Ryan Gosling's Star Wars Movie Is Finally Taking The Franchise Somewhere New

It's been more than five years since we had a "Star Wars" movie in theaters, which is pretty surprising given that Disney once promised an entry annually from the legendary franchise after its purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012. In any case, the next era of a galaxy far, far away on the big screen is finally taking shape. We've known for some time that Jon Favreau's "The Mandalorian and Grogu" would arrive in 2026. As for what comes after? That honor goes to the newly announced "Star Wars: Starfighter" from director Shawn Levy ("Deadpool & Wolverine").

Though it had previously been revealed that Levy was working on a "Star Wars" movie with Ryan Gosling ("Barbie," "Blade Runner 2049") attached to star, it was finally confirmed, title and all, during Star Wars Celebration in Japan. While plot details remain firmly under wraps, the movie is now officially set to arrive in May 2027 and will take place approximately five years after the events of 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker." Gosling will also be playing a new character.

"You might have caught a little bit of a glimpse," Levy teased during an interview at Star Wars Celebration. He was alluding to a new starship that was previewed during the presentation, but he also made it clear that "new" is the keyword here. As the filmmaker put it:

"The movie is a new adventure. It's new characters, it takes place in a new period of time after the Battle of Exegol, after 'Episode IX.' There's so many opportunities to tell a 'Star Wars' story that has all of the heart, and action, and fun of 'Star Wars,' but to do it in ways that are new and original. That starship, that peek of that starship, is just one example of the design of a world that we haven't seen on screen."

"New" was the word being thrown around an awful lot, which is likely going to come as welcome news to a great many fans. To that end, fans in attendance went apes**t after Levy talked about the newness of this movie.

"We're not in development; we're in pre-production. We're shooting," Levy assured the Celebration crowd, with filming scheduled to begin in the fall. In other words, this is happening. This won't become another one of the many "Star Wars" movies that has been canceled during the Disney era of Lucasfilm.

More important than simply getting across the finish line (or the start line, really) is the fact that Disney is finally, seemingly allowing "Star Wars" to move into truly new territory, particularly with regards to the movies. In the aftermath of the divisive nature of the sequel trilogy, it makes sense that the studio would want to play things safe with something like "The Mandalorian and Grogu." It also makes sense that Disney and Lucasfilm are bringing Daisy Ridley back as Rey for a movie about rebuilding the Jedi Order.

But what Levy and Gosling are promising here is new characters and a new story set in a previously unexplored part of the "Star Wars" timeline. This is the way, as it were. Indeed, it feels like the entire Disney era of "Star Wars" up to this point has been anchored to the Skywalkers or filling in gaps in the established timeline. This is the first movie since the prequels to truly offer up something new. But even on that front, Levy made it clear that he and his collaborators are wading into uncharted waters:

"There's obviously a relationship between these stories and the audience but we've spent our lives in that audience, and we know how meaningful it is. But as Ryan said, it's a big galaxy. It's a big galaxy out there, and it feels like there's an opportunity to do a movie that's not a prequel, that's not a sequel, and gives us the 'Star Wars' DNA that we love, but with an adventure that's all new."

Jonathan Tropper ("The Adam Project") wrote the screenplay for the film but, again, the specifics of the plot remains wholly elusive. Even so, the mere existence of something this original within the "Star Wars" galaxy feels refreshing.

Even something as acclaimed as "Andor" is filling in the gaps left behind by "Rogue One," a movie that was, itself, filling in some gaps on the way to success. These are acclaimed projects, but not truly, 100% new. The closest we've gotten to that in recent years was "Skeleton Crew" on Disney+. It does feel like Disney has had more tolerance to test the waters with originality on the small screen. But "Star Wars" really flows through the movies and the need for originality there, for new characters that can give way to new stories, is undeniable. Who knows? Maybe we'll get something original with Simon Kinberg's "Star Wars" trilogy as well. That's merely in development though. We're talking about something that's actually happening here.

"Being here and seeing all of you [makes it] more inspiring to do it," Gosling said during the interview. "There's so much creativity and imagination in this room and there's so much love. It's such a great reminder of how much movies can mean to us, specifically how much these movies mean to us. The Force is a mysterious thing, but, as I'm here, the Force is the fans. All we can hope for is, 'May the fans be with us.'"

Gosling was also wearing a hat with Han Solo's famous line, "Never tell me the odds." Gosling explained that phrase is sort of acting as his and Levy's guiding light in making their movie. Levy followed up on that, adding:

"You take on 'Star Wars,' you take on something that's this beloved, it's intimidating. You're scared, you're nervous, you wanna get it right. But we have a feeling that with this story, with this collaboration, we can get it right. So, we don't want anyone to tell us the odds. We're just gonna do it."

Levy and Gosling are saying the right things. It feels like Lucasfilm is trying to do the right thing. We can only hope that it all comes together in a satisfying way. But as Jyn Erso might say, "We have hope. Rebellions are built on hope." Maybe a good, original movie can be built on hope as well.

"Star Wars: Starfighter" is set to hit theaters on May 28, 2027.