Though details are sparse, Shawn Levy’sStar Warsmovie seems to be racing toward the finish line. Many names have been bandied around at Lucasfilm since the staggered release of theStar Warssequel trilogy. Shawn Levy, director of adventure flicks likeDeadpool & Wolverine,Real Steel,The Adam Project, and an entire season’s worth of Netflix’sStranger Thingswas announced to beworking on aStar Warsmovie in November 2022. Since then, development on the project has been slow, partly due to the 2023 labor strikes in Hollywood.
Now, however, numerous new reports have shed light on the project’s development, and all the signs are positive. In July 2024,The Adam Project’s Jonathan Topper was tapped to write the script. More recently, it’s been reported that a major Hollywood star is in talks to star in Levy’s film, and production may be starting much sooner than we think, potentially putting Levy’sStar Warsadventure ahead of the Rey-centric “New Jedi Order” movie and James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” project.
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Shawn Levy Has Hinted His Star Wars Movie Is A Standalone
Plot-wise, we know very little about Levy’sStar Warsmovie. However,the director has clarified his desire to explore more of theStar Warstimeline without being reliant on or beholden to the well-chronicled events of the Skywalker saga.Levy also hinted that hisStar Warsmovie would be a standalonestory, one that doesn’t have to"serve another movie.“In an interview withHappy Sad Confusedhost Josh Horowitz, Levy said:
“I’ll say that the experience of crafting this story has forced me to think about that question. Because there’s only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline, and so it’s really forced me — because I don’t want to do a Star Wars movie that is redundant to others, nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie.
TheStar Warstimeline is vast; Shawn Levy’s film could therefore explore any era, from the Old Republic to the High Republic, or even beyond the events ofStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This is an exciting prospect asStar Warscontinues to slowly but surely expand its reach and shift away from nostalgia-based storytelling.
Ryan Gosling Is In Talks To Join Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie
On June 10, 2025,The Hollywood Reporterbroke the story thatHollywood A-lister Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049,Barbie) is in talks to star in Shawn Levy’sStar Warsmovie.This is a pretty major departure forStar Wars, which has historically opted to cast fresh talent in leading roles rather than utilizing a major star’s appeal to draw in audiences. Right now, there’s no word onwho Gosling might potentially play– we don’t even know if it’s an already-establishedStar Warscharacter or someone entirely new, but the possibilities are endless.
There Are Rumors Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie Will Film Later This Year
With all this news floating around, it’s no surprise that there’s been talk of Shawn Levy’sStar Warsmovie filming later this year. In December 2024, Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider reported thatLevy was planning to start shooting in September 2025, a significant jump fromthe film’s previous “holding pattern.”
Given all the cinematic trouble Lucasfilm has faced over the past few years, the future of Shawn Levy’sStar Warsmovie looks unusually yet excitingly bright.
More recently,The Hollywood Reporterreported thatif Ryan Gosling is officially cast in the film, Shawn Levy’s project will jump the queue and be the next theatricalStar Warsmovie to start production, following the completion of principal photography forThe Mandalorian & Groguin 2024. This would corroborate Sneider’s initial report and put it on track to become the second movie inStar Wars’ upcoming theatrical slate. Given all the cinematic trouble Lucasfilm has faced over the past few years, the future of Shawn Levy’sStar Warsmovie looks unusually yet excitingly bright.
“Dawn of the Jedi”
TBD
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
