The project, helmed by director Shawn Levy, will be a stand-alone film after 2019’s ‘Rise of Skywalker’
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Ryan Gosling is bringing some Kenergy to the Force!
The 44-year-old actor is officially joining the Star Wars universe, confirming his role in Shawn Levy’s new Star Wars film at the Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday, April 17.
“I had heard at one point that my movie was going to star Ryan Gosling and, believe me, that would be a dream come true for me,” Levy told the crowd from the stage. “So today, I just wanted to tell you here in this room that that rumor is 100% true.”
Levy then brought Gosling out on stage with him to announce their upcoming film, Star Wars: Starfighter, which will hit theaters May 28, 2027.
Gosling made it clear that he’s been a lifelong fan of the George Lucas series, sharing a photo of his Star Wars bedsheets from when he was 5 years old, which his mom had sent in.
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“She still has them, obviously,” Gosling quipped. “Naturally, she thought that it might be something that the fans would appreciate, but I suspect that she just sort of wants to justify years of hoarding.”
The Oscar-nominated actor went on to rave about the franchise, which he said helped shape his views on movies in general.
“I was probably dreaming about Star Wars before I even saw the film,” he added, referencing the bed sheets. “And it’s probably framed my idea of what a movie even was.”
As for Starfighter, little is known about the project or Gosling’s role, but Levy did note that it is a standalone film, telling the crowd, “[It’s] not a prequel, not a sequel, just gives us the Star Wars DNA that we love but with an adventure that’s all new.”
He added that Starfighter will feature “a world we haven’t seen on screen.”
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“The movie is a new adventure. It’s new characters. It takes place in a new period of time after the Battle of Exegoll, after Episode 9,” he said, referencing 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. “There’s so many opportunities to tell a Star Wars story that has all the heart and action and fun of Star Wars, but to do it in ways that are new and original.”
Levy, who directed 2024’s hit action flick Deadpool & Wolverine, also shared that Starfighter is in pre-production and will begin filming this fall for the 2027 release.
“The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters,” Gosling shared of the project. “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.”
