John Williams is not retiring after all

If anyone has earned retirement, it's John Williams. The composer has worked for six decades in Hollywood, creating cinema's most iconic scores, including Star Wars. The person with the most Academy Award nominations who is still alive (who is only beaten out by Walt Disney) deserves a bit of rest. While it was initially announced that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would be his last film, he did walk back that claim in 2023. Now, it seems the 91-year-old is dismissing it entirely.

Talking to The Times via Deadline, Williams stated that he wasn't ruling anything out and didn't mean to give the impression that he was fully retiring. He explained:

"I don’t care much for grand pronunciamentos, statements that are firm and finished and surrounded by closed doors. If I made one without putting it in context then I withdraw it."

This is not an announcement of an upcoming movie. Williams was clear it needed to be the right project, saying:

"If a film came along that I was greatly interested in, with a schedule that I could cope with, then I wouldn’t want to rule anything out. Everything is possible. All is before us. Only our limitations are holding us back. Or, to put it more simply: I like to keep an open mind."

Of course, this did not stop the excitement of Star Wars fans from exploding online. The idea of a new John Williams score with all the upcoming films on the horizon is something to consider. While I wouldn't be surprised if the Kiners were in charge of Dave Filoni's film as they have a history with the filmmaker ever since The Clone Wars, James Mangold and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's movies could be excellent fits for John Williams' return. Imagine a score about the birth of the Jedi Order from the man who created the first music of Star Wars. Or, as he already crafted Rey's theme, continuing her story through music.

It's nice to dream about, but let's not get our hopes up. Williams is 91 and has a lifetime of work showcasing how and why he deserves a good rest.