While The Mandalorian and Grogu will attempt to turn one of the biggest Disney+ series into a money-making big screen franchise next May, 2027's Star Wars: Starfighter looks set to be the first in a new slate of standalone movies.
However, if a new rumour is to be believed, the movie won't be as standalone as we expected. According to scooper @MyTimeToShineH, Lucasfilm's plan is for Starfighter to be the first instalment in a new trilogy.
It's said that the movie will have a "big cameo" to set up a sequel; the most likely candidate is surely Daisy Ridley's Rey Skywalker, and it's hard not to wonder whether her long-delayed follow-up to The Rise of Skywalker (helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy) might be the second chapter in this trilogy.
Star Wars movies and TV shows without clear links to well-known events have struggled; The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew came, went, and have seemingly been largely forgotten.
Of course, we recently learned that "The main kid [in Starfighter] is Force-sensitive. His mom is being played, as we said, by Amy Adams. She seems to be a Jedi. Gosling is not a Jedi, but he's helping his nephew escape two evil bad guys who are chasing him across the stars. He has a mission he's on, given to him by Adams."
Could his mission be to bring the boy to Rey and her Jedi Academy? It looks likely, but with so many movies in various stages of development, it would be wise not to get too excited, especially as Lucasfilm has proved that this Galaxy isn't as well planned out as, say, the MCU and DCU.
Lucasfilm is currently keeping Star Wars: Starfighter's plot under wraps, but it's been described as "an all-new standalone adventure" and "an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored in Star Wars."
The movie's cast will be led by Free Guy star Ryan Gosling. Joining him are Flynn Gray (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2), Matt Smith (House of the Dragon), Mia Goth (Infinity Pool), Aaron Pierre (Lanterns), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (Hedda), Daniel Ings (Lovesick), and Amy Adams (Man of Steel).
Deadpool & Wolverine and Free Guy director Shawn Levy helms the movie, and produces with Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. Executive producers are Ryan Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen, and Josh McLaglen. The script is by Jonathan Tropper.
"I feel a profound sense of excitement and honor as we begin production on Star Wars: Starfighter," Levy said when production on the movie began this summer. "From the day Kathy Kennedy called me up, inviting me to develop an original adventure in this incredible Star Wars galaxy, this experience has been a dream come true, creatively and personally."
He added, "Star Wars shaped my sense of what story can do, how characters and cinematic moments can live with us forever. To join this storytelling galaxy with such brilliant collaborators onscreen and off, is the thrill of a lifetime."
Star Wars: Starfighter wasn't among the movies announced at Star Wars Celebration in 2023, though the projects revolving around Rey, the Galaxy's First Jedi, and the Mando-verse remain in various stages of development. The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to be released next May, and recently dropped its first teaser trailer.
Star Wars: Starfighter will be released theatrically on May 28, 2027.