiere.

 

You listen to the video and tell us what you think. Williams words can be interpreted differently, but I don’t think there is any indication that he will start scoring in a few weeks.

 

 

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

79 thoughts on “What Exactly Did John Williams Say About his Start of Episode VIII Scoring!

  • August 15, 2016 at 8:42 pm
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    Love that he said not too long ago that he thinks Luke is Rey’s father. “I never asked J.J. Abrams who Rey’s father is, but I think it’s Luke Skywalker. Your guess is as good as mine, though.”

    • August 16, 2016 at 4:15 pm
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      My guess is as good as his because I believe it to. I like how he thinks. 🙂

  • August 15, 2016 at 9:18 pm
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    Honest question, not trolling, why does everyone seem to HAVE to know who Rey’s parents are/were? Back in 77, we got Luke, no parents, cool, moving on. I do not give a crap who they are, best if we never find out, I hope she’s just herself, not somebody’s daughter.

    • August 15, 2016 at 9:25 pm
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      I think it all boils down to the EU. Luke having a kid in that timeline seems to have rubbed off on people. I’m more than happy to have Rey’s parents as ambiguous as possible.

      • August 15, 2016 at 10:37 pm
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        The problem with that is that Kylo becomes (likely) the last of the Skywalker bloodline. The murderer of Han as the last Skywalker isn’t exactly the best future for the franchise. It makes the Skywalker family completely tragic.

        And to me (who is not an EU fan) it makes sense that Luke would have a family because he went beyond the restrictions of the old Jedi Order. Not only was he older than his father when he was trained, but he used his attachment to his father to redeem him and save the galaxy rather than kill him, going against what Yoda and Obi-Wan told him to do.

        • August 16, 2016 at 12:56 am
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          Maybe Luke decided to not have children so he could concentrate on training the new generation of jedi without having his own kids who he would have a conflict of interest over. Maybe he didn’t want to train Ben because he was his Uncle. Maybe Leia talked Luke into training Ben to become a Jedi. I’m no EU fan either but these are just my thoughts on the story and how it will pan out.

          • August 16, 2016 at 3:26 pm
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            OR maybe Luke doesn’t even know he had a kid. Maybe he just loved some random woman we don’t know of yet…then Ben solo went all crazy af, and he knew Luke’s weakness for her. They got it on sometime before the attack on the temple. Luke possibly knew it was coming and sent her off. She heard everyone was massacred, found out she was pregnant, left Rey in an absurd place as possible. To go look for Luke. And never finds him. Or is killed. Who knows.

            I just think the mystery of him having no idea he had a kid. But somehow someway, presumed his wife or love died…then through some insane reveal, Rey and Luke figure it out.

          • August 17, 2016 at 12:48 am
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            Luke doesn’t strike me as that kind of dude. He’d know if he has a child.

    • August 15, 2016 at 9:28 pm
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      I do care because one of the first things that Rey says in the movie is “confidential? me too. Big secret.”

      • August 15, 2016 at 11:29 pm
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        and the first words spoken in the first trailer released were. ‘ who are you? “

        • August 16, 2016 at 4:37 pm
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          And it was heavily implied in the second teaser trailer for TFA. Even though the dialog was from RotJ, when Luke says “The Force is strong in my family. My father has it. I have it. My sister has it. You have that power to.” Which is out of order from RotJ because it has different meaning, it was the theme of the whole trailer. Kylo Ren is the antagonist in the movie. That with this being the Skywalker Saga. This is the worst kept secret in Star Wars history. Rey is the Skywalker protagonist in the sequel.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs

    • August 15, 2016 at 9:49 pm
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      not true at all. we were told right away that luke’s father was a jedi and a war hero who was murdered by the bad guy. luke’s whole motivation was to “learn the ways of the force and become a jedi” like his pops. the saga films are all about the family hence why we care about rey’s.

      • August 15, 2016 at 10:23 pm
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        Glad someone else realized this. People keep saying we didn’t know anything about Luke’s father and that Luke was a nobody. He was only a nobody until the payoff that he was the son of a Jedi and had the ability to use the Force.
        Rey’s parentage was set up as a mystery from the beginning and is part of the story.

      • August 16, 2016 at 1:43 am
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        You are right, from a certain point of view. We knew his father was a Jedi, killed by the bad guy, that was it. It surely was done to justify Luke’s potential, but we did not actually know WHO they were, that was until Lucas came up with that for ESB, but that’s another story. We did’nt even get the name Anakin in ANH. His mother wasn’t even mentioned, for all practical purposes, he was an orphan. Had there never been a sequel, ANH would’ve still worked just fine.

