Ludwig Göransson has been making music professionally for well over a decade now. However, his star has risen exponentially in just the last few years. After netting an Oscar for scoring Marvel’s Black Panther, he turned his attention to Disney+’s The Mandalorian, and the results did not disappoint. His work on the first live-action Star Wars series was loved by fans and recently landed him his first-ever Emmy nomination. And while speaking with Deadline, Göransson detailed the adventure that this latest chapter in his career has taken him on.
The Mandalorian‘s creators often describe it as a space western. With this, it only makes sense that the show’s music sounds different from mainstream entries in the Star Wars saga. Fortunately, showrunner Jon Favreau gave Göransson a good idea of what he was looking for during their first meeting.
“Jon comes up to me and starts telling me about the show,” said Göransson. “About his inspiration— about samurai movies and Westerns—and I was just kind of astounded, and really inspired. I think from the very start of our conversations, I got to understand that it was going to be a really fun experience.”
His first impulse was to buy woodwind recorders to add a more organic sound, which would then combine with a full symphony orchestra. “The world he created is so big, and there’s so many characters, so many planets and locations, so we always wanted to also put in an element of this tech and modern production, and also the big, sweeping, romantic orchestra,” Göransson says. “When we have all those three elements—the organic, the tech and the orchestra—we can really do anything we want.”
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“What John Williams created for Star Wars was probably the best film music out there—at least, the most known film music,” added Göransson. “I remember watching the movies as a kid and the impact the visuals and the music had with me. I can still remember that feeling, and it was that feeling that I wanted to try to recreate.”
Göransson is also coming back to score The Mandalorian’s upcoming second season. So naturally, this means he’s getting an early look at the new episodes. And according to him, viewers can expect the filmmakers to usher Din Djarin’s journey into bold new directions.
“We started a couple of months ago, and I’m extremely excited,” added Göransson. “Jon’s taking the story into places that I didn’t know existed, and I think it’s so fun.”
The Mandalorian season 2 will arrive on Disney+ in October.
Are you excited to hear what Göransson comes up with for the new season? Let us know in the comments down below!
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