In the Disney era of the franchise,Star Warsis no stranger to running into issues during the production of projects. Now, it seems that these problems have cropped up again withSkeleton Crew. Officially announced at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim in May 2022, Skeleton Crew stars Jude Law as a new character in a galaxy far, far away. Law is described as a mentor to a group of young children who find themselves lost in the vastness of the world. Jon Watts, who most recently directedSpider-Man: No Way Home for Marvel Studios and Disney, was also announced as a co-show runner.
Perhaps most interestingly, Skeleton Crew is set to be one of the shows in theMandalorianmini-universe that Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and co. have been building. Other shows includeAhsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, andRangers of the New Republic, although the status of the latter remains unclear. Nonetheless,Skeleton Crewshows a great degree of promise, especially with its interesting premise, lead actor, and place within theStar Warstimeline. However, one potentially worrying factor is the production issues that reportedly plagued the shoot. The question now becomes how much, if at all,Skeleton Crewis impacted by these problems during filming.
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Sources close to the set have reportedly stated that many crew members working on this new series felt unappreciated by Lucasfilm and Disney. It was also reported that some crew members even walked away prematurely, opting against continuing their work on the showas they were unhappywith the way they were being treated and the working conditions they were subjected to. The schedule was reportedly too intense and demanding for the workers, who also felt disrespected on the set. The nature of newStar Warsprojects, and franchises in the modern era in general, means thatSkeleton Crew’sproduction was naturally clouded in secrecy, but these issues still got out into the open.
Unfortunately, other recentStar Warsfilms and shows have also had behind-the-scenes issues during various stages of the production. The answer to whether or notSkeleton Crewwill be greatly affected by these persistent problems during filming could lie in the past, and how otherStar Warsprojects have recovered.
The most obvious example of production issues in a galaxy far, far away is the filming ofSolo: A Star Wars Story,where directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired 75% of the way through filming. There were reports that Lucasfilm were unhappy with Lord and Miller deviating from the script written by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan, and that the directors were urging improvisation too much among the cast, leading to scenes needing to be filmed again. Eventually, Ron Howard came in to finish the film, but a decision was made to reshoot almost everything that Lord and Miller did, leading to the ballooning of the budget. Some reports suggest that the budget doubled amidst the turmoil on set, leadingSolotobecome one of the most expensive films ever made.
Unfortunately,Solodidn’t reach the box office heights necessary for the film to make a profit. The film failed to reach $400 million worldwide, something that Disney CEO Bob Iger cited as his fault for forcing Solo to release in May 2018 rather than the usual December spot. There was also a distinct lack of advertising for the project, meaning that many audience members were left unaware that there was a Han Solo spin-off film coming out. However, quality-wise,Solowasn’t received too poorly, earning a 69% on Rotten Tomatoes. It might not have performed all that well at the box office, butSoloseemingly recovered from the production issuesenough to produce a watchable and entertaining addition to theStar Warsgalaxy.
AnotherStar Warsfilm that had similar issues was Episode IX, which was originally set to be directed by Colin Trevarrow, who helmed Jurassic World. Trevarrow was let go prior to the beginning of filming, meaning that they escaped the chaos that ensued on the set of the second spin-off film. JJ Abrams replaced him, but was forced to adhere to a December 2019 release date, leaving him with just two years to write, direct, and editthe final film in the Skywalker Saga. Those were hardly ideal conditions, especially not for a finale of this iconic series, and some cite the eventual final product ofThe Rise of Skywalkerto be heavily impacted by the sheer lack of time that the cast and crew had.
This film earned a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes, by far the lowest of the sequel trilogy. The low rating suggests that the indecision regarding Colin Trevarrow and the issues that Lucasfilm and Disney had getting this film off the ground ultimately did result in a decline in quality. It’s important to note, though, that many fans still stand byThe Rise of Skywalkereven amidst the controversy and debate that ensued upon release.
Rogue Onewas another project that suffered from production issues and mass reshoots, yet that film eventually recovered to produced what is a movie that is held in high regard byStar Warsfans.Given the nature of the fandomand how divided some viewers can be about a galaxy far, far away,Rogue One’sreception was quite an achievement.
Ultimately, given the wide variety of outcomes, all of this means that the consequences ofSkeleton Crew’stroubled production are still unknown at this time, and a solid answer likely won’t appear until the series releases later this year on Disney+. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s presence on this series could suggest thatSkeleton Crewwon’t be too heavily damaged by these issues, however. Favreau is a seasoned professional who has worked on some of the biggest films ever made,including the very first MCU outing. It’s also important to note that there didn’t appear to be any major problems during the filming of the first two seasons ofThe Mandalorian. Meanwhile, Filoni has worked on multiple animated shows and the upcomingAhsoka, and no controversies were reported about those.
Regardless, it’s unfortunate that many of those working onSkeleton Crewfelt disrespected and under-appreciated.Star Warshas always been a franchise of positivity, inclusivity, and diversity, so one would hope that the crew feel that they are treated better on future projects.
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