We’re happy to report tonight that composer John Williams, who’s currently working on Star Wars: Episode IX, is in stable condition following his hospitalization earlier this week.
At the moment, it’s unclear what illness forced him to be in the hospital in the first place, but according to record producer Mike Matessino, who’s close with those in Williams’ inner circle, the beloved musician will be returning to Los Angeles next week and continues to make a speedy recovery.
While some had speculated that the first Episode IX trailer may be delayed given that he was working on a special piece of music for it, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore and seeing how brief this whole ordeal was, we don’t imagine it’ll have any impact on the film’s production or marketing.
Of course, it’s not just Star Wars that Williams is known for. The man has roughly six decades of experience working in Hollywood, providing the instantly recognizable soundtracks for a wealth of big screen projects, including the themes for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, the Indiana Jones films and Jurassic Park. Many of these have also been showered with awards, with Williams currently holding the record for most Oscar nominations earned by any living person.
Still, the one property that he’s continually been involved in over the years is Star Wars. After Episode IX, however, he’ll likely retire from the franchise, telling Kusc.org earlier this year:
“We know J.J. Abrams is preparing (Episode IX) now, that I will hopefully do next year for him. I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine (films). That will be quite enough for me. Disney Studios probably will take it further. As you know, Disney has acquired the rights for Lucasfilm, and they will probably continue on through… decades, possibly, doing Star Wars-related attractions.”
The composer’s many fans include actor Mark Hamill, who said the other week that after George Lucas, no one’s more responsible for the success of the Star Wars films than John Williams. And you know what? We’d have to agree.