Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy's 'Star Wars: Starfighter' sets May 2027 release
'It has such a great story with great and original characters,' Gosling said at Star Wars Celebration
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TOKYO — The Force is getting a double dose of CanCon.
London. Ont.-native Ryan Gosling is officially headed to “A Galaxy, Far, Far Away” as he sets a course to join the Star Wars universe with Star Wars: Starfighter— a new standalone film to be directed by Shawn Levy that goes before cameras this fall.
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Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni announced news of the film — and its May 28, 2027 opening date — at Star Wars Celebration in Japan Friday morning.
“To be in a room of fans as someone who has been a lifelong fan is a dream come true for me,” the Montreal-born Levy said.
The film started development in 2022 after years of discussion between Kennedy and Levy. “In August of 2022, I got a call that I’ll never forget. Kathy said, ‘Let’s do it.’ So we started developing a movie,” the director said.
Working once again with his Adam Project and This Is Where I Leave You collaborator Jonathan Tropper, with input from Kennedy and Filoni, Levy said he had free reign over what the story could be.
The plot is still under wraps, but Levy announced the film will take place roughly five years after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
“This is standalone adventure that takes place a few years after the events of Episode IX,” the Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker teased. “What could that mean? It could mean so many things … This is not a prequel. This is not a sequel. It’s a new adventure.”
After months of speculation, Levy also confirmed that Gosling’s rumoured participation in the upcoming film is “100% true.”
Gosling also appeared at the event, showing off a picture of his Star Wars bedsheets sent in by his mom from when he was a child.
“She still has them,” Gosling joked. “Naturally, she thought that it might be something that the fans would appreciate, but I suspect that she just sort of wants to justify years of hoarding.”
Levy said it was “meaningful” to be able to add his own stamp to the Star Wars cinematic universe. “I’m extremely excited about what we’re going to cook up together,” he said.
Gosling said he was drawn to the project because as a child he had been “dreaming about Star Wars before (he) even saw the film.”
“It’s probably framed my idea of what a movie even was,” the Canadian-born actor told the screaming audience. “But all of that aside, this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters. It’s filled with so much heart and adventure and there really isn’t a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn.”
Gosling said his cap, which featured the words “Never tell me the odds” — a well-known quote from Han Solo in Empire Strikes Back, was “exactly the advice we need as we embark on this journey.”
“Obviously, you take on Star Wars, you take on something that’s beloved,” Levy added. “It’s intimidating … You’re scared. You’re nervous. You want to get it right. But we have a feeling with this story and this collaboration, we can get it right. So we don’t want anyone to tell us the odds. We’re just going to do it.”
Levy said that the film is set during a time Star Wars fans haven’t seen before onscreen. “It features a collection of all-new characters,” he said.
Gosling was careful not to reveal any spoilers, but the Barbie star was the one who confirmed the film will open exclusively in theatres May 28, 2027 and will be called Star Wars: Starfighter.
No other casting details were announced and it is unknown if the title ties into a 2001 video game of the same name.
In addition to Star Wars: Starfighter, Kennedy announced new theatrical features from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, Taika Waititi and a trilogy from Simon Kinberg are on the way.
Starfighter will follow The Mandalorian & Grogu, which opens in theatres next summer.
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