Jon Watts, the “guy in the chair” behind the MCU’sSpider-Mantrilogy, is now steering the ship for Disney+’s latest series,Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Chatting with Collider’sSteve Weintraubat CCXP Mexico City, Watts dished on how he’s mixing the latest tech with some good old-fashioned movie magic for this new venture into the galaxy far, far away. Watts is having a blast blending state-of-the-art techniques like motion capture and pre-visualization with classic filmmaking tricks.
“I got to use all the cool stuff on my most recentStar Warsshow. We had pre-viz, MOCAP, we shot on the volume, we did everything. But the most fun part was we also used all the old school techniques as well,” he said. “We gotPhil Tippettto do stop-motion. We did matte paintings, like real old-fashioned matte paintings. We got an ILM painter out of retirement to come out and do that. So to me, all that stuff is fun, but it’s just another tool, and it depends on how you use it.” For Watts, it’s all about using the right tool for the right job.
Bringing Tippett back toStar Warsis a neat nod to the past and a cool piece of continuity for the series. Alegend in stop-motion animation, he is a pioneer in early visual effects. Tippett made a significant impact with his work on the originalStar Warstrilogy, especially his development of the motion control technology used for the walking movements of the AT-AT walkers inThe Empire Strikes Back,and the legendary dejarik (Star Warschess) game on the Millennium Falcon. Tippett also contributed to the creation of other iconic creatures and sequences in films, such as the dinosaurs inJurassic Park.
What Is ‘Skeleton Crew’ About?
The new series, set to launch this holiday season on Disney+, follows four kids who stumble upon a mysterious secret and get lost in the galaxy. Watts explained it like this:
“It’s about a group of kids that find a mysterious secret on their planet and accidentally get lost out in the galaxy, and it’s the story abut them trying to find their way back home.”
He’s keen to point out that you don’t need to be aStar Warsguru to jump intoSkeleton Crew. “Yeah.You don’t need to have really any priorStar Warsknowledge to enjoy it.But if you do, you can enjoy it on many levels,” he explained, which should make the show a perfect hyperspeed launch point for newbies while giving the super-fans plenty to chew on.
While details on the plot are still pretty hush-hush, the excitement is already building, especially with stars likeKerry Condonpraising the young cast as “out of this world.”Alongside the newcomers,Jude Lawis set to bring a Han Solo-esque vibe to his ‘contradictory’ character. Other big names in the mix includeTunde Abedimpe, Michael C. Bradford,and a host of talented kids ready to make their mark in theStar Warsuniverse. Directing duties are shared withThe Daniels,David Lowery, andJake Schreier, making sure this series has some serious creative chops behind it.
Stay tuned to Collider for more teasers and insider info as we count down tolaunch day this Christmas!
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
Four kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy.
