Star Wars: Skeleton Crewis the latest series set in a galaxy far, far away, but this one is set to be slightly different as it will aim for a slightly younger audience. The good news forStar Warsfans, though, is that a familiar face will be a guiding hand in the making of the series, focusing on a group of kids lost in the galaxy and drawing inspiration from classic Amblin films. At Fan Expo Boston, Collider’sSteve Weintraubcaught up withBryce Dallas Howardto discuss her involvement in theStar Warsuniverse.
Known for herdirecting work onThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fett, Howard is now set to direct an episode ofSkeleton Crew.The series, created byJon WattsandChristopher Ford,is set to premiere later this year. Weintraub kicked off the interview with a question many fans have been wondering: is Howard returning to theStar Warssandbox soon? And will we ever get a feature-lengthStar Warsproject with her at the helm?
“Well, I wish! So, what I’ll say is that I’m doing an episode ofSkeleton Crew, which I’m super excited about. I went to college with Jon Watts and his writing partner in this, Chris Ford. And so, that was very exciting and getting to do that.”
She continued, explaining her enthusiasm for being part of a larger team and executing a shared vision, while also expressing her hope that she would get to direct a film of her own one day.
“And I love…again, for the children in the audience, I’ll be mindful. I sometimes characterize myself in a professional sense as a dominant-submissive. What that means is that I’m very happy to go and play in someone else’s sandbox and be part of a team and to kind of be a vessel for someone else’s vision and try to kind of execute their vision with great enthusiasm as if it was my own. And then I also really love to work with a team and be kind of team captain. I enjoy that, I have strength in that area. I love filmmaking. I love directing. And so,I would absolutely love to direct a Star Wars film. I would absolutely love to have a Star Wars show.”
Bryce Dallas Howard Believes Taking on Creative Roles in ‘Star Wars’ Takes Courage
Howard’s admiration forthe current creators in theStar Warsuniverse was evident. “What that takes, I’ve now seen it up close and personal. It takes remarkable courage, it takes incredible mastery, a lot of humility, the ability to listen, to pivot, and I have so much admiration for the folks who are doing that,” she explained. “And so, if I was ever to be brought the opportunity,I would absolutely jump at it.But I’m incredibly, incredibly, incredibly proud and impressed with everyone who’s currently doing that in theStar Warsuniverse.”
Legendary Figures Helped Bring ‘Skeleton Crew’ to Life
Weintraub highlighted the unique aspects ofSkeleton Crew, noting the extensive use of practical effects, including contributions from legendary figures in the industry. He asked Howard if she got to work with these practical elements. “Yes! All of them!” She enthusiastically responded. “Yeah, no it is very, very, very exciting because kind of the infrastructure thatJon FavreauandDave Filonihave built is allowing for this kind of broadening and truly […] Jon Favreau in particular because he had the relationship with Jon Watts throughSpider-Manbecause Jon Watts directed all theTom HollandSpider-Mans.”
“He kind of knew how great Jon Watts was and really entrusted him with this, but it was wonderful becauseJon Favreau was there every single day. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect for Jon Favreau to be there every day, not on his own set, technically.”
Howard highlighted the cohesive storytelling across theStar Warsseries, as well as praisingthe king of stop-motion,Phil Tippett, who was brought on board to bring an old-school feel to the series.
“So there is a cohesiveness to the storytelling withAhsoka, withSkeleton Crew, withMandalorian, withBoba Fett. That is wonderful, and because of that, it’s not the wheel every single time. And so there are able to be these moments where, you know, I mean, Jon has been bringing Phil Tippett in since the absolute beginning. I mean, he helped design The Purge in my episode forBoba Fett. And so just getting to do that more and more and more has been really remarkable.”
Don’t missSkeleton Crewwhen it arrives on Disney+ later this year. And check out the rest of our coverage fromFan Exponow!
