‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Composer Confirms New Theme For Chewbacca

John Powell, the Academy Award-nominated composer for 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' confirms that the new theme in a recent clip belongs to Chewbacca.

Han Solo Chewbacca Star Wars Disney Lucasfilm

Earlier today, a brand new clip from the highly-anticipated Solo: A Star Wars Story shows Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich), Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo) in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as they attempt to maneuver the ship through a storm as TIE Fighters chase them down. In the clip, we hear a brand new musical theme for Chewbacca as he showcases some of his surprising skills to an impressed Han.

John Powell, the Academy Award-nominated composer for Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed that the musical theme heard in this brand new clip was in fact a new theme he composed for Chewbacca in the film. Powell confirmed on his official Facebook page:

Powell is the latest composer to score a film in the Star Wars franchise that is not the living legend John Williams (who composed a brand new theme for Han in this film). Previously, Academy Award-winner Michael Giacchino stepped in to compose the score to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story after original composer Alexandre Desplat stepped down from those duties.

Powell has a reputation for composing scores that evoke a truly soaring sensation through beautiful orchestration – his work on the How to Train Your Dragon films immediately spring to mind. From this snippet of Chewbacca’s theme alone, it seems that Powell fits right at home in the Williams playbook of Star Wars music.

The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Bettany. Here’s the official synopsis:

Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in Solo: A Star Wars Story, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and encounters the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.

Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25, 2018.

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic