Legendary composer John Williams has confirmed that he will be working on the music for Star Wars: Episode VIII, a move sure to calm the fears of fans who would have a tricky time imagining Star Wars without his iconic scores. Speaking on stage during a Boston performance of his various compositions, Williams told the crowd that he had seen an early cut of the movie, and would begin work on its score in the coming weeks.

He's seen an early cut of the movie

Williams reportedly said his motivation for accepting the Episode VIII gig was Daisy Ridley's portrayal of Rey, stating that he took the job because didn't want to let another composer have the chance to score her scenes. Williams has referenced Ridley's performance as the primary motive for his continued involvement in the franchise before. "I told Kathy Kennedy I'm happy to do it," the composer told Variety in June, "but the real reason is, I didn't want anybody else writing music for Daisy Ridley."

The composer is also working on the music for the next Indiana Jones movie, and was on hand to provide the music for The Force Awakens, but hasn't worked on upcoming spinoff Rogue One, leaving musical duties to Alexandre Desplat. Rogue One will be the first Star Wars movie not to feature music from Williams, who worked on both the original trilogy and the prequels, as well as providing iconic scores for Jurassic Park, ET, Jaws, the Harry Potter movies, and just about every other film score you can hum from memory.