John Williams Music Documentary Confirms Disney+ Premiere Date

Music By John Williams, a documentary produced by Steven Spielberg, portrays the life and career of renowned composer John Williams, famous for his work on Jaws and Star Wars. The documentary is scheduled to debut on Disney+ this November, following a brief theatrical release. It will premiere as the opening film at AFI Fest 2024, happening at the TCL Chinese Theatre between October 23rd and 27th. The documentary will then be available on Disney+ starting November 1st. One of the producers of the film is Ron Howard, who also directed the recent Disney+ documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man.

Throughout his illustrious career, Williams has been nominated for 52 Academy Awards, securing wins for Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., and Schindler’s List. His iconic scores for Superman, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park further bolster his celebrated portfolio. Initially, Williams had planned to retire after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but he later reconsidered.

“John Williams is an American icon with a true and timeless global impact,” said AFI’s President and CEO, Bob Gazzale, according to Deadline, who initially reported the news. “One could say we are ‘over the moon’ to host the World Premiere of the film, but that sentiment would hardly soar without the music of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

Laurent Bouzereau, the director of the documentary, shared his personal connection to Williams’ music. “Growing up in France, I discovered the soundtracks I bought on vinyl ahead of most American movies that would come out months after the U.S. release,” Bouzereau commented. “John Williams was the composer I immediately identified with; his scores made me fall in love with music, and made me realize at a very young age the power that a score had on cinematic storytelling. This was an important story to tell, not only because it is about one of the greatest composers of all time, but because of the message it carries about the survival of orchestral music, and musicians.”

The documentary features interviews with an impressive lineup of prominent figures, including Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Kate Capshaw, Gustavo Dudamel, J.J. Abrams, Chris Martin, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, George Lucas, Itzhak Perlman, Lawrence Kasdan, Yo-Yo Ma, Ke Huy Quan, James Mangold, Alan Silvestri, David Newman, Thomas Newman, Seth MacFarlane, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Branford Marsalis.

Source: ComicBook