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What We Know So Far About the Star Wars: Starfighter Movie

Starfighter is set after Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker, and stars Ryan Gosling as a character new to the famed space franchise.

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Headshot of Taylor Leamey
Taylor Leamey Former Senior Writer
Taylor Leamey wrote about all things wellness for CNET, specializing in mental health, sleep and nutrition coverage. She has invested hundreds of hours into studying and researching sleep and holds a Certified Sleep Science Coach certification from the Spencer Institute. Not to mention the years she spent studying mental health fundamentals while earning her bachelor's degrees in both Psychology and Sociology. She is also a Certified Stress Management Coach.
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Taylor Leamey
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Logo for the Star Wars: Starfighter movie

Not much has been revealed about the plot, but this is the Star Wars: Starfighter movie logo.

 Disney

A new Star Wars movie is coming, and with it a trip to a galaxy far, far away set in a new time period. Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled for a May 2027 release, starring Ryan Gosling (yes, Ken from the Barbie movie) as a brand-new character. 

We don't know much about his role or the film yet, though director Shawn Levy revealed a bit last month during the Star Wars Celebration fan event in Japan.

"The movie is a new adventure. It's new characters," Levy said. "It takes place in a new period of time after the battle of Exegol, after Episode 9." 

Episode 9 refers to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which came out in 2019, and the planet Exegol was the site of a battle during the war between the First Order and the Resistance.

No one was surprised to see plans for a new Star Wars movie, given how the franchise has drastically expanded since Disney bought the franchise's parent company, Lucasfilm, in 2012. 

Fans are ready for a standalone Star Wars film

The new film has excited superfans like Jimmy "Mac" McInerney, host and producer of the Rebel Force Radio: Star Wars Podcast.

"Superfans like me will be there for anything Star Wars, but I really hope Levy and Gosling will pack the appropriate punch to excite the masses," McInerney told CNET. "I'm also very optimistic that this will be a standalone story with a solid beginning, middle and end."

The movie will be set about five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and it won't follow any of the main plot lines from past films. So it's not a prequel or a sequel, it's a new adventure. 

Mclnerney thinks the standalone nature of Star Wars: Starfighter might be a good thing.

"Sometimes Star Wars gets crushed under the weight of its existing lore, so it's nice to know this will be a self-contained adventure," he said. "This could provide fandom with a nice palate cleanser following the divisive sequel trilogy and propel the franchise into the future."

For now, you can find all the Star Wars content your heart desires on the streaming service Disney Plus.