With The Acolyte now behind us, Star Wars is returning to the New Republic era after a short gap following The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka season 1. It's time for a smaller-scale adventure in the shape of Skeleton Crew, which comes from a fascinating group of acclaimed filmmakers.
Created by Jon Watts, director of the most recent Spider-Man trilogy, Skeleton Crew will take viewers to an unknown part of the Star Wars galaxy in an adventure which happens in parallel to the events of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka — several years after Return of the Jedi and way before the First Order's rise.
We've now learned that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau's long plan for The Mandalorian and the adjacent Star Wars shows will culminate with an event movie hitting cinemas in the near future. On top of Skeleton Crew, we'll be getting Ahsoka season 2 and The Mandalorian & Grogu, a new big-screen movie, before Filoni's big event flick arrives.
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What is the Star Wars: Skeleton Crew release date?
Skeleton crew will premiere on December 3, 2024, on Disney Plus, targeting the family-friendly Christmas season as teased a few months back.
How to watch Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Like everything Star Wars these days, you'll be able to watch Star Wars: Skeleton on Disney+ when it launches later this year. If you're not already signed up to Disney+, check out the bundles below. There is plenty of Star Wars to watch while we wait for Skeleton Crew.
What is the plot of Skeleton Crew?
Plot specifics are still unknown, but the synopsis released by Disney and Lucasfilm says that the story follows a group of daring children who go on adventure which ends up being more than they can handle. At some point, they get lost in deep space and can't find their way home. Series creator Jon Watts says the tone will be darker than anyone expects going in, so that's intriguing.
The closed-doors footage shown at Star Wars Celebration 2023 opened with kids living on a forested world and doing the usual stuff kids do in Amblin-inspired movies and shows: going to school and riding (speeder) bikes while looking for adventures. One day, they do find adventure and leave the planet aboard what looks to be a mercenary starship.
The group of kids consists of two girls, one boy, and a small alien that appears to be an Ortolan (Max Rebo fans rejoice). They encounter strange creatures and pirates, among which is The Mandalorian's Vane, a Nikto scoundrel. The end of the first-look teased an escape out of a prison with the help of a Force-sensitive individual played by Jude Law.
Recently, The Mandalorian season 3 (and Twisters) director Lee Isaac Chung teased the new Star Wars series is "very childlike in a beautiful way," confirming it contains a lot of what's made Jon Watts' filmography so special. "What I hope is that it's really going to touch families, and families are going to want to spend a lot of time with the show," he added.
Skeleton Crew trailers
The first trailer for the series dropped during the D23 Expo on August 9, 2024, and you can watch it below:
Who is starring in Skeleton Crew?
Jude Law (Gattaca, Captain Marvel) stars as Jod Na Nawood, the adult leading the young cast which, so far, consists of Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Encanto) as Wim, Kyriana Kratter (United States of Al) as KB, Ryan Kiera Armstrong (American Horror Story) as Fern, and Robert Timothy Smith (Mythic Quest) as Neel. They're all joined by Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as a droid named SM 33.
If the infamous pirate Vane has a recurring role in the series, whether he's a big villain or not, we can consider Marti Matulis (Smile) a regular cast member too. Also revealed during Star Wars Celebration, Oscar-nominated actress Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) has a sizable but mysterious part to play.
We must also consider the possibility of high-profile cameos, as the "Mando-era" shows will be regularly getting crossover episodes before we reach The Mandalorian & Grogu and the larger event movie. In fact, The Mandalorian honcho Jon Favreau has already teased that Skeleton Crew elements will make their way into season 4 of Mando.
Who is working on Skeleton Crew?
Skeleton Crew revealed its full director lineup at Star Wars Celebration 2023. It consists of Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home), David Lowery (The Green Knight), Daniels (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Jake Schreier (Beef), and The Mandalorian veterans Bryce Dallas Howard (Dads) and Lee Isaac Chung (Twisters).
The series was created by Jon Watts, who pitched the idea to Jon Favreau during production on Spider-Man: Far From Home. He serves as showrunner, co-writer, director, and executive producer.
Christopher Ford, who worked alongside Watts on the scripts for Clown, Cop Car, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, is the main writer behind the show. He's also an executive producer along with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, who are overseeing the entire slate of Mando-era series.
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