‘Skeleton Crew’ Showrunners Praise Lucasfilm

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew showrunners Jon Watts and Christopher Ford have revealed that they were having constant “pinch me, I must be dreaming” moments while making their story in the galaxy far, far away.

 

Talking with ComicBook.com – a representative of whom just saw the first three episodes of the series and interview about them – the Skeleton Crew showrunners were asked about if they had any moments where they felt like they were in a dream instead of being on the set of the galaxy far, far away. They explained that it was hard to pin down a single moment because there were just so many, but they particularly appreciated meeting longtime Lucasfilm creatives:

 

Watts: It’s weird, because that would happen all the time.

Ford: Like, constantly!

Watts: It’s one of those things where when you’re making something Star Wars, there’s never just a normal scene. There’s never just a regular scene in a regular location. Every single thing you’re doing is a totally created special world with a droid and a creature and you kind of feel like that all the time. I dunno, I don’t have a single moment.

Ford: I guess for me, it was just meeting some of those people who I watched on the behind-the-scenes stuff, like meeting Doug Chiang, and he’s really nice, and he’s asking what I want for this thing… And I was like ‘Sure!’

Watts: I was starstruck by John Knoll, who is our VFX supervisor. I was like, just asking questions with him all the time. I dunno, it was just a very, very fun set to be on… The most ‘pinch me’ moment – meeting Phil Tippett, and we did a whole stop-motion sequence! So to go to Tippett Studios and actually sit there while they’re doing frame-by-frame stop-motion animation, that was amazing for me.

 

When asked about whether or not they were interested in getting cameos from the cast of The Goonies – a classic in the “kids go on an adventure” genre – Watts indicated that they had some ideas that they ultimately passed on:

 

Watts: We had talked about that as an overall casting idea, potentially. Like, “Oh, should we find some kids that were in [those kinds of movies], and now cast them as adult characters?”, but it wasn’t enough to really carry through. But no, there was definitely an opportunity there.

 

Speaking about the character of Jod (as played by Jude Law), the unconventional mentor character to the group of kids, Watts talked about the character’s savvy nature:

 

Watts: I like the idea that he was aware of the idea of a mentor character in the Star Wars galaxy, and sometimes he’s playing sometimes into that and sometimes playing against that. Because he’s a mysterious character, we don’t exactly know where he’s coming from and what he wants, and I think that leaning into that helps makes his character that much more compelling.

 

In addition, a behind-the-scenes featurette showcasing both Watts and Ford was released. Check it out below:

 

 

Described as a throwback to Amblin movies, Skeleton Crew represents a departure from the standard Star Wars formula as the protagonists are a group of kids from a suburbia in the galaxy far, far away. When four children encounter a spaceship that sends them off to parts unknown, they’re tasked with finding a way back home – crossing paths with a possible Jedi who serves as their guide as they evade a group of ruthless space pirates.

 

The show’s episodes are written by Christopher Ford and showrunner Jon Watts (who wrote six episodes as a team), and Myung Joh Wesner (who wrote the remaining two on his own). Watts and David Lowery direct two episodes each, while Bryce Dallas Howard, Jake Schreier, Lee Isaac Chung, and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (the directing duo known as the Daniels) each direct one. You may also check out this roundtable video with most of the directors from the series.

 

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will stream on Disney Plus with a two-episode premiere beginning December 3, 2024, with a weekly release schedule. The show’s cast includes Jude Law, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Kerry Condon, Nick Frost, Jaleel White, Fred Tatasciore, Dale Soules, Marti Matulis, and Mike Estes.