Skeleton Crew’ Features Stop Motion By Phill Tippett

Jon Watts, the “guy in the chair” behind the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, is now steering the ship for Disney+’s latest series, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Chatting with Collider’s Steve Weintraub at 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 recent Star Wars show. 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 got Phil Tippett to 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 to Star Wars is a neat nod to the past and a cool piece of continuity for the series. A legend in stop-motion animation, he is a pioneer in early visual effects. Tippett made a significant impact with his work on the original Star Wars trilogy, especially his development of the motion control technology used for the walking movements of the AT-AT walkers in The Empire Strikes Back, and the legendary dejarik (Star Wars chess) game on the Millennium Falcon. Tippett also contributed to the creation of other iconic creatures and sequences in films, such as the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

What Is ‘Skeleton Crew’ About?

The new series, set to launch this holiday season on Disney+, follows four kids who stumble upon a buried spaceship and accidentally launch themselves into a galaxy-wide adventure as they try to find their way back home. Watts broke it down simply:

“It’s about a group of kids that find a buried spaceship on their boring planet, accidentally turn it on, get blasted off into the galaxy, and it’s the story about them trying to find their way back home.”

He’s keen to point out that you don’t need to be a Star Wars guru to jump into Skeleton Crew. “Yeah. You don’t need to have really any prior Star Wars knowledge 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 like Kerry Condon praising the young cast as “out of this world.” Alongside the newcomers, Jude Law is set to bring a Han Solo-esque vibe to his ‘contradictory’ character. Other big names in the mix include Tunde Abedimpe, Michael C. Bradford, and a host of talented kids ready to make their mark in the Star Wars universe. Directing duties are shared with The Daniels, David Lowery, and Jake 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 to launch 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.

Release Date

2024-00-00

Creator

Christopher Ford, Jon Watts

Cast

Jude Law , Kerry Condon , Ryan Kiera Armstrong , Tunde Adebimpe

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

1