Universal PicturesRyan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter movie has found its villain, with Matt Smith playing the film’s antagonist. We’ve now got the full cast rundown as production is underway.
Reports of Shawn Levy developing a Star Wars movie first emerged in 2022. Updates have been few and far between since, but we know Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy wanted a film in the franchise that reflected the director’s tone, and that Ryan Gosling was attached to star.
Kennedy teased a few details earlier this year, then Levy, Gosling, and co. took to the stage at Star Wars Celebration in Japan, where they confirmed the movie’s official title: Star Wars: Starfighter.
We also now have a release date, plus casting news, meaning we now know the lead trio.
Star Wars: Starfighter release date
Star Wars: Starfighter will be released on May 28, 2027.
This is just three weeks after Avengers: Secret Wars hits cinemas. Now, it’s not necessarily guaranteed that it’ll be on the same level of Infinity War or Endgame, but it’s expected to feature a lot of Marvel heroes from the past two decades (appearances from Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and any of the Fox heroes aren’t out of the question).
In other words, it could be massive, and it seems unlikely that Disney would schedule its second Star Wars movie in over five years (the franchise hasn’t been on the big screen since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker) so close to a blockbuster that could flatten it.
Either way, Kennedy is clearly confident in the project. “Moving into the future, past Episode 9, it’s just opening up a whole new world, and Shawn’s coming into this,” she said.
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“I can’t think of any director recently that we worked with that is better suited to Star Wars. You’re feeling that with his energy and excitement around what it is he’s doing. He’s just got the perfect attitude around making this a really fun movie.”
Who’s in the Star Wars: Starfighter cast?
Ryan Gosling will star in Star Wars: Starfighter, alongside Mia Goth, and, Matt Smith.
“Being here and seeing all of you [makes it] more inspiring to do it,” Gosling told the crowd at Star Wars Celebration when he was first announced.
“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.'”
Don’t expect many – if any – characters you already know. “The movie is a new adventure. It’s new characters,” Levy explained.
Mia Goth will play one of those new characters, though her role is as-yet-unspecified.
But what we do know is that Matt Smith will play the movie’s villain, according to an August 5, 2025 report on Deadline. Which is a full-circle moment for the former Doctor Who, as he was supposed to appear in Rise of Skywalker before that undisclosed role was mysteriously scrapped.
Further names were revealed by The Hollywood Reporter shortly after production kicked off in August, 2025. Our first official image from the set showed child actor Flynn Gray next to Gosling, teasing they’ll share a close connection.
Amy Adams (Arrival, Man of Steel) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Old) are both big names but Hollywood, but one actor joining them hasn’t been a feature film quite like this before.
Simon Bird of The Inbetweeners fame has also been listed. It’s unclear just how big a role he might have, but we certainly hope he gets to mutter his famous line, ‘Feisty one you are.’
The Starfighter cast is as follows:
- Ryan Gosling
- Mia Goth
- Matt Smith
- Flynn Gray
- Aaron Pierre
- Simon Bird
- Jamael Westman
- Daniel Ings
- Amy Adams
Why is it called Star Wars: Starfighter?
Star Wars: Starfighter is said to be a new adventure… but some fans may remember a 2001 Star Wars game with the same title. It’s unclear if it’s an adaptation or borrowing anything from the game’s plot.
The game follows three characters: Rhys Dallows, a member of the Naboo Royal Space Fighter Corps; Vana Saga, a mercenary who works for the Trade Federation; and Nym, a Feeorin pirate.
It takes place before (and during) the Battle of Naboo, which was shown in The Phantom Menace. So, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be hugely inspired by the game, but given its name, we should probably expect aerial combat to be a big focus.
What is Star Wars: Starfighter about?
All we know is that Star Wars: Starfighter is a standalone story set around five years after The Rise of Skywalker, and it’s not a prequel or a sequel.
“The script is just so good,” Gosling said.
“It has such a great story with great and original characters. 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.”
Levy also assured fans that they’re fans as well. “There’s obviously a relationship between these stories and the audience, but we’ve spent our lives in that audience. We know how meaningful it is,” he said.
Is there a trailer?
There’s no footage from Star Wars: Starfighter yet, mainly as it’s only just entered production. However, you can check out the first title reveal below:
We also have our first picture from the set, courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
In the meantime, find out what we know about The Mandalorian and Grogu and check out our rundown of every upcoming Star Wars movie and TV show.