It might not be the biggest surprise, but given his health issues, it was by no means a sure thing. Talking to Variety about an honour from the American Film Institute, John Williams confirmed that he's planning to compose the music for Star Wars: Episode VIII and the next Indiana Jones film.
The franchises, are, of course, the ones with which Williams is most closely associated, despite being 84, he shows little sign of slowing down. “If I can do it, I certainly will," he said when asked about the next Star Wars installment " I told Kathy Kennedy I’m happy to do it, but the real reason is, I didn’t want anybody else writing music for Daisy Ridley." He is, however, sitting out Rogue One, with Alexandre Desplat providing the music for the stand-alone that Gareth Edwards is working on.
Williams' schedule remains packed with work – he scored Steven Spielberg's The BFG and is on board for the director's next film, Ready Player One ("Steven expects me to work until I’m 100,” he jokes when considering their long partnership.)
It's hard to imagine a Star Wars movie without Williams' classic themes, and while we'll have to for Rogue One, we're glad to see his enthusiasm for the main series of films is undimmed.