Ryan Gosling made a big appearance at Disney’s D23 fan event on August 14, 2026, where he and director Shawn Levy showed the first footage from their upcoming movie ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ . The film is scheduled to hit theaters on May 28, 2027 .
Gosling plays Kade Auberon, a pilot he describes as “a guy from the wrong side of the galaxy whose fate is intertwined with the fastest starfighter ever built”. The standalone movie is set after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and takes place in a timeline that has never been explored before in the franchise.
The D23 Footage Reveals a Boy and a Decommissioned Ship
The first footage from Star Wars: Starfighter was shown exclusively to attendees at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The clip has not been released publicly.
The footage begins with a young boy played by newcomer Flynn Gray walking into a rusty garage meant for repairing spaceships. He uncovers a spacecraft and touches it. Gosling’s character Kade then appears and says, “Didn’t I tell you not to touch anything?”
When the boy asks what the ship is, Kade responds: “It’s a decommissioned G17, the fastest starfighter ever built.” The boy says he has never heard of it, and Kade replies, “There’s a reason for that.”
The footage then shows action sequences with ships flying across seas, droids shooting at the ship, and classic Star Wars moments in space. The visuals include starships, typhoons of water, and robots. The film’s cinematographer is Claudio Miranda, known for his work on Top Gun: Maverick and F1.
Gosling’s Return to Disney After 30 Years
During the D23 presentation, Levy played a clip from The Mickey Mouse Club, where Gosling got his start as a child performer. Gosling then walked on stage wearing a Mickey Mouse Club jacket.
“I owe a lot to Disney. Had they not looked far and wide and come to my hometown, I would not be here today,” Gosling told the audience. “And I am now here, 30 years later, and I’m back and it’s changing my life again.”
Levy described the project as one that “embodies themes of hope and family and adventure” that the Star Wars franchise is known for. He also mentioned that the film is releasing on the same weekend as the original Star Wars movie 50 years earlier.
“We’re releasing our film on the same exact weekend as the original ‘Star Wars’ 50 years earlier. We didn’t even plan it that way, but I can’t imagine a bigger dream come true,” Levy said from the stage.
A Standalone Story With No Legacy Characters
Levy has made it clear that Star Wars: Starfighter is a standalone movie. It is not a prequel or a sequel to existing Star Wars films.
“This is a stand-alone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel. It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet,” Levy said at Star Wars Celebration in Japan.
The film will not feature any legacy characters from the Skywalker saga. This means audiences should not expect to see Rey, Finn, or other familiar faces from previous movies.
The Cast of ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’
Ryan Gosling leads the cast as pilot Kade Auberon. He is joined by a strong supporting cast that includes:
- Flynn Gray as the young boy who discovers the starfighter
- Amy Adams
- Matt Smith
- Mia Goth
- Aaron Pierre
- Simon Bird
- Jamael Westman
- Daniel Ings
The screenplay was written by Jonathan Tropper. The film wrapped principal photography at the end of 2025.
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Gosling’s Excitement for the Project
Gosling has expressed strong confidence in the film and its director. When the project was first announced at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, he shared his thoughts on working with Levy.
“The reality is that this script is just so good. It has such a great story with great and original characters,” Gosling said. “It’s filled with so much heart and adventure, and there just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn.”
Gosling also spoke about Levy’s passion for the project in a separate interview with Collider.
“I think that Shawn Levy, he’s got it. He’s got the tone. He’s got the enthusiasm for this. It’s infectious. Everybody involved is just sucked into his love. He’s so passionate about this that he’s really so in his element. It was a beautiful thing to see. It felt like someone who’d been working their whole life to be making this, and I think we all felt like we were a part of something really special.”
A Busy Time for Gosling and Levy
This is the first of two projects that Gosling and Levy are working on together. Marvel revealed during its Comic-Con presentation in July 2026 that Gosling will play Ghost Rider in a future Marvel film directed by Levy. That movie is expected in theaters in 2028.
Star Wars: Starfighter is set to release in theaters on May 28, 2027. The film will be available in theaters worldwide, including in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other global markets.
Also Read: Marvel and Star Wars Finally Unite for First-Ever Comic Crossover ‘Hope Assembles’
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