Ryan Gosling is heading to a galaxy far, far away, and fans at D23 have now received their first glimpse of the highly anticipated new Star Wars adventure.
The next era of Star Wars is beginning to take shape.
Disney and Lucasfilm have unveiled the first footage from Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming feature starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Shawn Levy. The footage was presented to fans at Disney’s D23 event, offering the first substantial look at Gosling’s character and the new corner of the Star Wars universe the filmmakers are creating. (EW.com)
Unlike many recent entries in the franchise, Starfighter is designed as an original story with a new cast of characters rather than another chapter centered on the Skywalker family.
Ryan Gosling Plays Kade Auberon
Gosling stars as Kade Auberon, a character who appears to have a complicated history and a connection to a young boy played by newcomer Flynn Gray.
In the footage shown at D23, Kade encounters the boy with a decommissioned starfighter. The spacecraft becomes an important part of the preview, with Gosling’s character describing it as an exceptionally fast vessel.
The sequence ultimately gives audiences a glimpse of the kind of space adventure Levy and Gosling are developing—one that combines character-driven storytelling with the large-scale action audiences expect from Star Wars. (EW.com)
A New Story After The Rise of Skywalker
One of the most intriguing aspects of Star Wars: Starfighter is its place within the franchise timeline.
The movie takes place five years after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, putting the story in a period of the galaxy that has not previously been explored in a feature film.
Levy has emphasized that the project isn’t intended to be a conventional sequel or prequel. Instead, the filmmakers are introducing new characters and a largely independent story while still operating within the established Star Wars universe. (EW.com)
That approach could give the franchise an opportunity to expand beyond familiar characters and storylines.
Shawn Levy Takes the Helm
The film is directed by Shawn Levy, whose recent credits include Deadpool & Wolverine and Free Guy.
Levy is collaborating with screenwriter Jonathan Tropper, with whom he previously worked on The Adam Project. The director has described the opportunity to create a new Star Wars story as a longtime dream.
The combination of Levy’s experience with large-scale franchise filmmaking and Gosling’s dramatic and comedic range gives the project a distinctive creative identity.
An All-Star Cast
Gosling leads an ensemble that includes several high-profile performers.
The cast includes:
- Ryan Gosling as Kade Auberon
- Flynn Gray
- Matt Smith
- Mia Goth
- Aaron Pierre
- Simon Bird
- Jamael Westman
- Daniel Ings
- Amy Adams
The cast gives Starfighter a mixture of established stars and emerging performers, potentially making the movie one of the most prominent original Star Wars stories in development. (EW.com)
What the First Footage Reveals
The D23 preview reportedly begins with Gosling’s Kade encountering the young character played by Gray. A decommissioned starfighter becomes the centerpiece of the sequence before the story expands into a much larger space adventure.
The footage reportedly includes aerial action, alien environments, droids and large-scale effects.
Importantly, the preview was presented to the D23 audience rather than released as a conventional public trailer. That means fans who were not at the event will have to wait for Disney and Lucasfilm to officially release more footage. (TheWrap)
A Different Kind of Star Wars Movie
The decision to create an original story could be particularly important for Lucasfilm.
The Star Wars franchise has spent decades building stories around characters and events connected to the Skywalker saga. While those characters remain enormously popular, the studio has also been looking for ways to expand the universe with stories that can stand independently.
Starfighter represents one of the clearest examples of that strategy.
The movie has recognizable Star Wars elements—starships, droids, alien worlds and space battles—but its central characters and storyline are new.
That could allow the filmmakers to attract longtime fans while giving new audiences an accessible entry point into the franchise.
Ryan Gosling’s Growing Franchise Role
Starfighter also represents another major franchise move for Gosling.
The actor recently starred in the science-fiction adventure Project Hail Mary and is now preparing to lead a new Star Wars film. He has also been confirmed to star as Ghost Rider for Marvel Studios, with Levy reportedly involved in that project as well. (EW.com)
The back-to-back franchise roles represent a significant shift for Gosling, whose career has traditionally balanced major studio projects with more character-driven films.
His involvement could also give Starfighter significant attention beyond the traditional Star Wars fan base.
When Will Star Wars: Starfighter Be Released?
Disney currently has Star Wars: Starfighter scheduled to arrive exclusively in theaters on May 28, 2027. (EW.com)
With production already underway and the first footage now shown at D23, additional details are likely to emerge as the theatrical release approaches.
A full public trailer is expected at a later date, although Disney has not announced a specific trailer-release schedule.
A New Direction for the Franchise?
The biggest question surrounding Starfighter may be whether audiences are ready for a Star Wars story that isn’t built around the franchise’s most familiar characters.
The ingredients are certainly there: a major Hollywood star, an experienced blockbuster director, an original story, a new timeline and the enormous global recognition of the Star Wars brand.
If Levy and Gosling successfully establish Kade Auberon and his world, Starfighter could become more than another franchise installment. It could serve as a blueprint for how Lucasfilm develops standalone theatrical stories within the Star Wars universe.
For now, the first footage has accomplished one important goal: it has given audiences their first real glimpse at what comes next.
Ryan Gosling is going to space—and this time, he’s entering the galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled to open in theaters May 28, 2027.
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