The firstStar Warsfilm set afterThe Rise of Skywalker,starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy, has finally been announced -Star Wars: Starfighter.After years of waiting,upcomingStar Warsmoviesare finally bringing the franchise back to the big screen, beginning in 2026. AtStar Wars Celebration 2025in Japan, the convention opened with a panel focused on the next project, with thestory ofThe Mandalorian & Groguset to be a focus. Before details about this movie were confirmed, however, a surprise was thrust upon the audience.
After Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and head of storytelling Dave Filoni opened things, director Shawn Levy took to the stage to confirm hisStar Warsmovie, titledStar Wars: Starfighter. Levy revealed his film would be released on July 22, 2025, and will star Ryan Gosling. Story details were kept underwraps aside from the hints gleaned from the title and the reveal that the film will be set afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.Star Wars: Starfighteris set to go into production in the fall of 2026.
What This Means For Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter
The Movie Will Usher In A New Age Of Star Wars Storytelling
Given the uncertainty regarding certain activeStar Warsmovies in development of late, the reveals aboutStar Wars: Starfightermean a lot for the franchise’s future. For one, the reveal that the film is set afterStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris incredibly exciting, with Levy hinting that the film aims to explore an era of the galaxy that has not been seen in any project before. If anything,Star Wars: Starfighterwill be used as a springboard to explore the galaxy post-Episode IX, potentially setting up the state of the franchise after the fall of the First Order in preparation forRey’s New Jedi Order movie.
Star Wars: Starfightershould not be expected to tie to any upcomingStar WarsTV show or movie, instead focusing on a new story…
However, the film was also confirmed to be a standalone adventure. Levy insisted thatStar Wars: Starfighteris not a sequel, prequel, spin-off, or otherwise, and instead is a completely singular adventure focused on a new batch ofStar Warscharacters, spearheaded by Gosling’s mysterious protagonist. As such,Star Wars: Starfightershould not be expected to tie to anyupcomingStar WarsTV showor movie, instead focusing on a new story in an equally new era.
Our Take On The Reveals About Star Wars: Starfighter
The Future Of Star Wars Looks Bright
Overall, the reveals aboutStar Wars: Starfighterare incredibly exciting. Shawn Levy is coming off the back of several successful projects, be itDeadpool & Wolverinefor the Marvel Cinematic Universe or his work onStranger Things. With a star as popular as Ryan Gosling in the lead role also,Star Wars: Starfighterimmediately becomes one of our most anticipated projects in the franchise. To make this more exciting,Star Wars: Starfighterhas a confirmed shooting schedule and release date, meaning the film may avoid the production issues that have plagued the theatrical side of the galaxy in recent years.
