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Ryan Gosling is officially joining the Star Wars universe as the lead in a new standalone film titled Star Wars: Starfighter. The announcement was made during the Star Wars Celebration event held in Tokyo, Japan, where director Shawn Levy confirmed the casting in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
"One of those rumors I heard that I do need to dispel, is, 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 fans at the Makuhari Messe convention center. "So today, I just wanted to tell you here in this room that that rumor is 100% true."
The film is being produced by Lucasfilm and will be directed by Levy, best known for Deadpool & Wolverine. Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, also confirmed the project and shared a photo of Gosling's childhood Star Wars-themed bedsheets, a moment that delighted the audience. "Naturally, she thought that it might be something that the fans would appreciate," Gosling said, referring to his mother, "but I suspect that she just sort of wants to justify years of hoarding."
Gosling expressed his excitement about taking part in the franchise. "I guess I was probably dreaming about Star Wars before I even saw the film," he said. "It's probably framed my idea of what a movie even was." He added, "The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters. 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."
Levy emphasized that Starfighter is not part of the main Skywalker saga. "This movie, as I said, is a standalone. This is not a prequel. This is not a sequel. It's a new adventure," he said. "It features a collection of all new characters... set in a period of time... that we haven't seen explored on screen yet."
Set around five years after Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Starfighter will begin filming in fall 2025 and is scheduled for release on May 28, 2027. As Gosling put it during the celebration, "All we can hope for is: 'May the fans be with us.'"
