The new standalone “Star Wars” movie will begin filming in the fall.
Ryan Gosling is set to join the Star Wars galaxy, landing the lead role in a new standalone film titled “Star Wars: Starfighter,” Lucasfilm announced Friday.
Star Wars fans cheered when they learned of the news at Star Wars Celebration 2025, a three-day fan event running until April 20 outside Tokyo, Japan.
“Star Wars: Starfighter” director Shawn Levy, who also directed “Deadpool & Wolverine,” broke the news to the legions of fans gathered at the Makuhari Messe convention center. Gosling himself made a surprise appearance.
Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy pose for a photo backstage during Star Wars Celebration Japan Day 1 on April 18, 2025 in Chiba, Japan.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
“One of those rumors I heard that I do need to dispel, is, I had heard at one point that my movie was going to star Ryan Gosling and believe me, that would be a dream come true for me. So today, I just wanted to tell you here in this room that that rumor is 100% true,” Levy said on stage.
Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy also shared a photo of Gosling’s childhood Star Wars-themed bedsheets.
“This is a picture that my mom sent my bedsheets when I was 5. Yes, she still has them, obviously,” Gosling explained. “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.”
Gosling said he is excited to join the all-new “Starfighter” project.
“As you can see from the picture, you know, I guess I was probably dreaming about Star Wars before I even saw the film, and it’s probably framed my idea of what a movie even was,” Gosling went on. “But all of that aside, I think the reality is that 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 just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn [Levy]. So it’s something I just really, really wanted to do.”
According to Lucasfilm and Levy, “Star Wars: Starfighter” is scheduled to begin filming this fall and the movie takes place five years after the events of “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,” which was released in 2019.
“I’m extremely excited about what we’re going to cook up together. This movie, as I said, 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, as you can tell, that we haven’t seen explored on screen yet,” said Levy. “And so, it features a collection of all new characters.”
“Star Wars: Starfighter” will open exclusively in movie theaters on May 28, 2027.
