When you think of Indiana Jones, there's a short list of people you automatically recall as key contributors. Steven Spielberg has always been the directing mastermind behind the action serial throwback, with Harrison Ford playing the lead with cocksure charm and rugged wisdom since its inception. But the music, one of the most important and iconic portions of the Jones mythos, has always been written and conducted by the steady hand of maestro John Williams. Well, like clockwork, it's been announced tonight that Williams will be returning for Indiana Jones 5!
During an American Film Institute tribute to six decades of Williams' work, Steven Spielberg himself spilled the beans that the legendary composer would be returning for another spin through the adventures of Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. Scott Mantz of Access Hollywood tweeted this news out through his Twitter feed, as he was on hand for tonight's festivities. This marks John Williams' second return to a massive franchise he helped build, the first being last December's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While Williams' workload has been less prolific than his most active periods, he's always been there for the collaborators and the series that we knew him best for.
Having John Williams on board for Indiana Jones 5 is one of those facts that while you never doubted it for a second, it's nice to hear it out loud, so as to confirm its reality. With the music from Williams' talented mind setting the stage for each Indiana Jones adventure on the big screen, it's hard to imagine anyone else's music taking its place. Sure, there are folks that could very easily write something that sounds very close to his work, but as J.J. Abrams will tell you, if you have the chance to work with the man himself - you don't hesitate even for a second.
John, formerly credited as "Johnny," Williams has been a fixture of film and television music since his debut in 1956, with an episode of Playhouse 90 marking his first musical credit. From that point on, he worked on TV shows like Checkmate and Gilligan's Island, before making the move to film music. In fact, if one were to pinpoint the one gig that defined his career, it'd probably have to be 1975's Jaws, as his work on Steven Spielberg's breakout hit not only seared every note of its iconic tune in the minds of moviegoers for decades to come, it allowed the director to suggest Williams for a project a friend of his was working on. That project happened to be a little film named Star Wars, which would have been stuck with public domain classical music cues scoring the film, if not for the glowing recommendation.
With John Williams being locked in for Indiana Jones 5, we can now turn our minds to speculating what the film will be about, and who will join the holy trinity of the series as they ride off into the adventurous horizon yet again. Indiana Jones 5 dons its fedora and swings into theaters on its whip of excitement on July 19, 2019.
