New Star Wars Series Skeleton Crew Is Inspired by The Goonies (Exclusive)

By Cameron Bonomolo

The Goonies 'R' good enough for Star Wars. During Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim on Thursday, the galaxy far, far away officially announced Skeleton Crew, a new Star Wars series for Disney+. From Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts and Spider-Man: Homecoming writer Chris Ford, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew tells the story of a lost group of kids trying to find their way home in the Star Wars galaxy. The description may evoke the Amblin classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, but Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy reveals the series from executive producers Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian) and Dave Filoni (Ahsoka) is a Star Wars riff on another Amblin '80s coming-of-age movie: The Goonies.

"Jon Watts came to me, very much wanting to do a sort of Goonies in Star Wars," Kennedy exclusively told ComicBook's Brandon Davis at Star Wars Celebration. "Needless to say, I'm going to say yes. And so it's just evolved out of that kind of enthusiasm in wanting to tell stories in this space." 

Kennedy executive produced The Goonies and co-founded Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg. Previously revealed as being in the works by Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm reportedly described the then-untitled Skeleton Crew as "a galactic version of classic Amblin coming-of-age adventure films of the '80s."

"The show takes place during the post–Return of the Jedi reconstruction that follows the fall of the Empire, the same as The Mandalorian, but its plot remains a secret," Vanity Fair reported, adding Lucasfilm was looking to cast four children between the ages of 11 and 12.

"It's a story about a group of kids, about 10 years old, from a tiny little planet who accidentally get lost in the Star Wars galaxy," Watts said on stage at Celebration. "And it's the story of their journey trying to find their way home."

Added executive producer Filoni, "It's as much of a kids' show as [the animated series] Clone Wars. And I'm like, we cut people's heads off in Clone Wars, so I'm not sure that's the best measure."

In Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Watts said, "We liked the idea of using kids to give you a different perspective and see the galaxy through a different pair of eyes." 

Starring Jude Law (Captain Marvel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is streaming 2023 on Disney+. 

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