Development
Shawn Levy entered talks in November 2022 to develop and direct a new Star Wars film for Lucasfilm after his work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) for Marvel Studios. [5] Levy confirmed the deal a month later. He had been in contact with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy for some time to make his passion for the Star Wars franchise known, and was excited to begin writing the film after completing Deadpool & Wolverine. Levy acknowledged that many filmmakers had been announced as developing Star Wars films that did not come to fruition, but he was confident this would not be the case for his film. [6] Development was just beginning when the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike began in May 2023 and halted further progress. [7] That October, after the strike ended, Levy said development had begun again. Kennedy's mandate was for Levy to bring a similar story and tone from his other films to the franchise, and he was optimistic that he could make a personal film within a big franchise after doing so with Deadpool & Wolverine in the MCU. [8] The following month, Dave Filoni revealed that he was now chief creative officer at Lucasfilm, after serving as executive producer on various Star Wars television series, and would be directly involved in the planning of future films and series. [9]
Jonathan Tropper, a previous collaborator of Levy's, was hired to write the film in July 2024. [10] That December, journalist Jeff Sneider reported that Levy was "holding a window" for production to begin in September 2025. He further reported that Daisy Ridley would be reprising her role as Rey from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, taking on a mentorship role for a teenage boy or young man who would be the protagonist. [11] Ridley had also been reported to have a similar role in other Star Wars films that were in development from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and writer Simon Kinberg, separately. [12] [13] In January 2025, Ryan Gosling entered talks to star in the lead role. Levy had been planning to direct a different film next, but Gosling's interest meant this film could move forward first and potentially start filming in late 2025. The director and his production company 21 Laps Entertainment were set to produce the film with Kennedy and Lucasfilm. [14] Levy was considered a "must-have, must-keep director" for the Walt Disney Company, parent of both Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios, after the success of Deadpool & Wolverine. [15] The next month, Kennedy said Levy's film would be the next Star Wars film after The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026). She said it would be standalone from the main "Skywalker Saga" film series and feature mostly new characters, but some characters from the sequel trilogy could return, and added that the film would be set around five or six years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the last film in the Skywalker Saga and the sequel trilogy. [16]
Pre-production
At Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025, the film was titled Star Wars: Starfighter, which is also the name of a 2001 video game; it was given a release date of May 28, 2027; Gosling was confirmed to be starring; and Levy confirmed that filming would begin later that year. [1] Casting was underway for a teenage actor to portray the nephew of Gosling's character, and for male and female antagonists who pursue them. [1] [4] Mikey Madison was in brief negotiations for the female antagonist role, but declined an offer by mid-April due to a salary dispute. [17] [18] Mia Goth was cast in that role in June. [4] Matt Smith, who was cast in an undisclosed role for The Rise of Skywalker but ultimately did not appear in that film, joined as another antagonist in August. [3] With the start of filming at the end of the month, Lucasfilm confirmed the casting of Smith and Goth, and announced the casting of newcomer Flynn Gray alongside Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. [2] [19] Gray was cast as the nephew of Gosling's character, while Adams was cast as the mother of Gray's character. [19] [20]
