Director Shawn Levy is stepping fully into a galaxy he’s been referencing for years.
While promoting the final season of Stranger Things, Levy confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that his upcoming project, Star Wars: Starfighter, is officially a stand-alone film within the Star Wars universe—one that doesn’t tie into any previous storyline.
Levy, who recently directed Deadpool & Wolverine, says the franchise has always shaped his filmmaking roots. “Star Wars has always been the defining influence on my filmmaking sensibility,” he said.
He points out that even earlier films like The Adam Project carried nods to the saga, from high-speed forest chases reminiscent of Endor to futuristic weapons that echo the energy of a lightsaber.
Now he’s building something new from the ground up. The script is written by Jonathan Tropper, who previously collaborated with Levy on The Adam Project. The director describes the process of crafting an original entry into the iconic universe as both intense and fulfilling.
“To have made up a new and original Star Wars story that is neither a sequel nor a prequel to anything… every day it’s hard as hell, but it’s dream-come-true territory,” he says.
The cast includes Ryan Gosling in the lead role, joined by Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. Levy shared new images from the set earlier this fall, teasing a high-stakes adventure with Gosling and Gray in the cockpit of the story’s central starfighter.
Production is underway with a scheduled release date of May 28, 2027. Levy is filming around his final duties on Stranger Things, where he has worked as an executive producer and director for nearly a decade.
For the fifth and final season, he directed episode six and co-directed episode seven alongside Matt and Ross Duffer. Calling the series wrap “bittersweet,” Levy notes its personal and cultural impact. “It changed my life… it impacted culture in a way that is so ubiquitous and durable,” he said.