Disney released The Rise of Skywalker soundtrack early, then removed it

Prior to the eagerly anticipated release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney released the film’s soundtrack…accidentally, apparently. The company promptly took the tracks down. Whether it was a technical error or somebody made a mistake they instantly regretted, we’re betting someone got fired.

This upcoming movie will see John Williams complete the soundtrack he started way back in 1977 with A New Hope. As we know, The Rise of Skywalker marks the end of the Skywalker Saga. Disney has already submitted the composer for consideration for the Best Original Music Score Oscar, an award he’s already won five times, although the last time he won it for a Star Wars movie was for the original film.

Williams’ Rise of Skywalker score leaked on a For your Consideration page on the Disney Studios Awards website on Tuesday. It consisted of 23 tracks, although none of them were named. Still, fans who listened started to hunt for clues in the melodies, as for example listening for any character themes that could hint at who was returning for this final go-round. Others were thrilled just to hear the tracks, and quickly took to social media to express themselves:

It’s unlikely that John Williams will return to compose the music for another Star Wars movie. “We know J.J. Abrams is preparing [Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker] now, that I will hopefully do next year for him,” he said last year in an interview with California radio station KUSC. “I look forward to it. It will round out a series of nine – that will be quite enough for me.”

And if you’re interested in seeing something Star Wars-related Disney did mean to release, check out this nifty poster, which is meant as an homage to a rare teaser poster for Return of the Jedi:

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters on Thursday, December 19.

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