While it’s clear that Skeleton Crew took inspiration from the classic Spielberg era of the 80’s, it also leaned in to a LucasArts classic, specifically The Secret of Monkey Island, so it’s hardly a surprise that Jon Watts and Chris Ford then pushed on to request that Monkey Island artist Steve Purcell produce a Skeleton Crew poster to celebrate an adventurous debut season.
Series creators Jon Watts and Chris Ford count The Secret of Monkey Island from 1990 among their childhood inspirations for the story of Captain Silvo and his brigand crew, and among their own behind-the-scenes crew, Skywalker Sound’s Matt Wood and David W. Collins worked on the beloved gaming franchise. “Monkey Island was a huge thing for me as a kid,” Watts tells StarWars.com. “I loved Monkey Island, and still do, and so getting to do space pirates was something that allowed me to check back in.”
“During the press junket, Monkey Island came up a lot,” adds Ford, “and we talked about how much we loved the artwork from that era of LucasArts.” That gave the team an idea for promoting their series in a way that would bring their inspiration full circle. “I think it was Jon who actually thought ‘Hey, maybe we could ask someone at Lucasfilm if they actually know [Monkey Island cover artist] Steve Purcell and maybe he could do some art for Skeleton Crew?’” Ford recalls.
