UPDATED: Williams Confirmed for Episode VII Score

Kind of a no-brainer as far as we’re concerned, since Star Wars probably wouldn’t be Star Wars without John Williams’ iconic score. Here’s the man himself:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ4jZr1w0AI&feature=youtu.be

Can’t believe we’ll have new Star Wars in two years! What a great time to be geeks!

UPDATE: Swank-mo-tron here. I got the official press release in and here it is:

Lucasfilm announced today that John Williams, the legendary composer who crafted the iconic, sweeping music of all six films in the Star Wars saga, is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII. Fans attending Star Wars Celebration this weekend in Essen, Germany heard the news first from Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy while being interviewed on stage by host Warwick Davis. Williams’ grand orchestral compositions for Star Wars are among the most beloved and recognizable in movie history, from the classic “Main Title” theme introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope to the ominous “Imperial March” from Star War: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to the stirring “Duel of the Fates” from the prequel trilogy.

Williams, whose career spans over six decades, has won five Academy Awards and has scored some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of all time, including Jaws, the Indiana Jones series, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Lincoln, and countless others. The composer joins a growing list of all-star creators including director J.J. Abrams, screenwriter Michael Arndt, and consultants Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg, who are shaping Star Wars Episode VII, currently set for a 2015 release.

“I look forward to returning to a galaxy far, far away… I actually feel like I never left it,” said Williams via a pre-recorded video at the event on Saturday. “I’m happy to be a continuing part of the Star Wars saga… and the joy in the journey of discovery that awaits us all.”