Some collaborations are the stuff of legend, and few shine brighter than John Williams and Steven Spielberg. At 93, the maestro could easily step away from the podium, but instead, he’s reportedly ready to join forces with Spielberg once more on the director’s latest film.
At a recent event celebrating Williams, Juilliard president Damian Woetzel said, “The catalyst is John Williams, who is in Los Angeles doing what he does: he is working with Steven Spielberg on the next movie. And that is something to be happy about.“
Production on Spielberg’s new project wrapped up this summer, but much of it remains shrouded in mystery. It’s been known as the UFO film and was scripted by David Koepp based on a story by Spielberg. It stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. Spielberg shared some footage from the film at an event in June, but it didn’t answer too many questions. Blunt was seen being chased by menacing figures in unmarked black cars, there’s a collision with a speeding train, and an underground NASA-like control room overseen by Firth’s character, who seems to be the villain. The film is set to be released in theaters on June 12, 2026.
If Williams does end up composing the score for this project, it would be his 30th collaboration with Spielberg. His first was The Sugarland Express, all the way back in 1974.
Williams previously hinted that he was considering retiring after he completed his scores for The Fabelmans and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, but he later changed his mind. “I’ll stick around for awhile,” Williams said. “I can’t retire from music. A day without music is a mistake.” He added that his decades-long collaboration with Spielberg was as good a reason as any not to retire. “One thing Steven isn’t is a man you can say no to,” he said.
Williams is responsible for some of cinema’s greatest music, but he recently confessed that he “never liked film music very much,” which has certainly sparked discussion. “Film music, however good it can be – and it usually isn’t, other than maybe an eight-minute stretch here and there … I just think the music isn’t there,” he said. “That, what we think of as this precious great film music is … we’re remembering it in some kind of nostalgic way …“
