The “Skeleton Crew” creators reportedly spent eight months developing a secret Western-inspired series, but Watts’ new theatrical commitments may have changed Lucasfilm’s plans.
Just when you thought Lucasfilm had enough “Star Wars” projects in development, another one has surfaced, though whether it ever sees the light of day remains to be seen. According to a new report, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, the creative team behind Disney+’s “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” spent much of this year developing another secret “Star Wars” series, this time with a Western-inspired approach.
According to <a href="https://knightedgemedia.com/2026/10/jon-watts-secret-untitled-star-wars-tv-series-exclusive/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Knight Edge Media, on a roll of late, the untitled project was envisioned as an eight-episode Disney+ series, with a full writers’ room operating from January through August 2026. Watts and Ford reportedly wanted to bring a Western sensibility to the franchise, much as “Skeleton Crew” borrowed from swashbuckling pirate adventures and the Amblin-era films of the 1980s. The outlet stresses that this was an entirely separate project, not a second season of “Skeleton Crew.”
The big question is what happened to it. Despite eight months of writing and development, the series has apparently gone quiet. Knight Edge Media reports that it’s unclear whether Lucasfilm has shelved the project temporarily or quietly abandoned it altogether. Lucasfilm declined to comment.
The timing raises an obvious question: did Lucasfilm quietly sacrifice Watts’ new series for something much bigger? After all, the writers’ room reportedly wrapped in August, and just weeks later, news broke that Watts would direct the first film in Simon Kinberg’s developing “Star Wars” trilogy. Given the scale of that assignment, it’s not hard to imagine Lucasfilm shifting priorities, especially with the new theatrical trilogy potentially heading into production next year. No one has confirmed that one project displaced the other, but the timing certainly suggests a possible connection.
Still, a Western-inspired series wouldn’t be a particularly strange direction for “Star Wars.” George Lucas famously drew from Westerns, samurai films, and old adventure serials when creating the franchise. At the same time, “The Mandalorian” has arguably leaned harder into the Western tradition than any previous live-action installment. The real question is what Watts and Ford intended to do differently, especially after taking such a specific, genre-driven approach with “Skeleton Crew.”
Their previous series, starring Jude Law, followed a group of children lost in a dangerous galaxy, embracing the Spielbergian spirit of “The Goonies” and “E.T.” While the show’s execution left something to be desired, its attempt to explore a different corner of the franchise was at least a welcome departure from the increasingly interconnected Jedi, Sith, and Skywalker mythology.
Of course, “Star Wars” has a lengthy history of projects that spend years in development before disappearing. Just recently, reports revealed multiple abandoned versions of “Rogue Squadron,” including a proposed Disney+ series. So a full writers’ room and eight months of work hardly guarantee a green light.
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For now, Watts and Ford’s untitled Western remains another intriguing “Star Wars” project with an uncertain future. Whether it was quietly shelved to make way for Watts’ much bigger theatrical assignment or simply put on hold, it may have already joined Lucasfilm’s growing collection of unrealized ideas.
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