As Star Wars: Starfighter heads into active production, filmmaker Shawn Levy took to social media to share a first look at the anticipated film. Starring Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Amy Adams, and more, the film reportedly takes place a few years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Little is known about the movie, which was written by The Adam Project‘s Jonathan Tropper, at present. The first-look image shows Gosling along with his young co-star Flynn Gray, lounging atop a prop vehicle “somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea,” according to the caption from Levy. Given its title, the smart money is on one or both of these apparently-seafaring characters to end up piloting a combat craft at some point.
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(Deadpool & Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds chimed in underneath to claim, “That’s Lake Ontario.”)
“It’s not a prequel, not a sequel,” Levy said at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year. “It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet.”
Starfighter is one of a number of Star Wars projects planned as a kind of brand refresh. While most Star Wars projects still dominate the pop culture zeitgeist, negative fan reception to The Rise of Skywalker coupled with disappointing ratings numbers for The Acolyte, have contributed to a general narrative of frustration and failure.
Both Levy and Gosling are coming off enormous successes; Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine was Marvel’s biggest hit in years, and Gosling drew praise from both fans and critics for his performances in Barbie and The Fall Guy. They’re hoping to extend their win streaks and, by virtue of doing that, improve the fortunes of the Star Wars brand.
That the movie’s first shot is on the sea has prompted speculation from fans that the movie could be taking place on the oceans of Naboo (filmed in Italy), or that it might center on pirates (not exactly an unfamiliar concept to Star Wars fans).
Of course, given the wardrobe, the kid sidekick, and the vast, undisturbed sea behind the actors, social media users have been drawing comparisons to the 1995 flop Waterworld.
Star Wars: Starfighter is set for release on May 28, 2027.
