Thomas Newman, composer for such films as American Beauty, Finding Nemo and Skyfall, will write the score for 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter. Director Shawn Levy has rather excitedly announced who’ll compose the score for his forthcoming Star Wars: Starfighter. It’s Thomas Newman, the musician whose previous work includes The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Finding Nemo ... Star Wars: Starfighter | Thomas Newman announced as composer
Thomas Newman, composer for such films as American Beauty, Finding Nemo and Skyfall, will write the score for 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter.
Director Shawn Levy has rather excitedly announced who’ll compose the score for his forthcoming Star Wars: Starfighter. It’s Thomas Newman, the musician whose previous work includes The Shawshank Redemption, American Beauty, Finding Nemo and Skyfall.
That’s just a small sample of Newman’s career highlights, so it’s perhaps understandable that Levy blurted out the news sooner than Lucafilm might have expected.
“I don’t know if that’s public, so now it is… Yeah, I think we’re breaking news here,” Levy said during a recording of the On Film…with Kevin McCarthy podcast (via Deadline). “You don’t understand. If you ask me to name my favourite scores, five of the top 10 are Tom Newman: Shawshank, Road To Perdition, Nemo, American Beauty. The guy is a maestro.”
Star Wars is, of course, synonymous with the work of John Williams, whose score harked back to Hollywood’s orchestral past. Levy adds that, while Newman’s music for Starfighter will be “classically inspired,” it also won’t 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.”
Read more: Star Wars | The mystery of Snoke, 10 years on
Set after the events of The Rise Of Skywalker, Starfighter is a Star Wars spin-off (or “standalone adventure”) that has assembled an impressive cast: Ryan Gosling’s in the lead, supported by the likes of Mia Goth, Matt Smith, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird (!), Amy Adams and more besides.
Filming began earlier this year, which means this is one Star Wars movie project that’s less likely to be cancelled than most.
“I feel a profound sense of excitement and honour as we begin production on Star Wars: Starfighter,” Levy wrote as shooting commenced in August. “From the day Kathy Kennedy called me up, inviting me to develop an original adventure in this incredible Star Wars galaxy, this experience has been a dream come true, creatively and personally. Star Wars shaped my sense of what story can do, how characters and cinematic moments can live with us forever. To join this storytelling galaxy with such brilliant collaborators onscreen and off, is the thrill of a lifetime.”
Star Wars: Starfighter is due for release on the 28th May 2027. Before that, we get The Mandalorian And Grogu, out on the 22nd May 2026.
