Lucasfilm's Obi-Wan Kenobi show has the first-ever female composer for a live-action Star Wars project, as Loki's Natalie Holt is scoring the series. After years of rumors about Ewan McGregor's potential return to the galaxy far, far away, Lucasfilm finally confirmed in 2019 that he was coming back to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in a Disney+ series. The show comes from The Mandalorian director Deborah Chow and picks up ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. It is through this setting that Obi-Wan Kenobi brings Hayden Christensen back as Darth Vader for the rematch of the century.
There are plenty of exciting details known about Obi-Wan Kenobi, but one of the announcements that got longtime fans of the franchise most excited was John Williams' involvement. The legendary film composer was thought to be done with the franchise after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, he returned to provide the main theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi because he was the one Star Wars legacy character he never wrote a theme for. It remained unclear, though, who would work on the music for the rest of the series.
It has now been revealed that Holt is composing Obi-Wan Kenobi. She confirmed the news in an interview with Vanity Fair. Holt becomes the first woman to score a live-action Star Wars project. She's the fifth person other than John Williams to score a movie or show, joining Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Ludwig Göransson, and Joseph Shirley. As part of the interview, she teased that there is a "haunting" quality to the show's music. Holt only just recently finished composing the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale.
Holt's involvement in Obi-Wan Kenobi marks the latest example of the series being a first for Star Wars and women. In addition to her becoming the first woman to score a Star Wars live-action project, Deborah Chow becomes the first woman to solely direct a live-action project in the franchise. Chow was also the first female director in Star Wars history thanks to her work on The Mandalorian season 1, episode 3.
On top of the importance of Holt's addition in the grand scheme of the franchise, it fulfills a dream of hers. She's a self-proclaimed fan of the franchise and expressed her desire to score a Star Wars movie last year. Now, she's another reason why excitement for Obi-Wan Kenobi should be quite high. Her work on Loki was one of the best aspects of the MCU Disney+ series. Now that she's had the opportunity to collaborate with Williams for Obi-Wan Kenobi's score, it should be fun to hear how she incorporates her own ideas and style into the Star Wars sound.
Source: Vanity Fair