        • August 16, 2016 at 3:15 am
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          “too much of his father in him.” “Your father wanted you to have this.” Whether he was named or not Anakin had a significant presence in Luke’s character from jump street. It informed his character and motivations. Now look at rey. She is molded by her loneliness, waiting for parents who abandoned her on jakku. It’s so important to her that she sees the memory of them leaving in her vision. Why did they leave her? Are they force sensitive? You can’t watch TFA and not wonder about her parentage. Which is what they wanted.

          • August 16, 2016 at 9:53 pm
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            I do not believe that a 3 minute scene in ANH really explains a lot about his parents, it isn’t really that relevant. Take for instance that we do not know (so far) anything about Han’s parents and he is arguably the most liked character from the OT. Let’s agree to disagree, you and many others want to know who her parents are, I couldn’t care less. In fact, it’d be even more disappointing for me if she is, yet again, a Skywalker. (small galaxy, huh?)

          • August 17, 2016 at 2:03 am
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            I think we are talking in circles around each other. I only want info on reys parents as it pertains to her character development, just like with Luke. I don’t need their life stories like the prequels did for Luke’s parents. A little exposition would go a long way for me. But to each their own. 🙂

          • August 17, 2016 at 6:10 pm
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            Indeed, don’t you just hate the Internet? :p

    • August 15, 2016 at 9:56 pm
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      ” … I hope she’s just herself, not somebody’s daughter.”
      I think both of those things can be true. Just as much as Luke is Luke, Leia is Leia, and also Anakin and Padme are their parents. Whoever Rey’s parents are, she’ll stand apart as her own woman regardless. If Rey is a Skywalker at all I feel it’s more likely she is Han and Leia’s daughter than Luke’s.

    • August 15, 2016 at 9:58 pm
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      well she’s gotta be someone’s daughter I mean how can you be born without a father or mother? *sarcasm*

      • August 16, 2016 at 1:38 am
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        Uhm…, The Force?

      • August 16, 2016 at 2:48 am
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        Wow, you must have completely blocked out The Phantom Menace. I’m a little jealous.

    • August 15, 2016 at 10:02 pm
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      I’m more interested as to why does she talk like a british royal although she was dropped as a toddler on Jakku, and I doubt the fat blob taught her high society customs.

      • August 16, 2016 at 12:43 am
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        Because Americans don’t want to listen to unpleasant cockney accents, in all honesty.

        • August 16, 2016 at 1:27 am
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          Lol.

        • August 16, 2016 at 1:35 am
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          Boyega doesn’t have cockney accent but JJ Abrams forced him to talk like an african-american

          • August 16, 2016 at 8:28 am
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            That was Boyega’s choice as an actor. Sorry, I know that may fiddle with your image of JJ as evil mastermind.

          • August 16, 2016 at 5:30 pm
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            Bullshit. What else was decided by Boyega in this movie? I’m curious.

          • August 16, 2016 at 8:59 pm
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            Boyega’s performance was shaped by Boyega. That’s how acting works. Abrams had input, but not nearly the amount you believe he did.

          • August 16, 2016 at 11:43 pm
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            So you’re telling me John Boyega decided to be Jar Jar Finn rather than the Han Solo type although he seemed to be fascinated by the character…

          • August 16, 2016 at 11:48 pm
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            I thought Finn was much more like Han than Jar Jar. You’re just blinded by your ridiculous irrational hatred of this movie.

          • August 17, 2016 at 1:05 am
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            Yeah right, and Jar Jar Binks is more like Darth Vader

          • August 17, 2016 at 1:07 am
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            I knew you were annoying, but now I think you might be racist too? That’s cool.

          • August 17, 2016 at 7:08 pm
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            Actually, Finn has a lot more in common with Jar Jar’s ROLE in The Phantom Menace than most people realize.

            They both:

            – are comic relief characters who are regularly made the butt of the joke.
            – are cowardly, sometimes panicky characters, who develop bravery by the end of the film.
            – lack any advanced skills, like piloting, mechanics and an understanding of multiple languages.
            – are helpful to the main characters in the story.
            – aren’t allowed to have any personal achievements or heroic saves.
            – regularly need other people to save them or fix their problems.
            – make the other characters look good at their own expense.
            – participate in the film’s climax, but they are denied a personal victory. Instead, a main character has to save them.
            – are sidekick characters. Finn was a sidekick disguised as a main character. His main purpose in the film was to look inferior to his white female co-lead.
            – are played by black actors.

