Jon Watts Says He’d Love to Return to STAR WARS After Making SKELETON CREW
It’s easy to forget with so many Star Wars projects flying through hyperspace on Disney+, but Jon Watts, the filmmaker who brought us Spider-Man: No Way Home, dropped his own series earlier this year, the Star Wars adventure Skeleton Crew starring Jude Law.
While it may not have been the biggest hit on the streamer’s charts, Watts is clearly proud of what he and his team built.
Recently speaking with Variety, Watts reflected on the massive creative effort that went into the series, saying, “We fully storyboarded and created animatics for every episode.
“I did all the voices and then we were able to add an additional step where the directors took it into a motion capture stage and did the 3D previz to literally block the scene.
“I think all the directors really enjoyed that process too. It’s a luxury. It’s something that we got to get because it was Star Wars.”
Watts made it clear that the Star War franchise is one he’d gladly return to. “I’d love to do anything in the Star Wars universe and I think we set it up in a way where the story can continue in a lot of interesting ways.”
That’s great for fans who appreciated Skeleton Crew’s throwback adventure vibe and its Amblin-style storytelling. Even if it didn’t break streaming records, the series felt like a heartfelt love letter to classic sci-fi and coming-of-age tales, and clearly, Watts has more ideas to explore.
When the topic shifted to his future in major franchises, Watts was open-minded but grounded. “I’m open to anything and everything. I’m not limiting myself in that way. I’m most attracted to original ideas.
“That’s sort of like the North Star for me—big, original ideas. But there are so many great things already out there that I think you can find a way to make it your own and to make it feel original.”
Of course, we can’t talk about Watts without mentioning Spider-Man. His work with Tom Holland revitalized the character for a new generation. And now that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in production with Destin Daniel Cretton at the helm, Watts admits it feels strange to watch someone else take the reins.
“We talked a little bit at the very, very beginning, but I’m very close to that franchise, so I just had to step back and let everyone do their job,” Watts said.
“It’s going to be genuinely weird for me going to see that movie for the first time. It’s going to be a really interesting feeling. It’s a passing of the torch and I’m curious to see where it goes.”
I hope Watts does get a shot at jumping into the Star Wars franchise! I’d like to see him get to continue to play in that sandbox.