Levy Jumpstarts Star Wars Future With Gosling-Led ‘Starfighter’

Director Shawn Levy, riding high on the $1.3 billion global success of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” has officially boarded his next blockbuster franchise with Lucasfilm’s confirmation of “Star Wars: Starfighter.” The standalone feature will star Ryan Gosling and is scheduled to begin filming this fall for a May 28, 2027 theatrical release, potentially reshaping Star Wars’ big-screen future after years of development struggles and canceled projects.

The announcement, made at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, establishes Levy as a key figure in Disney’s expanding portfolio of franchise properties. Having now secured directing roles in both the Marvel and Star Wars universes, Levy joins an elite group of filmmakers trusted with the studio’s most valuable intellectual properties.

“We’re fans too,” Levy told the enthusiastic Tokyo crowd, according to Variety. “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.” This acknowledgment of fan expectations suggests a careful approach to the material following the mixed reception of recent Star Wars theatrical releases.

Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/DepositPhotos

Fresh Territory: Exploring the Post-Skywalker Era

Perhaps most intriguing for long-time fans is the film’s placement in the Star Wars timeline. “Starfighter” will be set approximately five years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker,” making it the furthest chronological point explored in any Star Wars feature film or television series. This positioning allows Levy and Gosling to help define a largely uncharted period in the franchise’s continuity.

“This is a standalone. This is not a prequel. This is not a sequel. It’s a new adventure and it’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored on screen yet,” Levy explained during the presentation. “It features a collection of all new characters.” This focus on introducing new elements rather than revisiting established ones marks a significant strategic shift for Lucasfilm after several recent projects heavily reliant on nostalgia and legacy characters.

The screenplay comes from Jonathan Tropper, who previously wrote Levy-directed projects “The Adam Project” and “This Is Where I Leave You,” suggesting a cohesive creative vision. ABC News reports that Gosling specifically praised the script’s quality as a primary motivation for joining the project, calling it “filled with so much heart and adventure.”

Reigniting Star Wars’ Theatrical Engine

“Starfighter” represents a crucial piece in Lucasfilm’s effort to revitalize the theatrical side of the Star Wars brand following a pivot to streaming content on Disney+. The film will arrive in theaters just over a year after “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which has completed principal photography and is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026.

These two projects mark the franchise’s return to theaters after an extended absence following “The Rise of Skywalker” in December 2019. The gap between theatrical releases is the longest in the Disney era of Star Wars, reflecting challenges in development and production compounded by the global pandemic and shifting release strategies.

Notably, “Starfighter” appears to be occupying a similar conceptual space as the long-gestating “Rogue Squadron” project from director Patty Jenkins, which never materialized despite extensive development. IGN speculates that while both projects feature a focus on Star Wars’ famous starfighter sequences, “Starfighter” represents a completely fresh development rather than a reworked version of the earlier concept.

Speculation Surrounds Narrative Connections

While explicitly described as a standalone feature with new characters, “Starfighter” invites speculation about potential connections to established elements of the franchise. Its positioning five years after “The Rise of Skywalker” raises questions about the state of the galaxy following the final defeat of Emperor Palpatine and the collapse of the First Order.

The film’s timeline places it chronologically before the announced “New Jedi Order” movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker. That project is reportedly set 15 years after “The Rise of Skywalker,” creating a potential narrative bridge that “Starfighter” might help establish.

Fans have already begun speculating about possible cameo appearances from sequel trilogy characters like Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), whose background as an exceptional pilot would align naturally with a story focused on starfighter combat. However, Levy’s emphasis on new characters suggests such connections, if they exist, will likely be minimal rather than central to the narrative.

With production scheduled to begin later this year, “Starfighter” represents both an exciting new direction and a significant gamble for the franchise – betting that the combination of Gosling’s star power, Levy’s proven commercial sensibilities, and an unexplored era of Star Wars lore will reignite audience enthusiasm for the galaxy far, far away on the big screen.