The Star Wars universe is officially gaining a major new talent.

Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling, 44, will star in the upcoming movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, which will be helmed by ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy.

Details about the film were revealed during the 2025 Star Wars Celebration on Friday in Japan, following reports that Oscar winner Mikey Madison turned down a role in the movie.

Levy was joined onstage by Gosling at the event, as the actor got an official introduction into the Star Wars fandom. 

Gosling gave a nod to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo character, wearing a hat with the iconic line, ‘Never tell me the odds’, from The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

It won’t be the Canadian actor’s first space rodeo – he starred as Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong in the 2018 movie First Man. 

The Star Wars universe is officially gaining a major new talent. Oscar-nominated Ryan Gosling, 44, will star in an upcoming movie from the beloved franchise, тιтled Star Wars: Starfighter

Production for the standalone adventure is scheduled to commence in Fall 2025, with a theatrical release date set for Memorial Day, May 28, 2027

Production for the standalone Star Wars adventure is scheduled to commence in Fall 2025, with a theatrical release date set for Memorial Day, May 28, 2027. 

The official X account for Star Wars shared a video of Gosling backstage with the caption: ‘Please join us in welcoming Ryan Gosling, star of the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, to our galaxy. Coming to theaters Memorial Day 2027.’ 

Lucasfilm confirmed that the film ‘is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet.’ 

Read More Oscar-winning star turns down huge role with Ryan Gosling in major blow to franchise

The events of Starfighter are set roughly five years following the conclusion of 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, which starred Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, and Mark Hamill, who plays the iconic role of Luke Skywalker.

The news comes after Oscar winner Mikey Madison turned down the chance to join the latest in an iconic film series.

A report from Variety revealed that she pᴀssed on an unknown role in the film, though no details about the character were given.

Levy will direct the film from a screenplay written by Jonathan Tropper (This Is Where I Leave You, The Adam Project).

Levy will also produce through his 21 Laps production company alongside LucasFilm president Kathleen Kennedy.

The project had been put on the back burner while Levy completed work on the final season of Stranger Things, but now that filming is complete, this is moving ahead.

Details about the film were revealed during the 2025 Star Wars Celebration on Friday in Japan. Levy was joined onstage by Gosling at the event, as the actor got an official introduction into the Star Wars fandom 

He gave a nod to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo character, wearing a hat with the iconic line, ‘Never tell me the odds’, from The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Lucasfilm confirmed that the film ‘is an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet’

Star Wars also unveiled a new logo for the film 

It won’t be the Canadian actor’s first space rodeo – he starred as Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong in the 2018 movie First Man

The events of Starfighter are set roughly five years following the conclusion of 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker

The most recent sequel trilogy consists of The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker, and starred Daisy Ridley as Rey (pictured), Adam Driver as Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, and Mark Hamill, who reprised his role as Luke Skywalker

The news comes roughly 12 years after Gosling was rumored – along with Zac Efron – for a role in J.J. Abrams’ 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which is believed to have been Driver’s Kylo Ren. 

Tropper was announced as the screenwriter back in July 2024, though it’s been said that he’s been working on the script for over a year.

No story details have been released yet, though Levy did talk a bit about the development process back in October 2023, which was paused due to the writers strike earlier that year.

‘When Kathy Kennedy brought me on board to make a Star Wars movie, her central mandate to me was “I want a Shawn Levy movie. I want a story and a tone that reflects you and your taste and what you bring to your movies — with a Star Wars story,”‘ Levy began.

‘So I have felt extremely empowered. We are in early days, unfortunately, because the development process was abruptly paused [due to the WGA strike], but I feel very empowered to trust my instincts in the development of this story and movie,’ he added.

He added that his experience working with Marvel on ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine was proof it was, ‘really possible to feel empowered and personal about making a movie within a universe that is bigger than any one film.’

‘My ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool movie is turning out to be exactly what Ryan (Reynolds) and I had hoped when we started off,’ he added.

‘So I’m going into the development of my Star Wars movie with a similar optimism, and faith that my instincts will be allowed to lead the way,’ Levy continued.

Gosling’s casting comes amid reports that Oscar winner Mikey Madison turned down a role in the movie; she’s seen in March

It comes roughly 12 years after Gosling was rumored for a role in J.J. Abrams’ 2015 film Star Wars – The Force Awakens, which is believed to have been Driver’s Kylo Ren (pictured)

The original Star Wars trilogy consists of A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and the Return of the Jedi (1983), and featured Hamill as Skywalker, Ford as Han Solo, and Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa; they are seen in a still from A New Hope

The Star Wars franchise, created by George Lucas, is a sprawling epic set in a galaxy far away. 

The original Star Wars trilogy consists of A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and the Return of the Jedi (1983), and featured Hamill as Skywalker, Ford as Solo, and Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa.

The prequel trilogy consists of The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005), and starred Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala, and Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader.

The sequel trilogy features The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), and starred Daisy Ridley as Rey, Driver as Kylo/Ben Solo, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron.

There are also the standalone films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).