The Mandalorian, the first ever live-action Star Wars TV series, has found its composer in Ludwig Goransson. Lucasfilm has officially announced that the Golden Globe and Grammy nominated record producer and composer will score the soundtrack for the series, which is in production as we speak. Goransson had this to say about his new gig in a statement, evoking the wisdom of Yoda as a guiding light for the task that lies ahead of him.
“Words fail to express how surreal and humbling it feels to be invited into theStar Wars universe. I am deeply grateful toJon Favreauand Disney for this opportunity and to John Williams for raising the bar so high with his iconic, intrepid scores, they will never be matched. In these next months I hope to honor the tradition of Star Wars' musical landscape while propelling The Mandalorian into new and unchartered territory. And I will attempt to remember that there is no try.”
Undoubtedly, Ludwig Goransson has some huge shoes to fill. John Williams has scored every single movie in the main Star Wars franchise thus far, but he’s stepped aside to allow others to step in for the spin-offs, with Michael Giacchino tacklingRogue Oneand John Powell handlingSolo, with a little assist from Williams. ButThe Mandalorianis treading new territory in agalaxy far, far awayand, with that, someone new is coming in to make his stamp on the universe. But Goransson seems more than qualified for the gig.
Recently, the composer scoredBlack Panther, for which, he earned Golden Globe and Grammy nominations. Some of Ludwig Goransson’s other work includes doing the score forCreed 2,VenomandFruitvale Station, as well as for shows likeCommunityandNew Girl. Goransson is also an accomplished music producer, having worked with artists like Chance the Rapper andDonald Gloveron his most recent Childish Gambino album. Coincidentally, Glover is also part of the Star Wars universe, as he played Lando Calrissian inSolo.
While this is the first live-action TV series, Star Wars has been tackled on the small screen before in the animated showsThe Clone Wars,RebelsandResistance. On that front, it’s been composer Kevin Kiner, who has done a fine job capturing that John Williams feel, while making the music his own. ButThe Mandalorianis more high-profile and comes with more pressure from the fanbase. With that, Ludwig Goransson will have a lot more pressure to deliver the goods.
Iron Mandirector Jon Favreau serves as writer and executive producer alongsideDave Filoni(The Clone Wars,Rebels), who is directing the first episode. The cast includes Pedro Pascal (Game of Thronesin the titular role, alongside Gina Carano (Deadpool), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Emily Swallow (Supernatural), Carl Weathers (Predator), Omid Abtahi (American Gods), Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man) and Nick Nolte (Warrior). No premiere date has been set yet, butThe Mandalorianwill arrive on the Disney+ streaming service in 2019. This news was first revealed byStarWars.com.
