Ryan Gosling has officially entered a galaxy far, far away, and we finally know who he’s playing!
Lucasfilm brought Star Wars: Starfighter to D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, giving fans their biggest look yet at the next original Star Wars theatrical adventure.
Director Shawn Levy and star Ryan Gosling took the stage to reveal the first footage from the movie, finally announce Gosling’s character name, and unveil a brand-new Starfighter logo ahead of the film’s theatrical release next year.
And while plenty about this mysterious corner of the Star Wars galaxy remains under wraps, we now have a much better idea of the kind of adventure we’re in for.
Let’s start with one of the biggest reveals.Ryan Gosling is officially playing Kade Auberon in Star Wars: Starfighter.
Gosling appeared alongside Levy during the D23 presentation, where he also had a bit of a full-circle Disney moment.
Long before joining Star Wars, Gosling was a member of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. D23 played vintage footage from that era, with Gosling reflecting on how Disney helped launch his career before returning decades later to lead a major Lucasfilm movie.
Now, Kade Auberon is taking him somewhere considerably farther away than the Mickey Mouse Club.
We Got the First ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ Footage
This was arguably the biggest Starfighter reveal of the night.
D23 attendees were treated to the first footage from the upcoming movie, finally giving us a taste of Levy’s new Star Wars adventure.
The footage introduces Gosling’s Kade alongside the young character played by Flynn Gray. One scene has Kade discussing an old starfighter with the boy, who isn’t particularly impressed with what he sees.
Kade, however, insists the ship is something special — setting up what appears to be an important relationship between the two characters.
From there, things get considerably bigger.
The footage reportedly shows Kade and his young companion racing across the galaxy, giving audiences an early taste of the movie’s action and adventure.
Exactly why they’re traveling together (and what they’re running toward or away from) remains a mystery.
This Is an Entirely NEW Star Wars Story
One of the most important things to know about Star Wars: Starfighter is that this isn’t another Skywalker Saga sequel.
It’s an original standalone adventure featuring brand-new characters, set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
That places Starfighter in a particularly interesting period of the Star Wars timeline.
Rather than filling in another gap between existing movies or centering its story around characters we’ve already followed for years, Lucasfilm has an opportunity to show audiences what the galaxy looks like after the defeat of the First Order.
Lucasfilm has also described the movie as taking place during a period of the Star Wars timeline that hasn’t previously been explored on film.
So while the movie exists within the larger Star Wars universe, don’t expect Episode X.
This is Kade Auberon’s story.
‘Starfighter’ Has a Pretty Impressive Cast
Gosling isn’t heading into hyperspace alone.
Lucasfilm previously announced an ensemble cast that includes:
- Ryan Gosling
- Flynn Gray
- Matt Smith
- Mia Goth
- Aaron Pierre
- Simon Bird
- Jamael Westman
- Daniel Ings
- Amy Adams
For now, Lucasfilm is keeping most of their characters secret.
That means we still don’t officially know exactly who Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, and the rest of the ensemble are playing—or how they fit into Kade’s adventure.
And with the movie still nearly a year away, we’re guessing Lucasfilm isn’t in a hurry to give away all of those secrets just yet.
Shawn Levy Is Taking Star Wars in a New Direction
Behind the camera is Shawn Levy, whose recent credits include Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine.
Levy developed the original Star Wars adventure with screenwriter Jonathan Tropper, who wrote the screenplay. Levy and former Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy serve as producers, with Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen, and Josh McLaglen executive producing.
Production began in the United Kingdom in August 2025 and has since wrapped, with Levy confirming earlier this year that the movie had entered post-production.
That makes the D23 footage our first real taste of what all that work looks like on screen.
There’s a New ‘Starfighter’ Logo, Too
Alongside the footage and character reveal, Lucasfilm unveiled a new logo for Star Wars: Starfighter during the D23 presentation.
It’s a smaller reveal compared to actually seeing Gosling in action, but it’s another sign that the marketing campaign for the movie is starting to ramp up as we get closer to its 2027 theatrical debut.
And thankfully, this is one upcoming Star Wars project where we already know exactly how long we’ll be waiting.
When Does ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ Come Out?
Star Wars: Starfighter arrives exclusively in theaters May 28, 2027, kicking off Memorial Day weekend.
The film follows 2026’s The Mandalorian and Grogu as Lucasfilm continues bringing Star Wars back to movie theaters after a lengthy absence from the big screen.
But Starfighter represents something notably different. No Mandalorian. No Grogu. No Luke Skywalker. No Rey.
Instead, we’re getting Kade Auberon, an entirely new group of characters, and a part of the Star Wars timeline we’ve never explored before.
And after getting our first taste of Ryan Gosling racing across the galaxy at D23, we’re finally starting to understand what this new era of Star Wars might look like.
Keep checking back with Theme Park Scope for the latest D23 announcements, Star Wars: Starfighter news, trailers, casting updates, Lucasfilm projects, and everything coming next from a galaxy far, far away.
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