Star Wars Rogue One: Michael Giacchino steps in as composer

The Star Wars standalone film Rogue One has a new composer: Michael Giacchino has replaced Alexandre Desplat, sources confirmed to EW.

The switch comes in the wake of reshoots that shifted the movie’s postproduction schedule.

Desplat, the French composer who won an Oscar for The Grand Budapest Hotel, initially said last year that he would provide the score for Rogue One, which takes place just before the events of the original Star Wars movie and centers on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star.

But the Lucasfilm project — directed by Gareth Edwards and set for release Dec. 16 — conducted about five weeks of additional photography over the summer, which altered the timetable to the point where Desplat had to bow out.

Picking up the baton is Giacchino, a fellow Oscar winner (for Up) who has worked with Lucasfilm’s corporate siblings Pixar (Up, Ratatouille, The Incredibles), Disney Animation (Zootopia), Disney Pictures (Tomorrowland), and Marvel Studios (the upcoming Doctor Strange). His other credits include Jurassic World and the rebooted Star Trek movies.

Giacchino is no stranger to the Star Wars universe either. He played a bit part as a stormtrooper in The Force Awakens, which was directed by his frequent collaborator J.J. Abrams, and also worked on music for the theme park attraction Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.