There’s no director/composer collaboration more fruitful or famous than that ofSteven SpielbergandJohn Williams, but as Spielberg’s next two films come together at the same time, Williams is having to skip scoring duties for one. The filmmaker shot the effects-driven sci-fi adaptationReady Player Onelast year, but with a March 2018 release date, post-production has been a lengthy process. In the meantime, while the effects work on that film continues, Spielberg is in the midst of shooting a politically-tinged drama calledThe PaperswithMeryl StreepandTom Hanksthat he’s fast-tracking into this year’s awards race, with a by-the-skin-of-your-teeth December release date.
The Papersis a project thatonly came together earlier this yearand movedveryquickly, whileReady Player Onehas had a much more leisurely post-production process. But the scoring schedule for both films is conflicting, so John Williams will be composing the original score forThe Papersbut notReady Player One. PerVariety, duties onReady Player Onewill fall toBack to the FutureandThe AvengerscomposerAlan Silvestri, marking the second “new” composer collaboration for Spielberg in the last few years.
Indeed, the 85-year-old Williams suffered some health issues in 2015, truncating his schedule and leading to him having to choose between scoringStar Wars: The Force Awakensand Spielberg’sBridge of Spies. Spielberg went ahead and nabbedThomas NewmanforBridge of Spies, allowing Williams to return to theStar Warsuniverse, which was kind of a big deal since Williams had scored every single one of Spielberg’s films except for 1985’sThe Color Purpleand 1971’sDuel.
And with Williams also having to work onStar Wars: The Last Jedithis year, throwingReady Player Oneinto the mix was just too much. This is entirely understandable—Williams isn’t as young as someone likeMichael Giacchino, and he’s never been the kind of composer that works on three or four different films in a year. It’s a bummer that we won’t be getting a new Williams score for a Spielberg sci-fi film, but given how terrific his understated work onLincolnwas, I’m eager to see what he puts together forThe Papers.
As for Silvestri, he’s a familiar face for Spielberg as the go-to composer ofRobert Zemeckis, and he’s very comfortable with the sci-fi realm having composed for Marvel’sThe Avengers,Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the upcomingAvengers: Infinity War.
So don’t fret, music nerds. We’ve got Williams’The Last JediandThe Paperson the way this year, and we get to hear what a new Spielberg collaboration sounds like onReady Player Onenext spring.
