‘Star Wars’ Officially Moves on From Disney’s Sequel Trilogy, New Movie Set Years After Revealed
Lucasfilm officially announces its next feature film.
The next chapter in the galaxy far, far away has been unveiled—and this time, it’s not Rey Skywalker leading the charge. During the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025* in Tokyo, Lucasfilm officially announced Star Wars: Starfighter, with Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) director Shawn Levy at the helm and Ryan Gosling set to star. Gosling and Levy were joined onstage by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni to share the news.
“Set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Gosling will play a brand-new character teased by the actor’s appearance on stage,” StarWars.com revealed earlier today.
Shortly after, the official Star Wars account (@starwars) confirmed the title and release date on X (formerly Twitter): “Star Wars: Starfighter comes to theaters on May 28, 2027. #StarWarsCelebration”
Levy’s film is the first in a new wave of Star Wars theatrical projects aiming to steer the franchise into fresh territory. While Daisy Ridley’s Rey was previously expected to front a post-sequel trilogy installment, that slot has now been filled by a very different story—and a very different kind of hero.
The upcoming film had been quietly gathering momentum over the past year. Back in late 2024, Levy told IndieWire, “There’s a Star Wars movie that I’m developing. You never know what’s going to become undeniable and get made next.” He’s co-writing the script with The Adam Project scribe Jonathan Tropper.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie “won’t be tied to the main Skywalker narrative. It is, however, to be unconnected to the so-called Skywalker Saga, the stories centered on well-established and beloved characters Luke Skywalker and his father, Anakin,” the outlet said. “It is meant to be a stand-alone movie, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Lucasfilm had no comment on any impending deal or the project’s details.”
Casting speculation around the project had been swirling in recent months, sparked by industry scooper @MyTimeToShineH, who claimed the film was “moving fast” and that Gosling was already in the mix. That report was later echoed by The Hollywood Reporter, who added: “Ryan Gosling is headed to the great galaxy far, far away. The three-time Oscar nominee is in negotiations to topline the Star Wars feature project that will be directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy.”
Further fueling the fire, Daniel Richtman reported that “it may start shooting as early as this Fall in the UK.” THR supported that timeline, writing, “If a deal makes, the project would continue to fly like the Millennium Falcon, becoming not only Levy’s next movie but also the next Star Wars movie to go into production, with cameras potentially rolling this fall.”
Another notable addition to the ensemble may be Jesse Plemons, who is reportedly being considered to play the film’s central villain. Richtman claimed the Civil War (2024) actor “has the offer.”
While the Star Wars: Starfighter title may sound familiar, longtime fans will recognize it from the 2001 LucasArts video game. That title, however, takes place prior to the Battle of Naboo, firmly set in the prequel era. With Levy’s film set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, it’s unlikely the new movie will revisit that time period. Still, the concept of a ragtag group of pilots uniting to thwart a planetary invasion could thematically echo the game.
Known for his focus on character-driven storytelling and found-family dynamics, Levy could bring that same energy to a Star Wars team-up set in the aftermath of Palpatine’s final defeat. And with Gosling at the center, the standalone film might bridge classic elements with a bold, contemporary tone.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy addressed how Levy’s vision complements the studio’s current direction during a Deadline interview. “Shawn’s is a standalone Star Wars story that’ll take place post-nine, maybe five or six years out. And Mandalorian really stands on its own because there, we’re dealing with a whole other era in the New Republic,” she explained.
“We have other development going on in that space as well. So that’s the space that we’re pretty much focused on right at the moment because, obviously, with Mandalorian, we have a pretty good sense of where that’s going. And with this, it’s all pretty much new characters. We may bring some of the characters back from the sequel saga, but pretty much new characters.”
In fact, The Mandalorian and Grogu remains the only Star Wars film officially on the release calendar, with a premiere date locked for May 22, 2026. The movie may even serve as a stand-in for a fourth season of the Disney+ series, though Lucasfilm has yet to confirm that shift.
Meanwhile, the previously announced Rey-focused film from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, once scheduled for December 2026, has quietly been removed from Disney’s slate. That slot is now occupied by Ice Age 6, shifting Lucasfilm’s priorities in the process.
As of now, Star Wars: Starfighter is the studio’s next theatrical film headed into production. It joins a crowded slate of Star Wars projects still in various stages of development, including films by James Mangold, Taika Waititi, and a new trilogy from Simon Kinberg.
Mangold is set to explore the “Dawn of the Jedi” era—roughly 25,000 years before the Skywalker Saga—while Dave Filoni’s feature-length crossover will tie directly into his ongoing New Republic arc across Disney+. Waititi’s film, on the other hand, seems to be stalled, with Kennedy citing his overbooked schedule as the primary holdup. Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron may also be back in play, though any official update remains elusive.
As for Daisy Ridley’s Rey? Her path forward is still unclear. Obaid-Chinoy’s film is reportedly focused on Rey establishing a new Jedi Order, and at one point, a version by Damon Lindelof—starring Helen Mirren as an older Rey—was in development. That incarnation appears to have stalled, with sources suggesting Levy’s film was once considered as a possible vehicle for Rey’s return.
But with Ryan Gosling now front and center, it seems Lucasfilm is charting a new course.
Between the fast-tracked Star Wars: Starfighter, a return to theaters for The Mandalorian, and new creative voices stepping into the franchise, the next cinematic era of Star Wars is finally beginning to take shape.
What do you think about Star Wars’ new direction with Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling? Sound off in the comments!
