Published on: Aug 29, 2025 10:21 pm IST
The first image from the newest Star Wars film echoes the saga’s beginnings but confirms an original story — teasing Ryan Gosling’s role in the franchise
The galaxy far, far away just welcomed a new face. Director Shawn Levy and star Ryan Gosling have officially begun production in the U.K. on Lucasfilm’s newest adventure, Starfighter. The cast is nothing short of stellar, with Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge), Flynn Gray (Wednesday), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (Good Grief), and Daniel Ings (The Gentlemen) joining forces alongside Matt Smith and Mia Goth. The script is written by Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project), with Levy producing alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
To celebrate the launch of filming, Lucasfilm released a first-look image that has already set Star Wars fans buzzing. The shot features Gosling and Gray standing in front of a landspeeder that closely resembles Luke Skywalker’s iconic ride from 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope.
About Starfighter
The film’s setting will intrigue fans of the timeline. As revealed at the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, Starfighter unfolds five years after the events of Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. That film closed the book on the Skywalker saga, leaving a vacuum in the Force — and opening the door for a brand-new chapter.
But before fans start speculating about Skywalker family ties, Lucasfilm has made it clear that “Starfighter will be an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored in Star Wars.” Plot details remain under wraps, but the presence of Gray in the first look suggests his character will play a central role alongside Gosling. Much like Luke gazing at the twin suns of Tatooine, this image hints at a new beginning — one not tethered to the Skywalker legacy but carrying its spirit forward.
Scheduled to premiere on May 28, 2027, Starfighter follows one year after the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu in 2026, which itself marks the franchise’s return to theaters since The Rise of Skywalker. Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen, and Josh McLaglen serve as executive producers.
With Levy at the helm, a fresh ensemble cast, and Gosling stepping into uncharted Star Wars territory, Starfighter could be the hyperspace jump the saga needs to thrill a new generation of fans.
