Can Star Wars: Starfighter finally get the non-Skywalker film saga on track?
Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling? Ok, I'm listening.
Outside of Rogue One, the non-Skywalker mainline Star Wars film saga has been a bit of a mixed bag. I absolutely adore Rogue One - and I thought Solo was not bad at all - but Lucasfilm hasn’t really cracked taking this franchise beyond the stories of the characters/situations we know and love on the big screen. Solo was, after all, a mainline prequel; while Rogue One connected directly to the start of A New Hope.
So I mean, not really stretching all that far there.
Then there’s all the wreckage on the roadside, including David Benioff & D.B. Weiss’ proposed run of films, along with Patty Jenkins’ scrapped Rogue Squadron project. There’s been some swings and misses, not even mentioning the creative shake-up behind the scenes of Solo before it got to the finish line.
It’s in the streaming shows where the franchise is living these days, with The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte and more serving as the conduit for how fans can explore new periods and find new stories within the Star Wars canon.
But Lucasfilm is finally looking to get the franchise back on the big screen with something new and different in 2027 (after the Mandalorian and Grogu movie of course, which is a big screen sequel to the TV series) - and it really is happening, as production is now officially underway on Star Wars: Starfighter.
The blockbuster pedigree is there
Lucasfilm has tapped director Shawn Levy, best known for working with Ryan Reynolds on films like Deadpool & Wolverine, Free Guy and The Adam Project (which is a GREAT movie btw) to head this one up. Ryan Gosling is bringing some A-list star power to headline, along with a killer supporting cast of Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre and Amy Adams. Of note: Aaron Pierre is about to be everywhere.
Not much is known about the story, but the studio is teasing it’ll be an “entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored,” so it’s really something fresh and exciting with a blockbuster take. But can Starfighter be the one to finally get it back on track? I wouldn’t bet against it, at least not at this point. Levy is a blockbuster machine, and his films like Free Guy and The Adam Project show he knows how to blend ambitious concepts with earnest nostalgia.
And Deadpool & Wolverine is proof positive Levy can hop into a franchise picture and craft a billion dollar blockbuster when given the opportunity. And adding a star like Gosling up front seems to be an admission that this franchise needs some star power to mix things up to see if they can get back to making a “Star Wars movie” a cultural event, even without the Skywalker gang still hanging around telling more of the story fans already know and love.
Some of the coolest, most creative projects in the Star Wars franchise have come in the past few years on Disney+, which is proof positive this is a universe where there’s plenty left to mine. The question is if Disney/Lucasfilm can still crank out billion-dollar blockbusters on demand in this world. Y’know, and not just cool shows on Disney+. Because that blockbuster skill is waning a bit when it comes to Disney’s other big property via the Marvel machine these days.
Bringing in Levy is a bold move, but it’s one that could and should pay off. There’s every chance he can craft a movie that not only exceeds the promise, but is actually good and of the moment (and packed with established and up-and-coming stars).
I can’t wait to see more from this one. It feels good to be excited about a Star Wars movie, again.
Starfighter opens theatrically on May 28, 2027.