Star Wars: Starfighter: Ryan Gosling’s New Galactic Adventure Gets a Major D23 Spotlight

Lucasfilm has officially put Star Wars: Starfighter front and center at D23, with Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy introducing fans to the next standalone adventure from a galaxy far, far away.

The Star Wars universe is heading into unexplored territory.

At D23 2026, Lucasfilm gave fans a major look at Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming theatrical film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling.

The movie is set to arrive exclusively in theaters on May 28, 2027, and unlike many recent Star Wars projects, it will tell a completely standalone story with a new group of characters.

Ryan Gosling Is Kade Auberon

Gosling will play Kade Auberon, a character described as a man from the “wrong side of the galaxy” whose fate becomes connected to an extraordinarily fast starfighter.

Lucasfilm used the D23 presentation to officially introduce Gosling’s character, with the actor appearing alongside Levy on stage.

The presentation also featured an exclusive first look at footage from the film for fans attending the event.

This marks Gosling’s first major leading role inside the Star Wars universe and gives the franchise one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars as the face of an entirely new story.

A Star Wars Story We’ve Never Seen Before

One of the most interesting things about Starfighter is when it takes place.

The movie is set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.

That means the film moves further into the post-Skywalker Saga era while avoiding the familiar characters and storylines that have dominated much of the franchise.

Lucasfilm has described the project as an all-new standalone adventure featuring entirely new characters.

For longtime fans, that could make Starfighter particularly important.

Rather than revisiting another chapter of the Skywalker family’s history, the film has the opportunity to establish a completely different corner of the galaxy.

Shawn Levy Wants a Different Kind of Star Wars

Shawn Levy isn’t simply stepping into an existing Star Wars formula.

According to Lucasfilm’s D23 announcement, Levy drew inspiration from American car culture, The Outsiders and George Lucas’ American Graffiti while developing the movie.

That influence could help explain why the film is being described as an adventure centered heavily on character, speed and the relationship between its heroes and their vehicles.

Levy has also emphasized the traditional Star Wars themes of hope, family and adventure, while exploring a period of the timeline that has never previously been shown on screen.

The Story: A Rogue’s Past Comes Back

The official premise gives us our first real idea of what Kade’s journey will look like.

The story follows a cynical rogue whose mysterious past suddenly catches up with him, throwing him into a dangerous adventure across the galaxy.

His journey ultimately places him on a collision course with destiny.

That description suggests Starfighter could combine the classic space-opera elements of Star Wars with a more personal character-driven story.

And with a starfighter at the center of Kade’s fate, audiences can probably expect plenty of high-speed action.

A Major Supporting Cast

Gosling isn’t the only major Hollywood name attached to the project.

The cast includes:

Ryan Gosling as Kade Auberon

Flynn Gray

Matt Smith

Mia Goth

Aaron Pierre

Simon Bird

Jamael Westman

Daniel Ings

Amy Adams

Lucasfilm has described the movie as being firmly rooted in its characters while also promising humor, danger, spectacle and the adventurous spirit associated with the Star Wars legacy.

The Movie Is Completely Standalone

Don’t expect Starfighter to be another sequel to an existing Star Wars movie.

The project is officially described as an all-new standalone adventure.

That distinction could be extremely important for the future of the franchise.

After years of stories connected to the Skywalker era, Starfighter gives Lucasfilm the opportunity to introduce audiences to characters who don’t carry decades of existing mythology with them.

It could essentially serve as a fresh entry point into the galaxy.

When Does Star Wars: Starfighter Release?

Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled to arrive exclusively in theaters on May 28, 2027.

Interestingly, Levy noted at D23 that the release weekend carries special significance because it coincides with the same Memorial Day weekend when the original Star Wars movie opened 50 years earlier.

That gives the film an extra layer of significance as Lucasfilm looks toward the next era of theatrical Star Wars storytelling.

Who Is Making Star Wars: Starfighter?

Shawn Levy is directing the movie, with Jonathan Tropper writing the screenplay.

Levy and Kathleen Kennedy are producing, while Ryan Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen and Josh McLaglen serve as executive producers.

Production began in 2025, with Lucasfilm previously confirming the ensemble cast when filming started.

Geeksterr Take

This could be one of the most important Star Wars movies of the next generation.

Not because it features a familiar Jedi.

Not because it brings back a classic villain.

And not because it continues the Skywalker family story.

It is exciting precisely because it doesn’t need any of those things.

Starfighter is giving Lucasfilm the chance to take the franchise somewhere new while still retaining the ingredients that have defined Star Wars for five decades: adventure, family, hope, danger and a galaxy full of possibilities.

Ryan Gosling gives the project a major movie-star presence, while Shawn Levy brings experience with large-scale action and character-driven spectacle.

If the film successfully establishes Kade Auberon and its unexplored corner of the galaxy, Starfighter could potentially become the beginning of something much bigger.

For now, one thing is certain:

The next great Star Wars adventure isn’t taking us backward. It’s taking us somewhere we’ve never been before.

Star Wars: Starfighter — Quick Facts

Title: Star Wars: Starfighter

Studio: Lucasfilm

Director: Shawn Levy

Writer: Jonathan Tropper

Lead: Ryan Gosling as Kade Auberon

Setting: Approximately five years after The Rise of Skywalker

Type: Standalone theatrical adventure

Release Date: May 28, 2027

Release: Exclusively in theaters

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings and Amy Adams.