The Star Wars galaxy is ready for a new chapter. Nearly half a century after George Lucas introduced audiences to the Force, Lucasfilm is turning its gaze to the future, shifting from Skywalker family tales to uncharted cinematic horizons.
Following a years-long focus on Disney+ projects, Star Wars will finally return to theaters in 2026 with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu. The adventure reunites Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu for their first big-screen outing since Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
But the real attention is already on what’s next. At Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, Ryan Gosling and Shawn Levy took the stage with Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni to announce Star Wars: Starfighter, scheduled for release on May 28, 2027.
As StarWars.com confirmed, “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.” The announcement added: “One of several theatrical projects still in development from Lucasfilm, including films by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, Taika Waititi, and a new trilogy by Simon Kinberg, Levy’s film–Star Wars: Starfighter–will star Gosling and go into production starting this fall.”
The cast includes Mia Goth, Matt Smith, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. The newly announced Flynn Gray joins as co-lead, fueling theories that Starfighter centers on a Jedi and Padawan relationship.
Moving beyond the Skywalker era, Starfighter explores a galaxy rebuilding after the First Order’s fall. Disney described it as “an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored” and “an all-new standalone adventure.”
Director Shawn Levy said, “From the day Kathy Kennedy called me up, inviting me to develop an original adventure in this incredible Star Wars galaxy, this experience has been a dream come true.”
Yet rumors suggest Lucasfilm’s “standalone” might not stay that way. According to @MyTimeToShineH (via SFFGazette), a major cameo could link the story to future films, possibly involving Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker. Reports claim the story follows a boy discovering his Force sensitivity while being protected by his mother (Amy Adams), connecting to Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order project.
In an interview with Collider, Levy confirmed the film’s independence: “Well, for one thing, it is different in that it is an all-new non-sequel, non-prequel adventure. It's new characters, it's a new timeline. It inherits legacy themes, but it's really trying to give Star Wars [fans]–and just movie audiences–something fresh, something new,” he said. “And with a spirit of play and big-hearted adventure with moments of real levity that, frankly, A New Hope had in a revolutionary way.”
He continued: “My crew, my DP, Claudio Miranda, Gosling is my kind of central collaborator in the lead role. It's certainly been a dream come true… Lucasfilm has been so encouraging of me doing something new.”
Reports from entertainment insider Daniel Richtman also point toward a teacher-apprentice dynamic: “A Jedi (played by Ryan Gosling) trains his 15-year-old nephew as his Padawan. They're on a mission while being pursued by two villains–one male, one female,” he said. “The Padawan's mother also plays an important role in the story, and there’s another major female character as well.”
As Starfighter heads toward production, anticipation is already building. With Gosling leading the charge and Levy’s blend of heart and adventure behind the camera, the film looks ready to define the next cinematic age of Star Wars—and maybe even start a new saga of its own.
