Ryan Gosling Calls Star Wars: Starfighter a ‘Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity’

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Ryan Gosling is explaining his decision to join the Star Wars universe, something he’d avoided for a long time, and why he changed his mind about appearing in big franchise films.

Ryan Gosling recently told io9 what made him agree to star in the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie, which takes place after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

Ryan Gosling Explains Why He Joined Star Wars: Starfighter

For much of his career, Gosling has avoided long-running blockbuster franchises. So what changed?

Gosling explained he chose the project because of Shawn’s passion, his clear vision for the film, and the quality of the script. He’d previously turned down similar roles, but he’s happy he waited, comparing the experience to finally reading a great book like Project Hail Mary. He feels this opportunity is incredibly rare and special.

Ryan Gosling was talking about director Shawn Levy, who is directing the new film. Levy’s explanation of his vision, along with the script itself, convinced Gosling that this movie wasn’t just another typical sequel, but something special enough to make him want to join the Star Wars franchise.

The project marks Gosling’s first major franchise commitment on this scale.

Set After The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars: Starfighter takes place about five years after the story of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, venturing into new and unseen areas of the Star Wars universe on film.

Ryan Gosling won’t be playing a character fans already know from the Star Wars universe. Instead, he’ll be a completely new face, and he’s likely to act as a guide or mentor to a younger character played by Flynn Gray. This suggests Lucasfilm is setting up a new generation of heroes as the story moves forward after the Skywalker saga.

Setting the story after The Rise of Skywalker allows Starfighter to move past the events of the Skywalker Saga and explore new storylines, which likely resonated with Gosling’s wish to work on a project that felt personally fitting.

I’m really excited about this movie! It’s not just Ryan Gosling, though – the cast is packed with amazing talent. We’ve got Daniel Ings, Mia Goth, the always fantastic Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Aaron Pierre, and even Simon Bird joining the adventure. It’s shaping up to be a seriously stellar ensemble!

Release Date

Star Wars: Starfighter hits theaters Memorial Day weekend on May 28, 2027.

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2026-03-03 14:31