John Williams on his retirement: "I wouldn’t want to rule anything out"

As reported by Variety, John Williams first teased his retirement in a promotional run for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, by saying that it would likely be his last film in somewhat of a joke about Harrison Ford also claiming that it would also be his last film.

In January 2023, he was quoted saying that he wouldn't rule out working on one more Spielberg film as "He’s a director, he’s a producer, he’s a studio head, he’s a writer, he’s a philanthropist, he’s an educator. One thing he isn’t is a man you can say no to.” The pair have had a storied career together, collaborating for over four decades on films such as Schindler’s List, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws, Jurassic Park, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, War of the Worlds, and more.

John Williams canceled his retirement pic.twitter.com/E7lBn5DbIZ

— Raiders of the Lost Podcast (@RaidersLostPod) January 1, 2024

When asked by The Times about his previous statement on retirement, Williams said: "I don’t care much for grand pronunciamentos, statements that are firm and finished and surrounded by closed doors. If I made one without putting it in context then I withdraw it.”

“If a film came along that I was greatly interested in, with a schedule that I could cope with, then I wouldn’t want to rule anything out,” he continued. “Everything is possible. All is before us. Only our limitations are holding us back. Or, to put it more simply: I like to keep an open mind.”