Steven Spielberg surprises Indiana Jones audience with live John Williams performance

Steven Spielberg had a surprise up his sleeve for audience members at the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premiere, which took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles last night (June 14). 

While on stage and addressing attendees, Spielberg gave thanks to the people "without whom, none of us would be here tonight," singling out Indy creator George Lucas and franchise star Harrison Ford. He then went on to introduce "the person who is the glue to all five of these films, who gave us all of our rhythm and all of our melody, the great maestro, John Williams" to rapturous applause. A curtain then rises behind him, revealing Williams and a full orchestra, who gave a surprise performance of the iconic Indiana Jones theme.

Spielberg directed the first four Indy movies, 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1984's The Temple of Doom, 1989's The Last Crusade, and 2008's The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Although James Mangold took over the director's chair for The Dial of Destiny, Spielberg is still on board as a producer. 

The movie, which sees Phoebe Waller-Bridge share the screen with Ford as the titular hero's goddaughter, takes a slightly different turn for the franchise – time travel is on the cards. "The question is, if you can control time, like in Back to the Future, would you change things? And what would that mean? That’s a big question for everybody, and certainly is in the movie," producer Frank Marshall said in a recent interview with SFX magazine. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny arrives on the big screen on June 30. In the meantime, check out our picks of the other best upcoming movies on the way in 2023 and beyond.