Truth or Rumor? Williams on board for final Potter film?

[Paul MacLean]

I'm guarded in my optimism, seeing as this "news" has originated from Brazil, but...

http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2010/09/14 ... ws-part-2/

John Williams Returns to Score “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2″
By: Hanako M. Ricks

By Hanako M. Ricks

HollywoodNews.com: Composer John Williams will return to compose the score for the final “Harry Potter” film, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” WB Brazil has confirmed to Brazil-based fansite Potterish.

Williams is a legend in Hollywood, having composed some of the indutry’s most well-known and beloved movie scores, including those of Jaws, the Star Wars series, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, and Indiana Jones, among others. Williams composed the scores for the first three Harry Potter films and opted out of the fourth, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, to compose the score for Memoirs of a Geisha.

Williams’ music has received numerous awards and nominations, including twenty-one Grammys, three Emmys, five Oscars, seven BAFTAs and four Golden Globes. His work on the Harry Potter scores have earned him two Oscar nominations (for Sorcerer’s Stone and Prisoner of Azkaban), one Saturn nomination (Prisoner of Azkaban), three BMI Film Music Awards (for all three films), three Grammy nominations (all three films), and three World Soundtrack nominations (including one win for Prisoner of Azkaban).

Alexandre Desplat will compose the score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, which is scheduled for release on November 19. Part 2 will follow next summer, with a scheduled release date of July 15.

Is hollywoodnews.com credible?

For that matter, is Warner Bros. Brazil credible?

[AndyDursin]

I have no idea about the source either but I can't see how any outlet would fabricate this kind of thing when it's film music and most people don't care. Let's hope there's some fire near the smoke, right?

I was encouraged a little bit by the comments from Conrad Pope that I saw last month (I think it was Pope, no?)...can't remember where they were, but didn't he kind of "tease" that Williams might be coming back? Or said something to that effect?

Also, if Williams WASN'T returning, wouldn't they have just hired Desplat to score both parts in the first place?

Either way this is great news if it turns out to be accurate!

[AndyDursin]

I see they kind of retracted it and said nobody has been announced yet.

I don't get what's going on....

[Eric W.]

Isn't Williams basically retired or awfully close to it? Frankly at this point I'll be very surprised if I see this kind of news hold.

[Paul MacLean]

Isn't Williams basically retired or awfully close to it? Frankly at this point I'll be very surprised if I see this kind of news hold.

I think at this point he is "retired" in the sense he doesn't work unless the project interests him. He's made clear his fondness for Harry Potter. I think it is all down to whether it will work into his schedule.

[Monterey Jack]

[Paul MacLean]

Yet another rumor is now making the rounds...

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate ... rmd%3Divns

The blog ByXBuzz has revealed information regarding the soundtrack for the second part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ! According to sources close to producer Warner Bros. singer Enya would be working with composer Alexandre Desplat on a song called "Through the Darkness (Through the Dark), which would be used at the end of the tape.

The article also mentions that the acclaimed composer John Williams would also work with Alexandre Desplat in some selected tracks from the soundtrack. At the moment there is no official confirmation on it, and we take the information as a rumor. Enya is a renowned new age singer who in 2002 created the song May It Be for the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which was very close to winning the Oscar for Best Original Song)

Desplat's score for part one was so surpassingly bland and sterile, I'd like to think one of the producers or a Warner executive has had the good sense to call in John T. to rescue part two. I'd be happy to have Williams just write a couple of new themes and score the major sequences.

[Eric W.]

What is this? Why is it so hard to get Williams back? Is he essentially retired?

[AndyDursin]

That's just...weird...though, isn't it? That he wouldn't score the whole movie, only "contribute" to parts of it?

Of course I'd take anything over Desplat's somnobulant scoring. I laughed outloud at the FSM folk who said "I hope not!" when this news came about. Like you'd rather hear nondescript white noise instead of actual film music? Seriously what are they listening to? Is there some subliminal messages in that music that compels them to hear it? "You must listen to me, don't turn me off!" lol.

[mkaroly]

That's just...weird...though, isn't it? That he wouldn't score the whole movie, only "contribute" to parts of it?

Agreed...something is rotton at Hogwarts!

[Eric W.]

That's just...weird...though, isn't it? That he wouldn't score the whole movie, only "contribute" to parts of it?

Of course I'd take anything over Desplat's somnobulant scoring. I laughed outloud at the FSM folk who said "I hope not!" when this news came about. Like you'd rather hear nondescript white noise instead of actual film music? Seriously what are they listening to? Is there some subliminal messages in that music that compels them to hear it? "You must listen to me, don't turn me off!" lol.

It's absurd. It's again instant self-credibility destruction. Who in the hell wouldn't want John Williams over just about anyone else and especially THESE days?

Who have they got posting on their forums?! Fools.



And Desplat is someone that I waited to see him break and I just don't think he's going to do it. If you can't open it up on some kind of fantasy film like one of these there's really no hope for you.

[Paul MacLean]

I'm forced to admit it sounds like wishful thinking...though for me it is tempting to want to believe.

I could see Williams doing a "Chamber of Secrets" and providing new themes and scoring the key sequences, while Desplat "fills in the blanks" but I don't know.

The notion of Enya providing a tune is also very suspect.

[mkaroly]

The notion of Enya providing a tune is also very suspect.

That notion sounds too LOTR-ish to me...to Fellowshippy.

Well, all I can say is that if they can't get Williams to do the whole thing, don't get him at all. Leave Desplat in there to finish it himself so there is at least some continuity to the music (bad as it might be). Nothing would be worse than having a Williams/Desplat pairing a la JNH/Hans Zimmer...perish the thought! Give me all Williams or give me nothing! Lol...

[Paul MacLean]

Well, all I can say is that if they can't get Williams to do the whole thing, don't get him at all. Leave Desplat in there to finish it himself so there is at least some continuity to the music (bad as it might be).

I'd rather have continuity breach caused by improved scoring rather than part 2 featuring more meandering, non-melodic, shapeless orchestrations that match-up with part 1.

I still cling to what John Williams told me when I asked him if he'd be scoring any more Potter films...

"I'm going to do the last one. I hope I can at least."

[AndyDursin]

How clueless are people though. Did you read some of those comments? David Yates wants Desplat, David Yates invited Desplat -- like David Yates is Steven Spielberg?

Why did David Yates get this directing job in the first place?

Why did Nicholas Hooper come along to score HP films?

It's all about money. Yates cost nothing to WB compared to the name directors who worked on the first few films. Hooper was a nobody and an associate of Yates. He likewise cost nothing compared to the salary that Williams commands.

There was a point when WB wanted to move the Potter films to Munich a couple of films ago to save money and not shoot in England, until Radcliffe made a big stink and such and they kept it in the UK. But make no mistake -- these last few films have been all about cost-efficiency for the studio. They are raking in big money and have wanted to minimize the amount of overhead. Really Warners has made out like bandits with the Potter films because unlike other long-running franchises they got to keep the cast under control since they were kids and signed them to long-term deals, and they restricted spending on name directors and other crew like composers. So their profit was maxed out for certain on all of these films.

I don't understand why Williams can't score the film outright, but it's sad if he can't do it because he's retired or the studio doesn't want to spend the money.