Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Writer Teases the Series Has Young Cast But Isn’t a “Kids’ Movie”

Since the franchise first launched back in 1977, virtually all corners of the Star Wars saga have appealed to young audiences, but with the upcoming Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, fans will be given the first live-action adventure that focuses on young protagonists. Even though the series will focus on younger characters navigating the galaxy far, far away, writer Chris Ford confirmed that the project won’t have the atmosphere of a “kids’ movie,” despite its protagonists being younger. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew doesn’t yet have a premiere date but is expected to debut on Disney+ later this year. 

“The way [Lucasfilm president] Kathy [Kennedy] explained Amblin to us was that they never thought of those as kids’ movies. They just happened to have kids,” Ford revealed to Empire Magazine. “All the stakes are as real as possible: the kids think they’re in Andor.” 

Even if the upcoming experience won’t be toning down the danger, fans will still root for our heroes to make it out okay, with their adventures being supervised by Jude Law’s character. Still, both audiences and the characters themselves might not be as trusting of Law’s character and his intentions.

“They need guidance, but they’re vulnerable,” Law shared about the characters. “And so throughout, the people they meet, you question all of them. Is my character nice? Is he not? You just want them to be alright and get back home. But if you know Jon [Watts] and Chris’ work, you’ll know that the kids aren’t always safe.” 

He added, “Seeing this galaxy, this world that we’ve all grown up loving, and the jeopardy, the divides, the heroes, the villains, through the eyes of children, is brilliant.”

Frequent Lucasfilm collaborator Jon Favreau similarly teased that the tone of the series might not be what audiences are expecting.

“One of the things we really like about what the shows that we’ve been working on have turned into is that it the tone of each episode — and in certain cases each series — really reflects the storyteller of the filmmaker,” Favreau shared with Entertainment Weekly‘s Dagobah Dispatch podcast. “So in The Mandalorian you could have many different tones. Even though the writing is consistent across them, different filmmakers will bring different perspectives. And so each episode hopefully feels different, though they should sit alongside one another.”

He added, “With Skeleton Crew, I would go even further there because it’s [Jon] Watts and [Chris] Ford and a whole array of wonderful directors — some have worked with us before, some who haven’t. And so each episode has its own feel to it.”

Stay tuned for details on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew before it premieres later this year.

Are you looking forward to the new series? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!