The newly-announced Disney+ series Skeleton Crew can bring creator Jon Watts' Spider-Man trilogy lessons to Star Wars. Skeleton Crew was created by Watts and his writing partner, Christopher Ford, and is said to be "a galactic version of classic Amblin coming-of-age adventure films of the ’80s" that will focus on a group of preteen kids from a "tiny little planet" who get lost in the galaxy far, far away. The series will explore their journey to get home and will take place sometime after the events of Return of the Jedi. Ford said that while Skeleton Crew is about kids, it's not necessarily for kids, meaning it will have appeal beyond a younger audience.
Jon Watts began his career as a music video director before branching out to features with the 2014 horror movie Clown and then the 2015 thriller Cop Car before being hired to tackle the latest Spider-Man reboot with Spider-Man: Homecoming. Watts went on to direct the next two Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, completing a massively successful run with the MCU. Watts had a similar thread through all of those films in that they all involved a younger cast in leading or pivotal roles, showing that the director has a strong understanding of how to direct young actors to strong performances. This makes him and Ford great creative additions to the Star Wars universe with Skeleton Crew.
While it's easy to scoff at the idea of a Star Wars show starring young kids, both Watts and Ford have proven to have a deft understanding of young characters, as well as how to write for and direct younger actors to strong, moving, and believable performances. Jude Law will star in the Skeleton Crew series, with producer Kathleen Kennedy saying he's "the perfect personality to bring in with a group of kids," suggesting he'll be the anchor or father figure in the show. This casting is another indication of Watts's lessons learned from Spider-Man, as each of those three movies also features a strong mentor-like figure: Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange, respectively. Watts understands how to find the balance between making a kids' show versus making a show featuring kids, making sure that the appeal is across the board, not just for children.
Even with Cop Car, which ultimately got Jon Watts hired for Spider-Man: Homecoming, he anchored the movie with a strong lead: Kevin Bacon. His villainous cop acted as a perfect balance between the two child actors, who were also amazingly convincing, making for a taut thriller that starred two kids and a seasoned actor. For his Spider-Man trilogy, Watts applied a similar technique, which started with hiring a strong young cast including Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon, balancing out those characters with a mentor figure who could bridge the gap between the age differences and help apply a sense of growth, learning, and life lessons to enhance the younger roles in the film.
Ultimately, Jon Watts has built a kind of template for youth-led projects, going all the way back to his first features; even his indie horror film Clown features strong turns from its young cast. This was honed and perfected with his turn on the solo MCU Spider-Man movies. Now that his formula has proven to be successful — his three Spider-Man movies have a combined global haul of $3 billion — there's little question about his abilities to steer such a ship into a galaxy far, far away. In fact, Watts is one of the most inspired choices to spearhead a Star Wars show, and one featuring an esteemed veteran like Jude Law playing off a group of kids feels like a perfect fit.
In addition to his casting and mentor-student formula, Watts has also cut his teeth working within the massive budget world of the MCU, coming away with a strong understanding of visual effects, CGI, etc. — and how to make that work without robbing the proceedings of great performances. All said, Watts's Skeleton Crew show is in the best possible hands and is a Star Wars show worth getting excited about.