          • August 17, 2016 at 7:27 pm
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            Yeah, sure, whatever you say.

          • August 17, 2016 at 7:54 pm
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            Hmm. Sad. The fact that you’re blowing me off instead of responding to my criticisms speaks volumes.

          • August 17, 2016 at 7:56 pm
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            I really just do not want to have this argument. Glad you feel victorious because of that.

          • August 17, 2016 at 8:31 pm
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            If I wasn’t open to a potential discussion, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. I don’t feel victorious, actually.

      • August 16, 2016 at 1:33 am
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        Because her mother is Leia… ;o) …. who incidentally studied at London’s RADA school of acting….. :o)
        …. Or, of course, the “fat blob” was Simon Pegg, who’s British…. :oD

    • August 15, 2016 at 10:17 pm
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      “Back in 77, we got Luke, no parents, cool, moving on.”
      People keep saying this, but it isn’t really true. We were told that Luke’s father was a Jedi knight (friend of Obi-Wan and a great pilot) who was then murdered by Vader. It wasn’t supposed to be a mystery at that point, it was supposed to make Luke more than the simple son of a freighter pilot and set up Vader as his main antagonist.
      And fans were interested to know more about his father.

      Rey’s origins, however, were set up to be a mystery from the start. The film itself sets it up as something that will have a big reveal, otherwise they would have mentioned in passing who her parents were. And there is the vision, which deepens the mystery. If she is a nobody, then the “reveal” will fall flat. There was no reason to save the reveal til EP8 if it isn’t important.

      And if she isn’t a Skywalker, then Kylo is presumably the last of the Skywalker bloodline. That is a horrible end to the Skywalker family, unless he is redeemed and has at least one child.

  • August 15, 2016 at 9:29 pm
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    I love that John is as enamored with Rey and her origins as us fans are. He’s incredibly passionate about this project and I’m thrilled by that. We will see, John.

    • August 15, 2016 at 9:52 pm
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      Agreed. As Rey is the main protagonist (ala Luke and Anakin) whoever her parents are (be that anyone we know or don’t know) should be known. I love that JW is so passionate about his craft, Star Wars, etc. I hope we are lucky enough to have him around for more great pieces for as long as possible.

      • August 16, 2016 at 1:54 am
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        Certainly. John Williams scored the franchises of my childhood, his talent is exceedingly beyond my admirarion, and particularly elevates Star Wars to a quality unlike it’s blockbuster peers. Seeing his passion and theories about Rey and the new saga is simply invigorating.

    • August 16, 2016 at 12:31 am
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      It’s a subtile way to avoid talking about the movie as whole. Like, ohh I love Rey or worse, you don’t even love a character from the movie, you love the actress which disconnects your opinion completely from the movie. And that’s exactly what he did, he said Daisy.

      • August 16, 2016 at 8:26 am
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        You are so determined to convince yourself that everyone hates these movies. Remember when Williams said he thought TFA might be the best one? Not saying I agree with him, but he definitely likes the new films.

        • August 16, 2016 at 5:35 pm
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          I never said everyone hated these movies, obviously millions of lemmings liked it just like another blockbuster, Transformers 13 or Spiderman 8. And I don’t remember when Williams said TFA was the best SW movie, was it before or after he was it? Obviously, being involved in the movie himself, he’s not going to bash it publicly. That’s why he and Hamill would use a more subtile way to say it. And then you have Harrison Ford who lies like a used car salesman.

          • August 16, 2016 at 8:58 pm
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            Williams said it after he saw it. So sorry, you’re wrong.

  • August 15, 2016 at 9:57 pm
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    I think you meant “what exactly did John Williams say…”

    • August 16, 2016 at 12:42 am
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      Maybe the author was asking a question.

  • August 15, 2016 at 10:13 pm
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    I don’t think Rey needs no dad

  • August 15, 2016 at 10:27 pm
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    He said father not parents. Thats interesting! =) Im so hyped for 8

    • August 15, 2016 at 11:01 pm
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      He thinks (doesn’t know) that Luke is her father, so that’s what he expects.

  • August 15, 2016 at 10:52 pm
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    John Williams is getting up there in age. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s starting earlier for that reason alone.

