At last week’s Star Wars Celebration in Japan, the shroud of secrecy was finally yanked off director Shawn Levy’s mysterious “Star Wars” project.
The film, starring Ryan Gosling, is now officially titled “Star Wars: Starfighter.” It’s a standalone flick supposedly set after the not-so-fondly-remembered ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ aiming for a theatrical launch on May 28, 2027, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of ‘A New Hope.’
But, according to a fresh report from DanielRPK, casting has been... less than smooth. The project seems to be suffering from a bit of star power aversion. Jesse Plemons, Jodie Comer, Greta Lee, Sarah Snook, and Mikey Madison were reportedly approached to play important roles, but all said “thanks, no thanks.”
Plot-wise, the film allegedly kicks off with a 15-year-old boy on some galaxy-saving mission with his uncle (Gosling), while being chased down by a pair of villains—one male, one female, just to keep things symmetrical. Oh, and unlike previous Disney-backed Star Wars epics, this one’s budget is reportedly dialled way down. Maybe that’s why everyone’s ghosting the casting calls.
Or maybe it’s the fact that ‘Star Wars,’ under the tenure of Disney and Kathleen Kennedy, has become so toxic that no actor dares be associated with it. Then again, Gosling is a big name, and he quickly jumped on board this one; any regrets?
Levy and writer Jonathan Tropper have been working on their Star Wars movie for two years now. Tropper co-wrote the Levy movies “The Adam Project” and “This Is Where I Leave You” (not a positive thing).
Before hitting jackpot with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Levy was the stalwart filmmaker behind “Big Fat Liar,” “Just Married,” “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “The Internship,” “Real Steal,” the “Pink Panther” reboot, “Free Guy” and the “Night at the Museum” trilogy.