Shawn Levy

"When Kathy Kennedy brought me on board to make a 'Star Wars' movie, her central mandate to me was 'I want a Shawn Levy movie. I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies — with a 'Star Wars' story.' So I have felt extremely empowered. We are in early days, unfortunately, because the development process was abruptly paused [due to the WGA strike], but I feel very empowered to trust my instincts in the development of this story and movie."

―Shawn Levy on Star Wars: Starfighter^[2]

Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor whose films has spanned numerous genres and grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwide, such as the 2002 film Big Fat Liar, the first three films of Night at the Museum film series, the 2010 film Date Night and the 2021 film Free Guy. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment.^[1]

An admirer of the Star Wars franchise since the moment he saw the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi in theaters, Levy shot a sequence inspired by Luke Skywalker's and Darth Vader's lightsaber duel aboard the Death Star II during the Battle of Endor, which he considers the essence of a Hollywood blockbuster, for "one key scene" of his 2024 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Deadpool & Wolverine, going as far to show the Emperor's Throne Room scene to his stunt and action team on his phone to restudy how it was photographed, blocked, framed, and temporized.^[3]

On October 23, 2023, Levy confirmed in an interview with Variety that he will direct a project, commenting on how Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy drew him to the project by asking him to make a film with a story and tone that reflects on his style and taste, feeling a similar optimism going into its development like the one he felt when working for Marvel Studios.^[2] On April 17, 2025, Levy announced his project was Star Wars: Starfighter and would release in 2027 and star Ryan Gosling as the titular character.^[4]