Phil Roberts 
After turning in a wonderful score for Marvel’s Loki, Natalie Holt has officially signed on to score the Obi-Wan Kenobi series
We’ve known for some time that John Williams would be writing the main theme for the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney Plus series. But until now, the identity of the main series composer has remained a mystery. But thankfully, all that is about to change because Lucasfilm has confirmed that Natalie Holt will be scoring the hotly-anticipated series.
NATALIE HOLT
Holt rose to prominence in 2021 after turning in a wonderful score for Marvel Studios’ Loki. But this represents her first foray into the galaxy far, far away. And her first collaboration with the legendary John Williams. However, it is worth noting that the last time Williams collaborated with another artist on Solo; the payoff was nothing short of masterful. On that project, it was John Powell who stepped in to deliver a sensational score built around Williams’ tone-setting theme.
VANITY FAIR
With word finally reaching the wires about her appointment, the composer recently sat down with Vanity Fair to discuss the project. And in a very open and honest interview, Holt opened up about her approach to the score. AND touched upon working with John Williams. Who, incidentally requested the opportunity to write a theme for the only legacy character he hadn’t done. Check out some snippets from the interview below:
VF: What can you tell me about your approach? How did you begin developing the music on this show?
NH: Well, I think I’ve just always been a huge Star Wars fan. I watched the original trilogy with my dad when I was five years old. So the music from John Williams basically narrated my childhood: E.T., Raiders, Jurassic Park. So yeah, my starting point was just being a huge fan of the music for the show already. I’m a violinist and I come from an orchestral background, so I’ve been able to do something on an epic scale with these big forces.
WORKING WITH JOHN WILLIAMS
VF: How did you and Williams come to work in tandem?
NH: Obi-Wan is a legacy character that John hadn’t written a theme for because he died quite early on in A New Hope. It’s the only legacy character that he hadn’t done. So he spoke to [Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy and said, “I just want to write Benny a theme.” So who can deny him that? And he did, he wrote the Obi theme, and it just embodies the spirit of the show entirely.
VF: How does his contribution fit with the broader music you created for this show?
NH: For me, the tentpoles are set out by John Williams. There are elements to the show that are new and fresh, and I’ve been able to have my own interpretation with elements—that I can’t reveal. So it’s been glorious, working with my hero and also bringing my own voice to the show.
VF: How would you describe his new Obi-Wan theme?
NH: It’s reflective, and it’s just entirely appropriate. And it distills what the show is about in just the perfect way that John Williams can. It’s wistful, but there’s an element of hope to it. It’s doing something new and I think people are going to be really blown away by it.
THE RETURN OF DARTH VADER
This is wonderful news. Natalie Holt turned in a positively wonderful score for Marvel’s Loki. And if she brings that orchestral quality to the Obi-Wan series we could be in line for a very special Star Wars experience. And with John Williams on hand to help stick the landing and the return of Darth Vader catapulting the series into the stratosphere; Holt’s score will easily become the soundtrack to our summer. And that is an exciting prospect. Her approach has been to incorporate a hauntingly nostalgic theme throughout the soundtrack. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that the Imperial March will feature prominently. And if she can incorporate the atmosphere of Revenge Of The Sith into proceedings, then we may be about to hear the most organic and transitional score to bridge the gap between the sagas. And that alone makes Holt’s work unmissable.
Are you excited about the new series? Is Natalie Holt the right composer to bring our beloved Jedi Master back to the screen? Sound off in the comments section below.
Obi-Wan Kenobi launches on Disney Plus with a two-episode series launch on May 27.
Source: Vanity Fair
Phil Roberts is the Owner, Daily Content Manager, and Editor-In-Chief of The Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force and babbles frequently!
