A new era of Star Wars is preparing for launch.

Star Wars: Starfighter is an original standalone film directed by Shawn Levy and led by Ryan Gosling. Rather than returning immediately to the Skywalker family, the movie introduces a new character, a new adventure and a story set beyond the end of the sequel trilogy.

The project is still surrounded by secrecy, but Lucasfilm has now confirmed its theatrical release date, principal cast, place in the timeline and Gosling’s character name. Here is everything officially known so far.

When Is Star Wars: Starfighter Coming Out?

Star Wars: Starfighter will be released in cinemas on May 28, 2027.

That date places it during a major year for the franchise, as 2027 marks the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars. The film will follow The Mandalorian and Grogu as the next announced theatrical adventure.

Who Is Ryan Gosling Playing?

Ryan Gosling plays a brand-new character named Kade Auberon.

Lucasfilm has described Starfighter as a standalone adventure, which means audiences should be able to enter the story without first watching several seasons of television. Kade is not presented as another member of the Skywalker family, and the character gives the film an opportunity to explore the galaxy through a fresh perspective.

Official story details remain deliberately limited. Until Lucasfilm reveals more, claims about whether Kade is a Jedi, pilot, smuggler or member of a new faction should be treated as speculation.

Where Does Starfighter Fit in the Timeline?

The film is set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

This makes it one of the first screen stories positioned to explore what happens after the defeat of the First Order. The Resistance achieved victory, but the film can now address a larger question: what replaces the political order that failed before it?

The setting provides considerable creative freedom. Familiar institutions may no longer exist in the same form, while new alliances, threats and Force traditions could emerge from the power vacuum.

Who Is in the Starfighter Cast?

Lucasfilm has announced an ensemble that includes:

• Ryan Gosling

• Flynn Gray

• Matt Smith

• Mia Goth

• Aaron Pierre

• Jamael Westman

• Daniel Ings

• Amy Adams

The film is directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Jonathan Tropper. Levy and Kathleen Kennedy serve as producers, with Gosling among the executive producers.

The roles played by most of the cast have not yet been officially detailed. That mystery is already producing theories, but a useful rule applies: a famous actor joining Star Wars does not automatically reveal whether the character belongs to the light, the dark or neither.

Is Starfighter Episode X?

No. Lucasfilm is presenting Starfighter as a standalone adventure rather than Episode X of the Skywalker Saga.

Its post-Rise of Skywalker setting means the consequences of the sequel trilogy may shape the world, but the story is built around new characters. This distinction matters. Star Wars can move its timeline forward without making every future conflict depend on the same family.

Will There Be Jedi and Lightsabers?

Lucasfilm has not officially confirmed the role of the Jedi or the Force in the plot.

Five years after The Rise of Skywalker, Rey’s future and the state of Jedi knowledge remain major unanswered questions. However, Starfighter may choose to focus on pilots, ordinary adventurers or new types of heroes rather than centre the story on an established Jedi Order.

The title itself suggests flight and space combat will be important, but it does not prove that Kade is a pilot or identify a specific ship. Fans should expect official trailers and character descriptions to provide the first reliable answers.

Until then, collectors can explore the history that led to this new era through Selecta Sabers’ Movie Replicas, spanning heroes and villains from across the saga.

Why a Standalone Story Is Good for Star Wars

One of the franchise’s greatest strengths is the scale of its galaxy. A standalone film can introduce viewers to unfamiliar worlds without needing to resolve every open storyline at once.

That freedom allows Starfighter to:

• Establish heroes with no connection to the Skywalkers

• Explore the political landscape after the First Order

• Introduce new ships, weapons and factions

• Welcome viewers who have not followed every streaming series

• Tell a complete cinematic adventure with its own identity

The challenge will be balancing that freshness with the mythology, emotion and visual language that make a story feel unmistakably Star Wars.

What Happens Next?

The next major information will likely arrive through an official first-look image, teaser trailer or Lucasfilm event presentation. Those materials should reveal the film’s central conflict, the identities of additional characters and how strongly the story connects to the Force.

Until then, four details are firm: Shawn Levy is directing, Ryan Gosling plays Kade Auberon, the story takes place roughly five years after The Rise of Skywalker, and the film reaches cinemas on May 28, 2027.

Everything beyond those facts remains part of the mystery—and for a brand-new Star Wars adventure, that may be exactly where the excitement begins.

Revisit every era before the next one begins. Explore Movie Replica Sabers and find the hilt that defines your place in the galaxy.