It’s happening. Ryan Gosling is set to star in a new film called Star Wars: Starfighter. At Star Wars Celebration in Japan, the bombshell was announced on stage, along with director Shawn Levy, who, before this moment, was probably most famous for directing last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
The notion that Gosling was starring in a standalone Star Wars film helmed by Levy had been rumored for some time, but his appearance at Star Wars Celebration turned that rumor into reality. Lucasfilm also confirmed that the release date for Star Wars: Starfighter is May 28, 2027, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the original release of Star Wars on May 25, 1977.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about this announcement is the confirmation as to when the movie takes place in the Star Wars timeline. According to Levy, Starfighter happens just a few years after the conclusion of The Rise of Skywalker. “What can that mean?” Levy teased at the event. “It can mean so many things!” Levy also added: “This is not a prequel, this is not a sequel, it’s a new adventure.”
Clearly, the fact that Starfighter is coming out in just two years means it will be the first new Star Wars movie set in the timeline after Rey has defeated all the Sith. During the opening of Star Wars Celebration, it was confirmed that the Rey-centric movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is still in development. But, because of where Starfighter happens in the chronology, it will almost certainly predate the events of that Rey movie.
Starfighter also represents the first time in a very long time that a new Star Wars project will actually move forward in the timeline. This is a part of Star Wars canon we know nothing about right now, because none of this part of the story has been written. So, whatever Starfighter does, it will be brand new.
Can Starfighter survive without the nostalgia of being some kind of Star Wars prequel? We don’t know for sure. But as Yoda once wisely said: “Always in motion is the future.”
