Published: 09:08 PM, 19 April 2025
Actor Ryan Gosling to star in new 'Star Wars' film
After his scene-stealing turn as Ken in the 2023 blockbuster hit 'Barbie', Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling is taking on another huge pop culture franchise: the 'Star Wars' universe.
Gosling will star in the upcoming 'Star Wars: Starfighter', due for release in May 2027, Lucasfilm announced Friday at the Star Wars Celebration event in Japan.
The film, to be directed by Shawn Levy ('Deadpool & Wolverine', 'Stranger Things'), will be set about five years after the events of 2019's 'Star Wars: Episode IX -- The Rise of Skywalker', Lucasfilm, a subsidiary of Disney, said in a statement.
Fans cheered as Gosling and Levy made a surprise appearance at the Japan event to confirm the project, which will begin production later this year, AFP reports.
The film will be "an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet," the company said.
Wearing a baseball hat with the slogan "Never Tell Me The Odds," Gosling said: "I think it's just exactly the advice that we need as we embark on this journey."
"The Force is a mysterious thing. But I think as I'm here, I feel like the Force is the fans," the Canadian actor said to cheers. "I think all we can hope for is that -- may the fans be with us."
Levy acknowledged the daunting nature of joining a franchise with a rabid fan base.
"You take on 'Star Wars,' you take on something that's this beloved -- it's intimidating. You're scared, you're nervous, you want to get it right," the Canadian filmmaker said.
"But we have a feeling that with this story, with this collaboration, we can get it right."
The standalone film will come a year after 'The Mandalorian &Grogu', an expansion of the popular Disney+ streaming series starring Pedro Pascal due out in 2026.
The standalone film will come a year after 'The Mandalorian &Grogu', an expansion of the popular Disney+ streaming series starring Pedro Pascal due out in 2026.
