Star Wars: John Williams Reportedly to Begin Work on 'Episode IX' This Summer

John Williams has crafted the scores for each installment in the Skywalker Saga, with his work on Star Wars: Episode IX completing a more than 40-year journey with the franchise. The legendary composer suffered a health scare last fall, though personal friend Mike Matessino confirmed that, not only is Williams fully recovered, but that he will likely begin working on the film's score this summer.

"John's doing just fine. He went to Ginny Mancini's Twelfth Night party last week," Matessino shared on the Film Score Board. "Just a few people there… Norman Lear, Quincy Jones, Leslie Bricusse… I don't think he's working on Ep. IX until the summer; the schedule is still being worked out."

Dating back to Star Wars: A New Hope, Williams' score has been an integral component of the franchise, as we enjoyed the film's opening theme before meeting a single character. Williams crafted not only the scores to the original trilogy, but also the prequel trilogy, and concludes his tenure in the galaxy far, far away by crafting the score for Star Wars: Episode IX.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story marked the first film in the franchise to feature music not composed by Williams, with Michael Giacchino handling the musical duties on the film. Williams composed elements of Solo: A Star Wars Story, though John Powell handled a majority of the film's music.

According to Mark Hamill, who more fans would likely recognize from the series, Williams deserves the most praise for making the saga what it is, other than George Lucas.

"Aside from George Lucas, nobody deserves more credit for the success of Star Wars than John Williams," the actor shared with Variety.

The actor went on to recall the experience of watching Williams compose a live recording of the score to Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

"It's indescribable, how he elevates every scene. He's got to understand the emotion of the scene, the dynamics of whatever conflict we're trying to portray, as deeply as an actor does," Hamill confessed. "In a way, that's even more complex. As an actor, you're only one person, one instrument in the orchestra. He's the entire cast."

Fans can hear Williams' final Star Wars score when Episode IX lands in theaters this December. Additionally, fans will be able to hear all-new music from Williams when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland later this year.

Are you looking forward to hearing the composer's final Star Wars score? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!