First Look at Ryan Gosling in Star Wars: Starfighter, Simon Bird and Amy Adams Join the Cast

Lucasfilm has announced the cast for Star Wars: Starfighter and released a first-look image showing Ryan Gosling’s character.

In June, it was reported that Gosling plays a character who “must protect his young nephew against evil pursuers.”

Star Wars: Starfighter is directed by Shawn Levy, who directed Marvel mega hit Deadpool & Wolverine. Gosling is joined on the cast by Flynn Gray (the young nephew mentioned above), The House of the Dragon star Matt Smith (who will reportedly play one of “multiple” villain characters), Mia Goth (who will also play a villain – one of those evil pursuers mentioned above), Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird from The Inbetweeners, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. Production has now begun in England.

The image, below, shows Gosling and Gray sitting on a vehicle that looks a bit like a landspeeder, which fans of 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope will know well.

Much of Star Wars: Starfighter is still coming together, but there are a few details that have been revealed since its announcement in April. Levy considers the movie to be a standalone project but has confirmed that it takes place five years after the earth-shaking events of The Rise of Skywalker.

“This is a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel,” Levy said at Star Wars Celebration 2025 in April. “It’s a new adventure. It’s set in a period of time that we haven’t seen explored yet.” The film’s script was handled by The Adam Project’s Jonathan Tropper.

The next Star Wars film is The Mandalorian and Grogu, due out May 2026. Star Wars: Starfighter follows a year later, on May 28, 2027.

Per Star Wars.com:

Today, to mark the start of production on Star Wars: Starfighter, Lucasfilm has announced the full cast for the upcoming feature film from Shawn Levy. Joining the previously announced Ryan Gosling, the film stars Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams.

Star Wars: Starfighter is an all-new standalone adventure. The film, which has begun production, is an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored in Star Wars. Starfighter will be released theatrically May 28, 2027.

“I feel a profound sense of excitement and honor as we begin production on Star Wars: Starfighter,” says filmmaker Shawn Levy. “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. 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.”

Directed by Shawn Levy, the film is produced by Levy and Kathleen Kennedy. Executive producers are Ryan Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen, and Josh McLaglen. The script is by Jonathan Tropper.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.