- "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."
- ―Shawn Levy discusses his Star Wars project
Star Wars: Starfighter is a stand-alone live-action film currently in production at Lucasfilm with filmmaker Shawn Levy serving as the director and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy producing the project. The film is set to take place around five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, and may include characters from the sequel trilogy. Ryan Gosling will star in the film.
Plot summary
- "Shawn's is a standalone Star Wars story that’ll take place post-nine, maybe five or six years out."
- ―Kathleen Kennedy, to Deadline
Shawn Levy's Star Wars film is set to take place around five years following the events of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (40 ABY), and according to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, may include sequel trilogy characters.[3]
Development
Early beginnings
- "I really wanted to craft something that felt organic to me, both in tone and characters, so I think that there is — there is certainly the Force and a connection to something bigger than our individual selves. And the way that that can make us powerful, those themes, combined with visual delight and wish fulfillment, that's Star Wars to me."
- ―Shawn Levy, on his film
Initially, it was reported by Deadline on November 8, 2022 that Levy would direct a Star Wars film after the completion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Deadpool & Wolverine and the fifth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.[9] Levy publicly confirmed the report the same day on Twitter.[10] On October 23, 2023, Shawn Levy was interviewed by Variety on his projects and briefly spoke on his film, stating that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy wanted a Star Wars film with a story and tone that reflects Levy and his taste. With the 2024 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Deadpool & Wolverine's positive production, Levy stated to Variety that he felt a similar optimism going into the development of his Star Wars film.[1]
On June 17, 2024, in another interview with Deadline, Levy stated that production was slow-going, as it took time to develop a project with the amount of mythology and expanded universe that Star Wars has.[11] On the premier for Deadpool & Wolverine on July 12, Levy confirmed that Jonathan Tropper would be writing his Star Wars film and that Kennedy and Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni were excited on the premise.[4] On August 8, Levy spoke with the Happy Sad Confused podcast where he was asked on the film. Levy stated that the experience of creating his Star Wars film has forced him to think on what Star Wars is as there were only so many times that Star Wars films could revisit the same part of the timeline. Levy commented that he's not interested in creating a redundant film, nor one where he has to serve another.[8]
After rumors of plans that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was ready to retire, Kennedy provided an interview to Deadline to address the rumors and state of current Star Wars projects on February 27, 2025. Kennedy revealed that she is producing Shawn Levy's film following The Mandalorian and Grogu, so would continue to remain at Lucasfilm. In terms of an official announcement, Kennedy stated that they were away from that for months to a year. During the interview with Deadline, Kennedy also shared the setting of Levy's film, including that it may occur five to six years following the events of Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker and that characters from the sequel trilogy may appear. By the time of the interview, Levy had been working on his film for a year and a half.[3]
Project achieves lift-off
The first reveal from the set of Star Wars: Starfighter.
On April 18, 2025, the film was officially announced as Star Wars: Starfighter during Celebration Japan by Lucasfilm, and revealed to begin production in the fall of 2025. During the announcement, it was revealed that Ryan Gosling was cast in the film, and was revealed to the audience on stage. The film is set to be released in theaters on May 28, 2027.[5] Production of the film began in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2025. That day, an article released on StarWars.com also revealed the principal cast of the film alongside the film's first released image, a black and white still of actors Gosling and Flynn Gray on set in front of a landspeeder.[2]
An Instagram post by Levy on September 17 showed another still from the film and revealed that production also included scenes filmed in the Mediterranean Sea at the coast of Sardinia, Italy.[12]
Release and reception
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in the set of Star Wars: Starfighter
On May 7, 2019, Disney revealed their future movie release schedule, including a set of three untitled Star Wars films, one of which had a scheduled release date of December 18, 2026.[13] The Star Wars Show also reported on the news on May 15.[14] On July 23, 2020, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was delayed to December 17, 2027,[15] where it remained as late as August 7, 2024, where the release slot was mentioned in Disney's Q3 Earning's Presentation.[16]
Starfighter was later announced as having a May 28, 2027 release date on April 18, 2025 at Celebration Japan,[5] and on May 22, Disney released an updated film release schedule to the press, confirming that Starfighter had indeed taken the original December 2027 project slot, which had moved up to May, with the original December date now scheduled to be used by the Marvel Studios film Avengers: Secret Wars.[17]
Credits
| Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Cast
Crew
|
Appearances
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Sources
The Star Wars Show: Star Wars Dates Announced, Plus We Won an Emmy! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)- Star Wars Celebration - DAY 1 Replay on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (livestream no longer available)
- Director Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter Film Starts Production This Fall on StarWars.com (backup link) (First identified as Star Wars: Starfighter)
- Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy | Star Wars Celebration LIVE! 2025 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- The Mandalorian and Grogu Kickstart Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025: All the News You Need on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Lucasfilm Announces Casting for Star Wars: Starfighter on StarWars.com (backup link)
- 'Star Wars: Starfighter' Begins Production on Industrial Light & Magic's official website (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
Shawn Levy Talks New 'Star Wars' Movie, 'Deadpool 3' and 'Stranger Things' Kids Aging: 'Our Makeup Department Is Pretty Exceptional' by Elsa Keslassy on Variety (October 23, 2023) (backup link archived on June 18, 2024)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28
Lucasfilm Announces Casting for Star Wars: Starfighter on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Kathleen Kennedy Speaks On Her Lucasfilm Plans — She Is Not Soon Retiring — & The Films That Will Keep Her In 'Star Wars' Orbit For Years To Come by Mike Fleming Jr on Deadline (February 27, 2025) (backup link archived on February 28, 2025)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Shawn Levy Can Say ONE Thing About His Upcoming Star Wars Movie on the On Demand Entertainment YouTube channel (July 11, 2014) (backup link)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Director Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter Film Starts Production This Fall on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Shawn Levy talks Star Wars Starfighter, Stranger Things 5, Night At The Museum, Big Fat Liar & more! on the On Film…With Kevin McCarthy Podcast YouTube channel (November 26, 2025) (backup link)
- ↑ Director Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter Film Starts Production This Fall on StarWars.com (backup link) dates the events of Star Wars: Starfighter to 5 years after Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, which is dated to 35 ABY per Star Wars: Timelines.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Shawn Levy Jumps to Hyperspace With an Update on His 'Star Wars' Film on Collider.com (August 7, 2014) (backup link archived on August 10, 2024)
- ↑ Shawn Levy In Talks To Direct A 'Star Wars' Film After 'Deadpool 3' & 'Stranger Things' Final Eps by Mike Fleming Jr, Justin Kroll on Deadline (November 8, 2022) (backup link archived on June 4, 2024)
- ↑ Shawn Levy (@ShawnLevyDirect) on Twitter (post on November 8, 2022): "Childhood me is losing his shit right now. Grown-up me is too. @DEADLINE" (backup link)
- ↑ Shawn Levy Tells All: Working With Marvel, Directing 'Deadpool & Wolverine', His Dream 'Star Wars' Movie, And Navigating 'All The Light We Cannot See' And The Finale Of 'Stranger Things' – Behind The Lens by Pete Hammond on Deadline (June 17, 2024) (backup link archived on June 18, 2024)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Shawn Levy (@slevydirect) on Instagram (post on September 17, 2025): "Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea #Starfighter" (backup link)
- ↑ Disney Moves 'Avatar' Sequels, Announces New 'Star Wars' Films by Brent Lang, Rebecca Rubin on Variety (May 7, 2019) (backup link archived on July 27, 2020)
- ↑ The Star Wars Show: Star Wars Dates Announced, Plus We Won an Emmy! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link) (Posted on StarWars.com)
- ↑ 'Star Wars' Films, 'Avatar' Sequels Pushed Back a Year in Disney Release Calendar Shakeup by Rebecca Rubin on Variety (July 23, 2020) (backup link archived on July 23, 2020)
- ↑ Q3 FY24 Earnings Presentation on the Walt Disney Company's official website (backup link)
- ↑ Disney Pushes Next Two 'Avengers' Movies; Dates 'The Dog Stars' & 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' by Matt Grobar on Deadline (May 22, 2025) (backup link archived on May 22, 2025)
- ↑ Shawn Levy (@ShawnLevyDirect) on Twitter (post on August 30, 2025): "Confirmed . Lucky me." (backup link) (In response to: "Claudio Miranda will reportedly serve as cinematographer on ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ His past projects include ‘F1’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, and ‘Tron: Legacy’")
- ↑ Costume Designer Suttirat Anne Larlarb on Dressing Scorching, Corporate-Controlled Future in “Alien: Earth” by Hugh Hart on The Credits (September 29, 2025) (backup link archived on October 1, 2025)
External links
- Shawn Levy Jumps to Hyperspace With an Update on His 'Star Wars' Film on Collider.com (backup link archived on August 10, 2024)
- Shawn Levy Tells All: Working With Marvel, Directing 'Deadpool & Wolverine', His Dream 'Star Wars' Movie, And Navigating 'All The Light We Cannot See' And The Finale Of 'Stranger Things' – Behind The Lens on Deadline (backup link archived on June 18, 2024)
- Shawn Levy Talks New 'Star Wars' Movie, 'Deadpool 3' and 'Stranger Things' Kids Aging: 'Our Makeup Department Is Pretty Exceptional' on Variety (backup link archived on June 18, 2024)
- Shawn Levy In Talks To Direct A 'Star Wars' Film After 'Deadpool 3' & 'Stranger Things' Final Eps on Deadline (backup link archived on June 4, 2024)
