Shawn Levy’s “Star Wars: Starfighter” is currently shooting in London, and Lucasfilm/Disney has released the first-look image—seen below— of Ryan Gosling and young newcomer Flynn Gray.
The rest of the cast includes Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre Mia Goth, and Matt Smith. Ultra-talented Oscar-winner Claudio Miranda (“Life of Pi,” “Top Gun: Maverick”) is cinematographer, which gives me some hope about how the finished product will look like. Levy is my main issue here. He has the potential to turn this into “Waterworld” in space.
Yes, ‘Starfighter’ is the brainchild of “Deadpool & Wolverine” helmer Levy, and is based on a script from Jonathan Tropper (“Your Friends & Neighbors”). Details about the plot are under wraps, though it’s clear Gosling is the lead. Smith and Goth’s roles are said to be antagonistic.
Set about five years after ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ ‘Starfighter’ is described as a standalone tale focused on new characters within the Star Wars universe. Alongside ‘Mandalorian & Grogu,’ it marks the first Star Wars feature since 2019 and comes at a moment when the franchise desperately needs to feel relevant again in theaters.
If you caught Shawn Levy’s “The Adam Project” on Netflix with Ryan Reynolds, you might notice some obvious similarities to ‘Starfighter’: a young boy at the center and, naturally, plenty of lightsaber-style action. If Starfighter ends up being twice as good as “The Adam Project,” well… that’s still one sh*tty movie.
There hasn’t been a ‘Star Wars’ movie released since 2019’s ‘Rise of the Skywalker.’ That will change next year when Jon Favreau’s ‘Mandalorian & Grogu’ hits theaters in May 2026. Over the past six years, Lucasfilm has become a revolving door of Star Wars announcements — many of which never made it past the press release stage. Projects came and went, often quietly shelved, painting a picture of a studio in disarray.
Fresh off the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Levy is banking on another success. Lucasfilm has already set a May 28, 2027 release for ‘Starfighter,’ exactly one year after “The Mandalorian & Grogu” hits theaters.
Is there anyone out there who actually expects Levy to nail a PG-13 Star Wars movie?
I actually find that number optimistic. Tickets for “Digger” go on sale next Tuesday, and presales will give us a better picture of how bad it’s looking.