It has been years since world-famous film composer John Williams has created a piece of music for a production specifically made for a TV series. But now, the 86-year-old musician has scored a soundtrack to the new Netflix series "Lost In Space."
'Lost in Space' and Williams' past work in the sci-fi genre
The ten-episode Netflix serial is, in fact, a retelling of the plot from the original 1960s TV show of the same title. What is even more endearing is that Williams scored the themes for the original "Lost in Space" over half a century ago. The series was one of the first (if not the very first) science fiction productions to have music composed by John Williams.
The original show was produced and created by the award-winning filmmaker Irwin Allen whose creative quality seemed to decline in later years. However, Williams and Allen maintained a strong relationship in the entertainment business which lasted over a decade.
After Williams' terrific job on a number of scores for "LIS," Irwin Allen hired him to compose two more sci-fi TV shows he produced, "The Time Tunnel" and "Land of the Giants." All of this adventurous sci-fi scoring would help prepare the young composer for many of his later and better-known work on films such as "Star Wars," "E.T.," "Superman," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "Jurassic Park."
Early work and recent announcements from Williams
Irwin Allen's TV hits were primarily aired in the 1960s.
Working into the seventies, he drew his attention to feature film production and a certain degree of directing as well. It was in this decade that Allen produced the two disaster genre films which would ensure the mention of his name in cinematic history. These two tremendous endeavors were "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) and "The Towering Inferno" (1974).
And Williams had the honor of scoring both.
Very soon, John Williams was employed by the up-and-coming director Steven Spielberg for his early film projects "The Sugarland Express" and "Jaws." From there, George Lucas hired him for "Star Wars," and Williams and his music were a global sensation forever after.
Now, after returning to compose a new "Lost in Space" soundtrack, he has announced that he is stepping down from perhaps his most famous movie saga: "Star Wars."
He has decided that after Episode IX, he will no longer be composing original scores for other movies in the franchise. It is interesting, exciting, and sad all at the same time to see Williams return to one of his first franchises while leaving one of his most prosperous.
