Last week, legendary composer John Williams and his longtime collaborator, iconic director Steven Spielberg, came together at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills for an event dedicated to their latest film, The Fabelmans. During the event, the two men shared their love for each other, and Williams revealed he isn’t quite ready to retire. This seemed to surprise Spielberg, who said, “I’d better get to work to find out what the hell I’m doing next!” Turns out, Spielberg has decided to develop a documentary all about his pal.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Williams will be the subject of a feature-length documentary with Spielberg executive producing along with Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein, and Meredith Kaulfers. Amblin Television, Imagine Documentaries, and Nedland Media are reportedly in the “very early stages of production” on the film, which will be helmed by Laurent Bouzereau who is best known for directing “making of” and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
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., andSchindler’s List. He’s also known for creating the scores for Superman, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and much more. During last week’s event, Williams summed up the last 50 years working with Spielberg:
“I’ve enjoyed his company and the pleasure and the gift of his inspiration. Can a muse be a man? He’s certainly been a muse for me.” Spielberg added with a laugh, “I don’t think we’ve ever had a disagreement, … I mean, what am I going to do? Sit down and write the music myself?” The director then caused Williams to choke up by saying, “In the art form that we’ve both chosen, he has been the most steadfast brother and collaborator that I’ve ever had in my life. And that’s how I would sum up how much I love you.”
What’s Next For John Williams?
This year, Williams will be returning to Indiana Jones for the franchise’s fifth installment, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and he previously hinted that the movie could be his last. The composer turns 91 next month, and he recently told the Associated Press that he could be moving towards just performing live instead of scoring massive blockbusters. However, he changed his tune during the event with Spielberg:
“Steven is a lot of things,” Williams explained to music journalist Jon Burlingame when asked about retiring (via The Hollywood Reporter). “He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say ‘no’ to.” This caused a huge reaction from the audience before Williams explained that he knew Spielberg’s late father, Arnold, who worked at Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation until he was 100. “So I’ve got 10 more years to go. I’ll stick around for a while!” He added, “Also, you can’t ‘retire’ from music. It’s like breathing. It’s your life. It’s my life. A day without music is a mistake.”
Stay tuned for more information about the upcoming John Williams documentary.
