On Monday, word got out that newly-minted Oscar winners Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as The Daniels) worked on Skeleton Crew, one of Lucasfilm’s many upcoming Star Wars spinoffs hitting Disney+ over the next year. The news was celebrated by fans who enjoyed last year’s sci-fi oddity, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy to hear that their precious indie darlings were tackling a big franchise like Star Wars. That’s why Kwan, in an effort to silence the gatekeepers, addressed the situation on his Instagram stories.
“Lol, all of the people @ing us about getting sucked up by the ‘corporate machine’ can chill,” wrote Kwan (via Entertainment Weekly). “These headlines are always misleading.”
Beyond clarifying the full extent of his and Scheinert’s involvement with the series, Kwan also gave a very specific reason for coming aboard that, given their last film’s runaway success, is almost impossible to imagine.
“Don’t worry. We aren’t working on a whole series, we guest directed one episode,” added Kwan. “Jon Watts approached us to do an episode a while ago (before EEAAO even came out). We love Jon, love Star Wars, love learning new tech, we love meeting new cast and crew, and we needed the days to keep our healthcare (!!!) so it was an easy yes.”
RELATED: The Daniels Worked On Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
“I’m excited for you all to see it,” finished Kwan. “Our next film will be an original Daniels project so you can stop worrying (and stop bothering me about it).”
During its theatrical run last year, Everything Everywhere All at Once ultimately became the highest-grossing film released by A24. The duo also signed a five-year deal with Universal, so it’s probably safe to assume the Daniels won’t have to worry about their health benefits for the foreseeable future. Helming an episode of Skeleton Crew also allowed them to work with other big names like Jude Law, who headlines the show as its unnamed protagonist. Regardless, their Oscar wins for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay essentially gives them carte blanche to work on whatever project they want.
Lucasfilm hasn’t announced a release date for Skeleton Crew. However, the series wrapped production in January and is expected to arrive on Disney+ by the end of 2023.
How do you feel about Daniels making the jump from the indie scene to the Star Wars franchise? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images
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