Summary
Ryan Gosling is set to star in Shawn Levy’s upcomingStar Warsmovie. The film has been in development and just got an official title and release date.
Both Levy and Gosling are set to start their journey in the galaxy far, far away. Levy is set to direct an upcomingStar Warsmovie starring Gosling. Levy was in talks to direct aStar Warsfilm in 2022 following the success ofDeadpool & WolverineandStranger Things. In September 2023, the director confirmed that the project was in development but halted due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike. In January 2025, theBarbieactor’s name was attached to the project.
On April 17, the official title and Gosling’s casting were confirmed. The details were announced at the biennial convention,Star Wars Celebration, in Tokyo, Japan. It was the perfect event for the big announcement because the place was set for the occasion. Levy’sStar Warsmovie is titledStar Wars: Starfighterand it will be released on July 14, 2025, according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, it is still unclear whether it has some ties to the 2001 computer game of the same name. Gosling was present at the event and teased that the screenplay was “so good.” He took the stage and said:
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.
While Gosling was on stage, a photo of his childhoodStar Warsbedsheets flashed on the screen.The Fall Guystar joked that his mom still kept the item and shared the photo, believing fans would love it, but he suspected that it was her way of justifying “years of hoarding.” However, the photo proved that theGray Manactor also dreamed of being part of theStar Warsuniverse. He added, “As you can see from the picture, I guess I was probably dreaming aboutStar Warsbefore I even saw the film. And it’s probably framed my idea of what a movie even was.” Meanwhile, not every actor probably dreamed of joining the galaxy far, far away. Rising star Mikey Madison, who took home the 2025 Oscar Best Actress, was reportedly offered a role for Levy and Gosling’sStar Warsfilm. However, the actress did not seize the opportunity to work with Gosling and Levy, perVariety. The filmmaker was also present at the event and added that the upcoming movie is a “standalone” and will feature a brand new experience never explored in previous films. The plot takes place about five years after the events fromRise of Skywalker.Levy added that they will begin filming in the fall.
Star Wars: Starfighteris exciting since it’s Levy and Gosling’s first venture into the franchise. Also, both have marked a name in their own fields, so there are high expectations from them. MakingStarfightera standalone film is also a great move to attract new fans because the audience does not need to watch previous films to understand the story.TheRise of Skywalkerreceived mixed responses from critics when it was released in 2019. The critics only gave it a 51% rating onRotten Tomatoes. However, the audience enjoyed it more by giving it 86% score. Some were not happy about it, though, so it’s a good thing that the next movie is not connected to it. Gosling’s casting makes most hopeful that the upcomingStar Warsfilm is better than the previous ones because he is a well-rounded actor who is great at action, drama and comedy. So, let’s see.
