This Oscar-winning duo should direct their own Star Wars movie

The newest Star Wars live action tv series, Skeleton Crew, released 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 direct not only which episode takes place in George Lucas' galaxy far, far away, but two of the industry's most refreshing creative voices. These two are Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinertbest known collectively as Daniels.

The Daniels have brought some of the most daring, eccentric and sincere character-driven original films released in the last decade. The filmmakers broke through in 2016 with their directorial debut, swiss army man, a surreal, absurdist A24 comedy starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe. But it was 2022 when their second outing, Everything everywhere at once, captivated critics and audiences alike. The film became A24's highest-grossing film and won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

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A Star Wars Cinematic drought

It's been five years since Lucasfilm released one Star Wars movie on the big screen. Despite grossing over $1 billion at the global box office, The Rise of Skywalker, directed by JJ Abrams, concluded the divisive sequel trilogy to mixed reviews at best. If The Mandalorian hadn't premiered on Disney Plus 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 included The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and now Skeleton Crew bring viewers new galactic adventures. While Star Wars has been crucial to Disney Plus' streaming library, Lucasfilm has struggled to get any new movies to the big screen. The coming one The Mandalorian and Grogudirected by Jon Favreau, will be the first cinematic outing in nearly seven years when it hits theaters in 2026.

Together with The Mandalorian and Grogu, there are some others Star Wars films in development. James Mangold, who directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyis set to helm a film that tells the story of the first Jedi. Meanwhile, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose previous directing credits include episodes of Marvel Studios Ms. Marvel, utilized 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 lead 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 multiple projects in the works, casual fans may read such headlines and assume so Star Wars has an exciting cinematic future ahead of him. However, dedicated fans are wary. Not only have there been mixed receptions when it comes to recent film outings, but an embarrassing number Star Wars films have been announced only to never see the light of day.

Rian Johnson, writer and director of The Last Jedi, would lead a new trilogy of films, but has since launched its own original film series with Knives Out. Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss were to write and produce a new series of films, but terminated their contracts with Lucasfilm. A Villain 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 movie that Thor: Love and thunder director Taika Waititi developed?

With its many original television series, Lucasfilm has had several exciting filmmakers direct episodes and give audiences a taste of their own creative flair within Star Wars. Filmmakers such as Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Rodriguez, Lee Isaac Chung, Jon Watts, David Lowery and now Daniels have all had the opportunity to sit in the director's chair. And with Daniel's work on an episode of Skeleton Crew, they showcased some of their core storytelling strengths seen in their previous films. Given the right canvas, these strengths could lend themselves well to a compelling new one Star Wars film.

The force is strong with Daniels

Daniel's skill at eliciting passionate performances from his actors speaks for itself. Audiences can see it in the commitment that Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe exhibited swiss army man, as well as the Oscar-winning performances by Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything everywhere at once. It is obvious that the one who is cast in his hypothetical Star Wars movie, their performances will be top notch.

In Daniel's section of Skeleton Crew, in particular, the performances of the child actors were remarkable. There is a sentimental scene shared between Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) and Hayna (Hala Finley) that showcases the tender moments. It gives more insight into the characters' wants and desires that resonate deeply with the audience, while serving the story well.

Of course with someone Star Wars movie, action is key. Although the characters and story are of utmost importance, the audience wants to see some exciting sci-fi action sequences. Daniels can handle this too. Everything everywhere at once is filled with martial arts scenes full of energy and visual dynamism that would lend themselves well to a galaxy far, far away. Consider Ke Huy Quan's fanny pack battle at the IRS office and trade the fanny pack for a Lightsaber. In fact, casting Ke Huy Quan as a Jedi would be the most exciting thing to see.

The moments of action in Daniels Skeleton Crew episode is just a taste of what they could provide Star Wars. In particular, the rampage of SM-33 (Nick Frost) that almost continues toward the end of the episode showcases some of the crazy 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 Daniels his own Star Wars film. Ideally, the duo should be given a blank canvas and explore whichever era of the franchise they want, introducing their own original characters and stories. While the duo is currently working on their next project under a five-year film deal with Universal Pictures, they may be able to springboard from their work with Skeleton Crew into a pitch for an original Star Wars film. These directors were able to honor the franchise by embarking on bold new storytelling that George Lucas would celebrate.

Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew

Release date

December 2, 2024

Throw

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

Franchise(s)

Star Wars