The creators ofStar Wars: Skeleton Crewhave revealed that today’s newStar WarsTV show was originally a movie pitch. 2024 has been a pretty rough year for Lucasfilm, withThe Acolyteproving particularly controversial and becoming thefirst everStar WarsDisney+ TV show to be canceled.Skeleton Crewlooks very different; created by Jon Watts and Chris Ford, it promises to be a unique adventure starring a group of children from an Earth-like planet stranded in theStar Warsgalaxy. Thetrailers forSkeleton Crewhave been stunning, and excitement levels are high for tonight’s release.
Speaking toTV Line, Watts and Ford have revealed that the original pitch was for a movie. As Watts explained:
“I pitched it a long time ago. I pitched it right after the firstSpider-Man[Homecoming] movie.It was initially pitched to Lucasfilm as a film, and then I had to go make two Spider-Man movies, because the first one did all right. Over time, [Jon] Favreau madeThe Mandalorianand Disney+ came into existence, so it evolved, as the Spider-Man movies were being made, into ashow, and that gave us more time to explore the galaxy and get into this world of piracy and have a little bit more fun with it. And once I finished the third Spider-Man movie [No Way Home], we could finally get to work making it.”
This isn’t the firstStar Warsmovie pitch to turn into a TV show; that was true for bothThe Book of Boba FettandObi-Wan Kenobi. In this case, of course, the longer format makes for a great opportunity to get to know thecharacters ofSkeleton Crew.
Why Did Skeleton Crew Turn Into A Star Wars Movie?
There’s a trend here
There’s a sense in whichSkeleton Crew’s transformation into a TV show reflects the changing corporate priorities at Lucasfilm and Disney. It sounds as though this was originally pitched as one of theStar Warsanthology projects, but they were abandoned after thefailure ofSolo: A Star Wars Story. This coincided with Disney’s need to create content for Disney+, with every studio required to make that their priority.Lucasfilm turned several of their anthology movies into TV shows.
It must be noted that these have had mixed reception.The Book of Boba Fettwas something of a disappointment, and it’s telling that Temuera Morrison’s Boba Fett has been shelved after it misfired so badly.Obi-Wan Kenobicame in for heavy criticism, although it still felt like a true event due to the return of Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor. It’s actually proven to be quite difficult to transform a movie into a TV show (or vice versa, asMoana 2has just shown).Pacing in particular is very different.
Our Take On Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
It still has a lot of potential
Fortunately,Star Wars: Skeleton Crewsounds like the kind of project that really should be a TV show first and foremost. It’s clearly centered on its characters, and everything we’ve seen so far suggests the cast is tremendous. The dynamic between Jude Law’s Jod Na Nawood and the kids looks fantastic, and the additional length should give lots of time for character work. In this case, the transition from movie to TV show has hopefully worked well.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Cast
Skeleton Crew follows four ordinary children who become lost in the expansive Star Wars galaxy. As they navigate unfamiliar worlds and the challenges they present, the group endeavors to find their way back to their home planet, undertaking a journey across the iconic Star Wars universe.
