John Williams, the symphonic maestro responsible for such classic Hollywood soundtracks as Superman, Jaws, Jurassic Park, ET, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Raiders of the Lost Ark will return to the galaxy far, far away to create new music for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

The themed amusement parks, which are currently being added to both Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, will – like all Disney parks – have music playing in the background at all times in order to create a magical and otherworldly ambience. It is this music that will feature brand new, exclusive compositions from the decorated composer, designed to complement the remote trading outpost of the planet Baatu (which the parks will represent).

The new music will be the penultimate project centred around the classic franchise for Williams, who has previously announced that 2019’s presently-untitled Star Wars: Episode IX will feature his final full orchestral score for the series.

Five-time Oscar-winner John Williams first wrote music for George Lucas’ beloved sci-fi creation in 1977, with his score for the original film (which included the iconic opening fanfare and the so-called ‘Force Theme‘ – originally entitled ‘Binary Sunset‘ – that have both since become staples of the series) currently listed by the American Film Institute as the greatest movie soundtrack of all time. He would then go on to create original arrangements for every subsequent episodic Star Wars film (with Michael Giacchino handling duties on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and responsibilities for Solo: A Star Wars Story falling to John Powell).

The planet Baatu can currently be glimpsed in certain endings to the Disney Parks’ popular Star Tours simulator ride, and was heavily featured in Timothy Zahn’s novel Thrawn: Alliances.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is due to open next year, and is due to be a fully immersive world that will even give visitors the opportunity to fly the Millennium Falcon.

The return of Newt Scamander had a magical time at the box office this weekend, as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald took in a stupendous $253 million during its three-day debut.

The prequel-sequel to 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which adds Jude Law to its cast as a young Albus Dumbledore (the beloved character previously portrayed by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon), drew in a solid $62 million domestic. The figure is below its predecessor, which opened to $74 million, but is only slightly below industry predictions (which foretold a $65-$75 million opening).

The Crimes of Grindelwald made up that slack internationally, however, with a worldwide cume of $191 million. All told, a $253 million opening is just about right on the money for insider estimates, but those celebrations could be short-lived. Poor word-of-mouth is already hurting the film’s box office chances, and the feature still has a fair way to go to break even (despite a budget of $200 million, the flick has also had a costly and ubiquitous marketing campaign that will have undoubtedly widened Warner Bros.’ margin for profitability).

WB will clearly be hoping to see the Potter prequel demonstrate similar legs to its franchise-starter, which ended its global theatrical run with a commendable $814 million, but it’s certainly up against it following press reactions. Now, a film receiving a critical drubbing is by no means a death knell in this day and age, especially in a year in which Sony’s Venom is nearing $800 million worldwide on a budget of $100 million. That film currently sits at a miserable 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 35 MetaScore – compared to Grindelwald’s less-apocalyptic 40% and 53 MetaScore, respectively – but Fantastic Beasts is still certainly facing an uphill struggle.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is in UK cinemas now, rated 12A.

BAFTA nominated actress Rosamund Pike, actor Richard Madden, actor and producer Ray Panthaki and film broadcaster, Edith Bowman, joined the EE Rising Star Award jury to help choose the shortlist for the 2019 award.

Now in its fourteenth year, recipients of the EE Rising Star Award continue to read like a who’s who of the acting world with all past nominees and winners enjoying major box office success. It is the only award at the esteemed ceremony to be voted for by the British public and previous winners include James McAvoy, Eva Green, Juno Temple, Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, Jack O’Connell, Will Poulter, John Boyega, Tom Holland and last year’s winner, Daniel Kaluuya.

Meeting at BAFTA’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly, London, the jury debated which five nominees deserve to go head to head and face the public vote ahead of the 2019 EE British Academy Film Awards. The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 3^rd January and the winner will be revealed at the ceremony on Sunday 10th February.

Sitting alongside Rosamund Pike and Richard Madden on the jury panel at 195 Piccadilly were an outstanding line-up of industry experts gathered to discuss the long-list of emerging talent. The jury was chaired by Alison Thompson, Co-President of Cornerstone Films. It also included Lucy Bevan, industry-leading casting director for Murder on the Orient Express, Cinderella and Pirates of the Caribbean; Leo Davis, renowned casting director for The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, Layer Cake and The Constant Gardener;and Georgina Lowe, acclaimed producer for Peterloo, Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year. The jury was completed by prominent film and arts journalists including broadcaster Edith Bowman and film critic Anna Smith.

Rosamund Pike said: “To be asked to join this year’s EE Rising Star Award panel is an exciting honour. It’s been fascinating watching the breadth of talent in an incredible array of films. Making the shortlist decision won’t be easy as the calibre of the acting is so high but I’m looking forward to discussing and deliberating with my fellow jurors, to ensure we have the best possible shortlist for the public vote.”

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Maria Laura Antonelli/AGF/REX/Shutterstock (6323488bh)

Richard Madden said: “I was thrilled when I received the call inviting me to be a part of the decision making on this year’s EE Rising Star Award panel. It’s a very important category and it’s been exciting to watch these actors and actresses shine in their different parts. Today is going to be very interesting as we sit down to discuss who we each think deserves a nomination.”