John Williams’ Candid Comments About His Retirement Plans Have Us Hopeful For New Music

Looking back at the 2023 movie release schedule, even some of the most infamous movies have their silver linings. For supposed flop Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, one such bright spot is the fact that we have yet another score from composer John Williams we’ll be able to obsess over for years to come. That brightness may have just grown a bit shinier though, as in a recent interview, the 91 year old music legend made candid comments about his retirement plans that have us hopeful for new music.

The Comments John Williams Has Made About His Potential Retirement

Speaking with The Sunday Times in a recent interview, the man who gave musical life to E.T., Luke Skywalker, and Dr. Henry Jones Jr. slightly walked back any potential remarks he may have made about retirement. Sounding very much eager to work again, John Williams did have some specific caveats that applied to this music to the ears of the world; which he shared thusly:

Anyone who still gets a chill when listening to the scores of Jurassic Park and Jaws will tell you that this is incredible news. To have an artist like Williams open to roaming wherever his curiosity leads him sounds like something that benefits everybody. Listening to the composing powerhouse's work on its own is akin to experiencing the movie it belongs to once again, which is the epitome of cinematic scoring.

Though this statement sounds like it opens the door for further John Williams works, we kind of already know that there are certain places this optimism won’t go. Disney+ subscription holders know exactly where I'm going with this, as John would appear to be done and dusted with two of the projects to which he's most prolifically linked.

Back in 2018, John Williams announced that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker “rounded out” his work on the galaxy far, far away that helped make him famous. Also, with the maestro’s most closing out the Indiana Jones movies, John’s score for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is probably as much of a swan song for him as it is for actor Harrison Ford.

So before you get your hopes up for the continuing adventures of Rey Skywalker being accompanied by a full Williams score, think again. However, I think I know one such project that could reel in John Williams’ talents, and it’s something his prolific skills would be seriously cut out for.

John Williams Still Wants To Do A James Bond Score

Going back to a 2022 interview with Classic FM, Maestro Williams flat out admitted that he’d “love to do a Bond score.” I don’t need to tell you how white hot of an opportunity it would be to get a John Williams score into the canon of James Bond movies that have made John Barry and David Arnold into musical stalwarts.

At the same time, there’s one particular scenario that comes to mind that could turn this prospect into something even bigger. As director Steven Spielberg wanted to direct two different 007 adventures, his entry on the list of helmers that could have done a Bond movie is one of the most prolific.

Were EON Productions feeling particularly spirited, they could always tap into the desires of director and composer alike, delivering a James Bond movie event for the ages. It feels more likely that Williams would be recruited on his own, it’s still something to think about. And even if Barbara Broccoli and company came knocking, it'd come down to those crucial two pillars: scheduling and interest.

It's probably a good thing that Bond 26 is a bit farther away than previously thought, as that's more time to craft a case compelling to those factors. In the meantime, fans of John Williams can experience the majesty of his work on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, as it's currently streaming on Disney+. After which, it's highly encouraged that you seek out the interview in which director James Mangold opened up about working with this timeless legend.