Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Lucasfilm and Disney gave fans their first extended look at "Star Wars: Starfighter" on Friday night, unveiling exclusive footage and confirming that star Ryan Gosling will play a pilot named Kade Auberon in the standalone film set in an uncharted corner of the "Star Wars" timeline.

Director Shawn Levy and Gosling appeared together on stage at the Honda Center during Disney's D23 Entertainment Showcase to present the footage, which was shown exclusively to the audience in the room and was not released publicly online. Levy introduced Gosling's character to the crowd, describing him as someone shaped by his origins on the margins of the galaxy. "Kade is a guy from the wrong side of the galaxy," Levy said, tying the character's story directly to his connection with an extraordinary vessel at the center of the film's plot.

According to multiple outlets that attended the presentation, the footage opened with newcomer Flynn Gray's as-yet-unnamed young character uncovering a weathered starfighter inside a rundown spaceship garage. Gosling's Kade then enters the scene, chiding the boy for touching the ship despite having been warned not to. When the boy asks what the vessel is, Kade identifies it as a decommissioned G17, describing it as the fastest starfighter ever built, a detail that gives the film its title.

The footage went on to show a series of action sequences, including speeder bikes racing across swampy terrain, large Imperial-style starships, and a brief cameo of the same bridge Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa famously swung across in the original 1977 "Star Wars" film. The sequence closed with a cockpit-view shot of Gosling piloting the ship, a moment several outlets compared visually to similar shots from "Top Gun."

"Star Wars: Starfighter" is set after the events of 2019's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," taking place in a portion of the franchise's timeline the filmmakers have said has never previously been explored on screen and deliberately steers clear of the Skywalker family storyline that has anchored the core "Star Wars" saga. Levy described the film's tone to the D23 crowd as one built around a sense of adventure distinct from earlier entries in the franchise, saying it embodies the hope, family and adventure long associated with "Star Wars" while venturing into new territory for the series.

Gosling also addressed the crowd directly, reflecting on his own history with Disney dating back to his early career on "The All-New Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1990s. Before Gosling took the stage, Levy played a clip from that Disney Channel show poking fun at his young co-star. Once Gosling appeared, he credited the company with giving him his start in entertainment. "I owe a lot to Disney," Gosling said, reflecting on how the opportunity, which brought him from his hometown decades earlier, had once again reshaped his career with the new role.

The film is written by Jonathan Tropper and also stars Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman and Daniel Ings, alongside Gosling and Gray. "Star Wars: Starfighter" is scheduled to arrive in theaters and IMAX on May 28, 2027, a release date Levy noted carries special significance: it falls on the same Memorial Day weekend that the original "Star Wars" opened in theaters exactly 50 years earlier. Levy called the timing an unplanned but deeply meaningful coincidence.

The film represents a significant bet for Lucasfilm following a challenging summer at the box office. The studio's most recent live-action release, "Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu," finished as the lowest-grossing live-action "Star Wars" film to date, closing out its run at roughly $345 million worldwide against a production budget reported at around $165 million before marketing costs. With Levy coming off directing "Deadpool & Wolverine," the highest-grossing R-rated film in box office history at $1.33 billion worldwide, and Gosling bringing broad star power following roles in films including "La La Land," "Blade Runner 2049" and "Drive," Lucasfilm is positioning "Starfighter" as a potential reset for the franchise's theatrical fortunes.

Friday's D23 presentation was part of a broader night of "Star Wars" news at the event, which also included the release date and costume reveals for the second season of "Ahsoka." The Starfighter reveal capped months of anticipation, following Lucasfilm's earlier confirmation of the project's basic premise at prior fan events, including Star Wars Celebration.

With the footage limited to those in attendance and no confirmed date yet for a public trailer release, fans outside the Honda Center will need to rely on secondhand descriptions from journalists who attended the showcase until Lucasfilm and Disney decide to release footage more broadly ahead of the film's Memorial Day 2027 debut.

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