Star Wars is set to undergo a major relaunch on the big screen. While Disney and Lucasfilm are known for announcing theatrical projects only for them to later fall off the radar, everyone is officially strapped in for the upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter.
Directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) and starring Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049, Barbie) in the lead role, Starfighter was officially unveiled at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo earlier this year, where Levy, Gosling, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni took to the stage to make the announcement and set a 2027 release date.
Previously, a Daisy Ridley-led project that would focus on Rey as she rebuilds the Jedi Order 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, was intended to be the first post-sequel trilogy film. However, although it’s reportedly still in development, we’ll now be returning to the faraway galaxy with Ryan Gosling leading the charge instead.
With that said, Starfighter is much closer to the sequels than Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s untitled Rey film.
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According to the synopsis on StarWars.com, Starfighter is “Set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
Said to be a “standalone” film, Starfighter will feature an all-new cast, with Gosling playing an original character whom many believe is a Jedi, with Flynn Gray (Baltimore) rumored to be his Padawan. No actors from the sequel trilogy, such as Daisy Ridley (Rey Skywalker) and John Boyega (Finn), are expected to return.
However, one actor has thrown his hat in the ring to make an appearance.
While on the red carpet at the Toronto International Film Festival, Oscar Isaac, who plays X-Wing fighter pilot Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker, was asked by Entertainment Tonight whether he’d like to reunite with his Drive (2011) co-star Ryan Gosling in the upcoming Star Wars film.
“I’m ready for it,” he said enthusiastically. “Let me know when.”
But Isaac’s response is somewhat surprising. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, he told the YouTube channel Jar Jar Abrams that he’d only return to the franchise if he needed “another house” after explaining how his preference is to star in “hand-made movies” over bid-budget blockbusters.
Other Upcoming Star Wars Films
Starfighter isn’t the only Star Wars movie set in stone. The Mandalorian & Grogu will mark the franchise’s return to theaters after six years when it arrives on May 22, 2026. Directed by Jon Favreau, it will see the return of Pedro Pascal as the bounty hunter Din Djarin.
Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters), Jeremy Allen White (The Bear), and Jonny Coyne (The Nun) have also been cast.
Other theatrical installments that have long been gestating but are still reportedly in development are: a film by James Mangold (Logan) that will focus on “the dawn of the Jedi”; Dave Filoni’s Mando-Verse project, which will connect The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka; Lando, which is expected to see the return of Donald Glover as the titular smuggler; and a standalone entry from director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok).
According a report from Variety last year, Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron is still expected to happen at some point in the future despite being shelved in 2023.
Star Wars: Starfighter releases in theaters on May 28, 2027. The film also stars Matt Smith (Doctor Who), Mia Goth (Pearl), Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (Animals), Daniel Ings (The Crown), and Amy Adams (Man of Steel).
Are you excited about Star Wars: Starfighter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
