John Williams Withdraws Retirement Plans, Will Return for Movie He’s ‘Greatly Interested In’

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John Williams Withdraws Retirement Plans, Will Return for Movie He’s ‘Greatly Interested In’

John Williams may not be retiring just yet.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, per IGN, Williams said he wasn’t ready to officially retire at this time. “I don’t care much for grand pronunciamentos, statements that are firm and finished and surrounded by closed doors. If I made one without putting it in context then I withdraw it,” he said.

Williams continued, “If a film came along that I was greatly interested in, with a schedule that I could cope with, then I wouldn’t want to rule anything out. Everything is possible. All is before us. Only our limitations are holding us back. Or, to put it more simply: I like to keep an open mind.”

What did John Williams previously say about his retirement?

While Williams never publicly said he planned on permanently retiring, he told the Associated Press in June 2022 that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may be the last movie he scores.

“At the moment I’m working on Indiana Jones 5, which Harrison Ford — who’s quite a bit younger than I am — I think has announced will be his last film,” Williams said at the time. “So, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”

Williams, who turns 92 in February, cited his age as his reason for possibly retiring at the time. He also noted that composing something like a Star Wars movie can take up to six months, which “at this point in life is a long commitment to me.”

John Williams’ career as a film composer began in the late 1950s. He’s known for creating the scores for a number of Steven Spielberg movies such as Jaws, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and more. He also scored Star Wars, 1978’s Superman, Harry Potter, and many more.