It seems like it was not so long ago (in a galaxy far, far away) that the Star Wars adventure series Skeleton Crew, starring Jude Law and created by Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home), premiered as part of the Disney+ slate of live-action fare for the Lucasfilm franchise. And in fact, it wasn’t long ago at all: the show was still airing episodes in 2025!
Recently, Watts talked to Variety about whether he’d return to the fandom darling series, which hit all the right nostalgic notes but may not have fared as strongly on streamer charts for Disney’s major sci-fi franchise. The show was a labor of love for Watts, he said.
“We fully storyboarded and created animatics for every episode. I did all the voices and then we were able to add an additional step where the directors took it into a motion capture stage and did the 3D previz to literally block the scene,” he shared about working with the creative minds he enlisted to helm the episodes he didn’t direct himself, including Everything Everywhere All at Once duo the Daniels. “I think all the directors really enjoyed that process too. It’s a luxury. It’s something that we got to get because it was Star Wars.”
He elaborated that if given the opportunity, it’s a universe he’d be open to returning to: “I’d love to do anything in the Star Wars universe and I think we set it up in a way where the story can continue in a lot of interesting ways.”
Watts explained his position on continuing to work in big franchises, despite his experience signing on for, then departing, what eventually became The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
“I’m open to anything and everything. I’m not limiting myself in that way. I’m most attracted to original ideas. That’s sort of like the North Star for me—big, original ideas. But there are so many great things already out there that I think you can find a way to make it your own and to make it feel original,” he said about keeping true to projects that align with his creative vision.
Watts’ integral role in bringing Tom Holland’s Spider-Man series to life comes to mind as Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues production. When asked if he gave director Destin Daniel Cretton any input, Watts revealed, “We talked a little bit at the very, very beginning, but I’m very close to that franchise, so I just had to step back and let everyone do their job.”
“It’s going to be genuinely weird for me going to see that movie for the first time. It’s going to be a really interesting feeling. It’s a passing of the torch and I’m curious to see where it goes.”
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