Disney just announced a new Star Wars project set to replace Star Wars: Starfighter, months before the film's release.
Star Wars: Starfighter is the next major addition to the Star Wars franchise, hitting theaters on May 28, 2027. Directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine), the standalone film takes place approximately five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), introducing new characters rather than continuing the Skywalker saga.
Ryan Gosling stars as Kade Auberon, a rogue whose mysterious past sends him on a dangerous galactic adventure. The cast also includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, and Flynn Gray. At D23 in August 2026, Gosling revealed that his character's fate is connected to the fastest starfighter ever built.
Lucasfilm has kept more specific details about the film's plot close to its chest – but we do now know that it has larger plans for the project.
Expanded Version of ‘Star Wars: Starfighter' Announced
During New York Comic Con, Lucasfilm Publishing confirmed that Star Wars: Starfighter is already getting an expanded version in book form, months before the film even reaches theaters. The novelization will offer an alternative version of the movie's story, arriving on June 22, 2027, less than a month after its theatrical release.
Written by Delilah S. Dawson, who previously penned Star Wars: Phasma (2017) and Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire (2019), the book will go beyond what audiences see in theaters. According to its official description, it offers “An expanded retelling of the hotly anticipated film Star Wars: Starfighter with scenes you didn’t see on screen!”
This means the theatrical cut won't be the only version of the story available to fans. Lucasfilm took a similar approach with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), whose expanded novelization included scenes and explanations absent from the film, particularly surrounding Emperor Palpatine's return.
The expanded novelization isn't the only Star Wars: Starfighter project on the way. Lucasfilm is also releasing The Art of Star Wars: Starfighter and Star Wars: Starfighter: The Visual Dictionary (a mouthful, we know), offering further insight into the film's characters, locations, and production.
Another upcoming project will introduce a character known as the Rock Pirate of Kaneen, although details about their role remain scarce.
Beyond ‘Star Wars: Starfighter'
Beyond Star Wars: Starfighter, Lucasfilm is reportedly developing a new trilogy that could serve as a direct sequel to the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Simon Kinberg, whose credits include X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019) and Star Wars Rebels, is writing the films. In September 2026, reports revealed that Jon Watts, director of Marvel's Tom Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy, will direct the first installment.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is intended to continue the Skywalker Saga following Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), potentially bringing Daisy Ridley back as Rey (whose own solo film seems to be dead in the water).
The films could become Episodes X, XI, and XII, although Lucasfilm has yet to confirm their titles, plots, or release dates.
Fans have also expressed hopes that whatever happens, the trilogy will incorporate Adam Driver's Ben Solo, whose solo project, The Hunt for Ben Solo, was unceremoniously killed by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman.
Are you excited for Star Wars: Starfighter?
