This Oscar-Winning Duo Should Helm Their Own Star Wars Film

The newest Star Wars live-action television series, Skeleton Crew, dropped its fourth episode last week. Season 1, episode 4, “Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin” was at the helm of two of the most exciting directors to not just helm any episode set in George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away, but two of the industry’s most refreshing creative voices. These two are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, best known collectively as the Daniels.

The Daniels have brought some of the most bold, eccentric, and heartfelt character-driven original films released within the last decade. The filmmakers made a splash in 2016 with their directorial debut, Swiss Army Man, a surreal, absurdist A24 comedy which starred Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. However, it was 2022 when their sophomore outing, Everything Everywhere All At Once, enthralled critics and audiences alike. The film became A24’s highest-grossing film, and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

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A Star Wars Cinematic Drought

It has been five years since Lucasfilm released a Star Wars film on the big screen. Despite grossing over $1 billion at the global box office, The Rise of Skywalker, directed by J.J. Abrams, concluded the divisive sequel trilogy to mixed reviews at best. If The Mandalorian hadn’t premiered on Disney Plus at roughly around the same time, 2019 would have left the franchise in a very bleak place.

Since then, Disney Plus has served as the exclusive home for new Star Wars content, with original shows including The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and now Skeleton Crew giving viewers new galactic adventures. While Star Wars has been vital to Disney Plus’ streaming library, Lucasfilm has struggled to bring any new films to the big screen. The upcoming The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau, is set to be the first cinematic outing in nearly seven years once it hits theaters in 2026.

Along with The Mandalorian and Grogu, there are a few other Star Wars films in development. James Mangold, who directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, is set to helm a film telling the story of the first Jedi. Meanwhile, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose previous directing credits include episodes of Marvel Studios’ Ms. Marvel, is tapped to direct a film set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Daisy Ridley will reprise her role as Rey, who will be leading the new Jedi Order. Other upcoming projects include a film by Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy and a new trilogy to be written by Simon Kinberg.

Lucasfilm Still Has Cold Feet

With several projects in the works, casual fans may read such headlines and assume that Star Wars has an exciting cinematic future ahead of it. However, dedicated fans are cautious. Not only has there been mixed reception when it comes to the last few cinematic outings, but an embarrassing number of Star Wars films have been announced only to never see the light of day.

Rian Johnson, writer and director of The Last Jedi, was set to helm a new trilogy of films, but has since went on to launch an original film franchise of his own with Knives Out. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were set to write and produce a new series of films, but canceled their contracts with Lucasfilm. A Rogue Squadron film to be directed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins was set for a 2023 release, but has since been shelved. And when was the last time anyone heard anything about that film that Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi was developing?

With its numerous original television series, Lucasfilm has had several exciting filmmakers directing episodes and giving audiences a taste of their own creative sensibilities within Star Wars. Filmmakers such as Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Rodriguez, Lee Isaac Chung, Jon Watts, David Lowery, and now the Daniels have all had the opportunity to be in the director’s chair. And with the Daniels’ work on one episode of Skeleton Crew, they exhibited some of their core storytelling strengths seen in their previous films. If given the right canvas, these strengths could lend well to a compelling new Star Wars film.

The Force Is Strong With The Daniels

The Daniels’ skill at bringing passionate performances out of their actors speaks for itself. Audiences can see it in the commitment that Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe exhibited in Swiss Army Man, as well as the Academy Award-winning performances of Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s clear that whoever is cast in their hypothetical Star Wars film, their performances will be top-notch.

In the Daniels’ episode of Skeleton Crew, the performances of the child actors in particular were noteworthy. There is a sentimental scene that is shared between Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) and Hayna (Hala Finley) that exhibits the tender moments. It brings more insight into the characters’ wants and desires that resonate deeply with audiences, while also serving the narrative well.

Of course, with any Star Wars film, action is key. While the characters and story are of the utmost importance, audiences want to see some exciting sci-fi action sequences. The Daniels can pull this off too. Everything Everywhere All At Once is filled with martial arts fight scenes full of energy and visual dynamism that would lend well to a galaxy far, far away. Think of Ke Huy Quan’s fanny pack battle in the IRS office, and replace the fanny pack with a Lightsaber. As a matter of fact, casting Ke Huy Quan as a Jedi would be the most exciting thing to see.

The moments of action in the Daniels’ Skeleton Crew episode are a mere taste of what they could bring to Star Wars. In particular, the rampage SM-33 (Nick Frost) almost goes on towards the end of the episode exhibits some of the madcap character-driven action that would soar to greater heights in a big screen outing.

These Are The Directors You’re Looking For

Ultimately, Lucasfilm would be making a bold and exciting choice if they were to give the Daniels their own Star Wars film. Ideally, the duo should be given a blank canvas and explore any era of the franchise they would want, introducing their own original characters and stories. While the duo are currently working on their next project under a five-year film deal with Universal Pictures, perhaps they can springboard from their work on Skeleton Crew into a pitch for an original Star Wars film. These directors could honor the franchise by embarking on bold new storytelling that George Lucas would celebrate.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

Release Date

December 2, 2024

Cast

Jude Law
, Ravi Cabot-Conyers
, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
, Kyriana Kratter
, Robert Timothy Smith
, Tunde Adebimpe
, Kerry Condon
, Nick Frost

Franchise(s)

Star Wars