Shawn Levy Shares Excitement About the Composer for ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’
Director Shawn Levy is set to make a significant addition to the Star Wars franchise, enlisting acclaimed composer Tom Newman to create the film’s score.
Levy revealed this news on the On Film…with Kevin McCarthy podcast, expressing his excitement: “I know, bro. I don’t know if that’s public, so now it is. Yeah, I think we’re breaking news here.” He added, “If you ask me to name my favorite scores, five of the top 10 are Tom Newman: Shawshank, Road to Perdition, Nemo, American Beauty. The guy is a maestro.”
In discussing his vision for the score, Levy explained, “I was thinking about this movie and what I need the music to be, because it wants to be sort of classically inspired. But no, it’s not gonna be remixes of Williams cues. It may be inspired by some of that, but I knew that I needed a big-hearted movie score from a composer, who like John Williams, doesn’t shy away from themes.”
John Williams, known for scoring the original Star Wars (1977), has created music that has become synonymous with the franchise.
Levy expressed his enthusiasm for working with Newman, stating, “So, I called up Tom Newman. You don’t understand, I’m a fan. And I said, ‘Hey, it’s Shawn Levy. Would you ever consider—?’ And he said, ‘Send me the script, and describe your vision.’ And I did both those things, and it was yes. And I’m so stoked. … I’m so excited about it.”
Titled Starfighter, the film is set outside the Skywalker saga, taking place five years after Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The screenplay is penned by Jonathan Tropper, and the cast includes Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams.
