Star Wars Celebration has kicked off in Japan, and one of the highlights so far is the announcement of a new film in the sci-fi series that’ll be directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool and Wolverine) and will star Ryan Gosling. Star Wars: Starfighter was revealed during The Mandalorian and Grogu panel, and it is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2027.
While details are slim for now, what we do know is that Starfighter is set five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Gosling will play a brand-new character. In case you’re wondering, Star Wars: Starfighter shares nothing–that we know of, so far–with the video game of the same name released for PC, PS2, and Xbox in 2001. The game is currently available on PC platforms like Steam and GOG, in case you want to revisit it.
The obvious difference here is the setting, as the Starfighter video game was set during the prequel trilogy, specifically the invasion of Naboo that took place during Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Similar to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Starfighter featured arcade-influenced action, and players could hop into several different spaceships.
A sequel, Jedi Starfighter, was released in 2002 and was set during the events of the second Star Wars prequel, Attack of the Clones. The games are also set during the Legends era of Star Wars, a different continuity than the one used by Disney following its purchase of the Star Wars IP several years later.
Beyond the reveal of the Starfighter film, the first day of Star Wars Celebration had a few more announcements. Former Sith lord Maul will headline a new animated series set after the final season of the Clone Wars, and it will chart his rise to power in the criminal underworld. There was also a sneak peek at The Mandalorian and Grogu, a second season of the documentary Light and Magic was announced, and the second expansion for Star Wars Outlaws, A Pirate’s Fortune, will be out on May 15.
