A surprise, to be sure! Disney Plus’ next ‘Star Wars’ series to hit streaming sooner than expected

It’s tricky to think of a more timeless franchise than Star Wars, and now the latest show in the beloved universe is coming sooner than we thought!

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has a new Disney Plus premiere date of Dec. 2, 2024. Since the show was supposed to come out on Dec. 3, fans are excited to check it out the day before its original premiere date. Sadly, subscribers have to wait until 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET) to watch. But there’s better news (phew): episodes one and two will both come out on Dec. 2. Then episodes 3 through 8 will be released every Tuesday from Dec. 10 to Jan. 14. So, it’s time to check out Christmas delights like The Merry Gentlemen and watch this new show. And, now that fans could get to see Ahsoka season 2 earlier, too, Star Wars fans are having a ball.

Also exciting: the directors of these eight episodes! Bryce Dallas Howard, co-creator Jon Watts, Lee Isaac Chung, Jake Schreier, The Daniels, and David Lowery each got behind the camera to tell this thrilling new story. In a juicy interview with Empire, Lowery shared that Watts’ pitch for the series was “Kids lost in the Star Wars universe. And there’s a bunch of pirates.” If you were on the fence about checking it out, doesn’t that description make you wish it was Dec. 2 already?! There’s a lot of talent here: Schreier is the Thunderbolts+ director, The Daniels directed the impressively creative Everything Everywhere All at Once, Chung directed Twisters, and Watts directed the MCU’s Spider-Man movies. And, of course, Howard is not only one of the most famous actresses around and the daughter of Ron Howard, but boasts several directing credits, including the acclaimed documentary Dads, and three episodes of The Mandalorian and one of The Book of Boba Fett.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew stars Jude Law as Force-user Jod Na Nawood, and its plot follows four kids (played by Robert Timothy Smith, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Kyriana Kratter, and Ryan Kiera Armstrong) who find themselves in an unfamiliar galaxy after making a fascinating discovery on their home planet. Star Wars meets Stranger Things? Kind of! Cabot-Conyers told Gizmodo.com that the show is “special” because “Children bring such a wide-eyed innocence to the galaxy.”

Some diehard fans are looking forward to Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, while others are wary of yet another Star Wars series. Of course, this is pretty much always the common reaction when a new series in a popular franchise is announced. Will this new show be a critical and audience hit like Andor, or will people grow tired of it immediately? At the very least, Skeleton Crew has a compelling premise since, this time around, the story is focused on kids.

Law, for his part, is excited to appear in the franchise. He praised his younger co-stars in an interview with Moviefone, and said they “brought a lovely sense of joy.” He also said he has “a soft spot” for Star Wars since he “was one of the millions of kids in the late ’70s whose lives were changed when they were taken to the cinema by their parents to see the first film.” It’s always a good sign when an actor is a fan of the franchise they’re now in.

It’s amazing to reflect on how the franchise has grown since the first movie was released in 1977, and all the people it has touched. So, even if you didn’t love the last few Star Wars shows (or have mixed feelings, which is fair), it’s time to get excited about Skeleton Crew and all the charming kids who are about to go on what’s sure to be a magnificent journey.