The Mandalorian is widely considered the best Star Wars story told during Lucasfilm's Disney-owned era, and the show's score has played a big part in making it stand out from the crowd. While John Williams' work on the franchise is unparalleled, Ludwig Göransson has given him a run for his money with a theme that's already become iconic.
Unfortunately, Film Music Reporter (via SFFGazette.com) has now revealed that, after scoring seasons 1 and 2, Göransson will not return for The Mandalorian's upcoming third season.
Many of his themes will still be used throughout the show, so his presence will be felt in other ways, though we're sure this news will still come as a disappointment to many of you. This is pretty much the exact same thing that happened with The Book of Boba Fett when Göransson composed the opening and closing themes of the show, but had Joseph Shirley work on the series.
In fact, it's Shirley - Göransson's longtime collaborator - who will step in to lend his talents to The Mandalorian for season 3.
So, why has Göransson left the Disney+ series? We don't have a reason (and he's yet to comment), but we'd imagine it's down to his increasingly busy Hollywood schedule. The Mandalorian put the composer on the map, and he recently moved from working on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever straight into Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
This isn't even the first project he's had to walk away from as he also passed the reigns of Creed III's score to Shirley after previously working on Creed and Creed II.
Göransson's talents can only go so far, and we're hoping Shirley is up to the task of giving The Mandalorian a signature sound which helps it continue to deliver stories in one of the most unique and exciting corners of this Galaxy Far, Far Away.
The journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars Galaxy continue in season 3. Once a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the Galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.
The Mandalorian season 3 premieres on March 1.