Ryan Gosling is set to take a prominent role in the upcoming standalone film “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is part of the beloved Star Wars franchise. The news was revealed at the Tokyo-based Star Wars Celebration 2025, which took place from April 18 to 20. In fact, fans cheered when they originally heard the news that Gosling was joining the galaxy far, far away. This announcement is majorly exciting news for the actor and the franchise.
Directed by Shawn Levy, known for his work on “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Star Wars: Starfighter” promises to deliver a fresh narrative within the Star Wars universe. Scheduled to begin filming this fall, the movie will explore a new adventure that takes place five years after the events of “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” In a statement, Kathleen Kennedy, the President of Lucasfilm, further expressed her excitement about the project. She envisions it fulfilling a promise of bringing to life a story that fans have never experienced on screen before.
Gosling’s surprise appearance at the announcement gave an already exciting event an extra special twist. Going back to childhood for a second, he showed an image of his Star Wars-themed bedsheets.
“This is a picture that my mom sent my bedsheets when I was 5. Yes, she still has them, obviously,” – Ryan Gosling
He teased that his mom was the one who decided people would be clamoring for the trinket. He went on to question if she was simply rationalizing her decades of inflation. Gosling’s childlike imagination was clearly affected by Star Wars, making the actor one of the longtime fans of the franchise.
“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,” – Ryan Gosling
Gosling spoke to the depth of the script’s quality. He painted a lovely picture of it being heart-filled, adventurous, but most of all, unabashedly unique with one-of-a-kind characters.
“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,” – Ryan Gosling
Levy took to social media to express his enthusiasm for the film’s new direction. He confirmed that “Star Wars: Starfighter” is a standalone story, distinct from previous entries in the franchise.
“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,” – Shawn Levy
“Star Wars: Starfighter” is set to be released exclusively in theaters on May 28, 2027. As fans await this new chapter in the Star Wars saga, both Gosling and Levy are focused on delivering an experience that resonates with long-time followers of the franchise.