  • August 15, 2016 at 11:05 pm
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    JW seems to say outright that he is scoring the new movie: “And I said – well, yes I think I would…” And he says that in a few weeks he will see the movie (presumably in whatever shape it’s in at that point). So I guess the only thing from the original article that is “wrong” is that they said he will begin scoring in a few weeks. But as others have said, due to his age, JW (and the movie team) would probably like him to begin soon. I don’t like sounding macabre about it, but that’s reality.

  • August 15, 2016 at 11:32 pm
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    Still, he starts work on the score in a few weeks, which is how I interpreted the original article. So what you told us was true, from a certain point of view.

  • August 15, 2016 at 11:42 pm
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    i know not all of us agree on rey’s lineage but we all can definitely agree that rey is bae

    • August 16, 2016 at 12:17 am
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      Sorry, I’m an adult, so I don’t use “bae”. I can’t agree with you!

      • August 16, 2016 at 7:14 am
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        i’m also an adult. i just happen to have a sense of humor. lighten up, sir!

        • August 16, 2016 at 2:52 pm
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          I’m very funny. My mom tells me all the time.

          • August 16, 2016 at 7:00 pm
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            omg my mom as well

  • August 15, 2016 at 11:53 pm
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    Immaculate conception again, I’m tellin ya. Luke gave birth to Rey. No mother to speak of. Mystory SOLVED.

    • August 16, 2016 at 12:37 am
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      excuse me, it only works with a woman

      • August 16, 2016 at 12:46 am
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        Did you just ASSUME LUKE’S GENDER???

        • August 16, 2016 at 1:01 am
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          Now that you say that, JJ Abrams wants more LGBTQ in Star Wars so I guess anything is possible now

          • August 16, 2016 at 1:22 am
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            Ladies and Gentlemen! Platinum Star the atypical Trump voter!

          • August 16, 2016 at 1:34 am
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            Nah, you’re wrong, I want to highlight Disney hypocrisy. They want to the champions of diversity and LGBT representation, yet when they were screening TFA in China, they removed Finn from the posters because DIsney doesn’t want to offend the racist chinese audience.

          • August 16, 2016 at 1:53 am
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            Disney is not a charity organization. Just saying. At least Finn wasn’t edited away during the screening in China.

          • August 16, 2016 at 5:28 pm
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            LOL, even if they edited Boyega out of the movie, you guys would still be finding excuses to Disney. It’s very hypocritical to portray themselves as a progressive company, concerned about representing diversity and feminism in their movies. That is their unique marketing tool for new Star Wars movies because obviously it would be hard to pretend they’re creative and innovative. Yet they would pander to the ugliest form of racism if it can allow them to break into the chinese market.

          • August 16, 2016 at 1:01 pm
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            Excuse me???

  • August 16, 2016 at 12:41 am
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    He’s a legend.

  • August 16, 2016 at 3:54 am
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    I still would bet Williams is going to start scoring sometime soon if he’s being shown a rough cut of the movie this early, but that’s purely conjecture. This first cut will obviously show Williams the key elements and sequences that need to be scored which will allow him to start developing new and old themes. As a novice film composer myself, I know a huge amount of time is spent on the initial creation of melodies and themes, and planning out the overall score. I would guess for the next few months Williams will begin this process, but will not actually start the true scoring aspect until a more final cut has been edited. Still, allowing Williams more time to create those iconic themes before composing the full score should only yield a better final result!

  • August 16, 2016 at 4:20 am
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    John Williams was considered for the movie “Powder” back in the 90s (it ended up in Jerry Goldsmith’s capable hands). The soundtrack was recently expanded and released by Intrada, and one of the vignettes offers a glimpse into Williams’ clout with contracts. At least back then, he maintained the right to refuse to do a score after seeing a cut of the movie. If he didn’t feel the love, he could walk. So maybe that’s why he’s getting to see a cut so early in the process…to decide if he wants to sign the contract or pass the baton. Naturally, I assume he’s planning to do it, but maybe this is just a formality—the way he does things. In any case, it’s an interesting and rare peek at the business side of scoring. He rules the negotiations, as he should.

    • August 16, 2016 at 5:49 am
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      Reading your comment made me realize that he’s even more awesome than I thought he was.

  • August 16, 2016 at 7:34 am
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    Leia and Luke daughter, hum? hum? hum? gross

  • August 16, 2016 at 2:56 pm
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    I want to see how Rogue One’s music will hold up (without Williams scoring). December can’t come soon enough… both of them.

  • August 23, 2016 at 2:58 am
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    I think it’s interesting JW says “find out who her father is”…… for me, the implication is **he already knows who her mother is**…. coughLeiacough…..

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