Giacchino for Rogue One

When Disney reported that Alexandre Desplat was going to be composing the score for Rogue One, my first thought was “Not Michael Giacchino”? Disney practically owns his career and he is the spiritual successor to John Williams in so many ways. That's why it was a nice surprise to see that Disney finally came to their senses a few weeks ago when they announced that Giacchino would compose Rogue One after all.

Giacchino first became a household name (in my household) during Season 1 of Lost, when his Emmy winning score captured hearts and souls nationwide. Giacchino’s name is often attached to J.J. Abrahams productions such as Mission Impossible, Alias, Cloverfield, Star Trek, Super 8.

Giacchino and Abrams names go side by side so much, it’s actually a little weird that he didn’t score “The Force Awakens”… And though I am honestly stoked that 84-year old John Williams is seemingly secured to the sequel trilogy, I do think that if anyone is going to ultimately replace Williams, Giacchino will be the one.

In addition to his Bad Robot ventures, the composer has also scored many Pixar films in the past two decades including The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Cars 2, Inside Out, and his Academy Award winning Up soundtrack. He even scored Zootopia for Disney (not a Pixar film though, for those of you who don’t keep track of animation studios)

Giacchino’s ability to write sweeping scores, quiet serenades, and instantly memorable compositions makes me incredibly excited for the music of Rogue One. Perhaps Giacchino’s music will even help the first Star Wars spin-off film become an instant classic, the way Williams’ music greatly enhanced the original Star Wars film.

Here is just a sample of Giacchino's amazing work: