Overview
- Lucasfilm has officially confirmed Shawn Levy is directing Star Wars: Starfighter with Ryan Gosling starring and the film is a standalone story set about five years after The Rise of Skywalker with a May 28, 2027 theatrical release.
- Trade outlets reported that a trade-only screening was shown to industry buyers and that extensive unverified leaks from MakingStarWars have circulated describing a rogue lead called 'Cade', a Force-sensitive child, and a Jedi refuge on a planet nicknamed Adaria; Lucasfilm has not authenticated those narrative claims.
- Levy and Lucasfilm have repeatedly said the project will use new characters and avoid relying on Skywalker-era nostalgia, framing Starfighter as a deliberate creative pivot for theatrical movies.
- Coverage links the film’s prominence to The Mandalorian & Grogu’s muted box-office returns and says Starfighter will be watched as a test of whether original theatrical leads can replace recent franchise duos.
- Reported supporting cast additions include Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Amy Adams and others but those casting and plot details remain unconfirmed so fans should treat the specific story beats as rumors rather than studio statements.