Music By John Williams, a documentary produced by Steven Spielberg that tackles the life and career of Jaws and Star Wars composer John Williams, is set to debut on Disney+ in November, following a limited theatrical run. The movie will serve as the opening night film for AFI Fest 2024, which takes place at the TCL Chinese Theatre from October 23rd through 27th. The next week, on November 1st, the movie will arrive on Disney+. One of the film’s producers is Ron Howard, the Imagine Entertainment executive who also served as director of the recent Disney+ documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man.
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Throughout his career, Williams has been nominated for 52 Academy Awards and has won five for Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., and Schindler’s List. He’s also known for creating the scores for Superman, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and many more. He had originally indicated that he intended to retire following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but later changed his mind.
“John Williams is an American icon with a true and timeless global impact,” said AFI’s President and CEO, Bob Gazzale (per Deadline, who first reported the news). “One could say we are ‘over the moon’ to host the World Premiere of the film, but that sentiment would hardly soar without the music of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”
“Growing up in France, I discovered the soundtracks I bought on vinyl ahead of most American movies that would come out months after the U.S. release,” added Laurent Bouzereau, who directed the movie. “John Williams was the composer I immediately identified with; his scores made me fall in love with music, and made me realize at a very young age, the power that a score had on cinematic storytelling. This was an important story to tell, not only because it is about one of the greatest composers of all time, but because of the message it carries about the survival of orchestral music, and musicians.”
Interviews in the film include Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Kate Capshaw, Gustavo Dudamel, J.J. Abrams, Chris Martin, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, George Lucas, Itzhak Perlman, Lawrence Kasdan, Yo-Yo Ma, Ke Huy Quan, James Mangold, Alan Silvestri, David Newman, Thomas Newman, Seth MacFarlane, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Branford Marsalis.
