While The Acolyte may be dead and buried, Disney is plowing ahead with more new series, including Skeleton Crew, which is bound to be less controversial. Right? Right??
The series, starring Jude Law and a collection of young actors, has just released a new trailer today, its longest, most-involved look at the series ahead of its release date a month from now on December 3.
The show has a group of children accidentally flung into a far-reaching adventure in which they link up with Jude Law’s maybe-Jedi as they dodge pirates and find treasure. It is unabashedly inspired by The Goonies and very much aimed at kids rather than the aging Star Wars “core” fan demographic. Though given that Star Wars fans have a desire to consume anything in that world, even if they may say otherwise, it’s a safe bet this will be watched by groups of all ages.
Skeleton Crew arrives with a two-episode intro on December 3, not unusual for these series, and runs for eight episodes total. There are conflicting reports on whether this will be a miniseries or instead be shooting for a second season. From the looks of it, this absolutely looks like another huge-budget outing for Disney, having not learned any lessons from Agatha All Along, it seems, with copious VFX on par with the movies. This was precisely what sunk The Acolyte as any viewership would likely not have justified its $180 million cost. Skeleton Crew is reportedly at $136 million, which again, seems pretty insane.
Cost-to-viewership ratio would be a huge factor in a potential season 2. And if it did get a season 2, it would be the only Disney Star Wars series getting one besides Ahsoka and Andor, the latter of which will definitive end after season 2, the run it was always contracted for when it was first conceived. The Book of Boba Fett and The Acolyte are dead, no more Obi-Wan Kenobi is planned and The Mandalorian may end with its upcoming movie.
As for whether Skeleton Crew can dodge The Acolyte-level controversy, it is always a risk being a kid in a Star Wars entry, just ask Jake Lloyd, but hopefully nothing like that happens here. We will see how the show is, and how it’s received, just over a month from now.
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