

Ryan Gosling is officially headed to the “Star Wars” galaxy, as Lucasfilm confirmed on Friday that the Oscar-nominated actor will star in Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone feature set to begin production this fall and hit theaters on May 28, 2027.
Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine, Stranger Things) will direct the film from a script by Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project), with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni making the announcement during the Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo.
The project marks a significant expansion of the franchise and introduces a fresh timeline post-The Rise of Skywalker, taking place five years after the events of Episode IX.
While few plot details have been revealed, Starfighter is said to focus on an entirely new set of characters, allowing Gosling and Levy to craft a story untethered from the Skywalker saga.
“Being here and seeing all of you [makes it] more inspiring to do it,” Gosling told fans during the Celebration livestream. “The force is a mysterious thing, but, as I’m here, the force is the fans. All we can hope for is, ‘May the fans be with us.'”
A bold new direction and a blockbuster pedigree
Gosling, best known for acclaimed performances in La La Land, Drive, and The Fall Guy, has often stayed clear of major franchises. His previous ventures into IP-Blade Runner 2049 and Barbie-showcased his ability to bring depth to iconic and stylized roles.
Now, Starfighter presents a new frontier for the actor, diving into the world of lightspeed battles, rebellion, and mysterious new Force dynamics.
Director Shawn Levy, riding high from the billion-dollar success of Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024, brings blockbuster muscle and a deep connection to genre storytelling. He echoed Gosling’s reverence for the material, saying: “There’s obviously a relationship between these stories and the audience, but we’ve spent our lives in that audience. We know how meaningful it is.”
Tropper’s involvement adds another layer of familiarity for Levy, as the duo previously collaborated on emotionally resonant yet entertaining fare like The Adam Project and This Is Where I Leave You.
Starfighter will follow The Mandalorian & Grogu, which hits theaters on May 22, 2026 and marks the first “Star Wars” theatrical release since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.
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