A new Star Wars: Starfighter set photo has been released, officially giving Star Wars fans their first glimpse at what is shaping up to be one of the most hotly anticipated films in the franchise’s galaxy-spanning universe. Posted on Instagram, the shot in which three-time Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling and child actor Flynn Gray can be seen standing shoulder to shoulder on an as-yet-unseen vessel, has ignited speculation and intrigue among the eager fanbase, with the new Star Wars film’s official release set for May 28, 2027.
Led by Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, Star Wars: Starfighter will be one of the first theatrical Star Wars releases since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Levy’s installment is set to launch the latest franchise entry into cinemas worldwide, marking the major return of Star Wars to theaters and the first appearance for Gosling in a live-action Star Wars film. To date, no official details of plot or character are known about the film.
The behind-the-scenes shot features both Ryan Gosling and new child actor Flynn Gray looking windswept, their clothes tattered and worn by the elements. With the ship, both fighters are present on set against the bright blue expanse of ocean behind them, and with Levy captioning the image with “somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea” and tagging Sardinia, Italy in his post. Fans are now certain that instead of a Star Wars installment set on a desert planet or familiar backdrop, Starfighter is charting new and unexplored territory. Where a Tatooine, Jakku, or Corellia background would have felt sparse, this oceanic setting is a new, undiscovered environment, in a shot that itself feels lived in, worn, and inescapably grounded in human survival and grit.
Levy has spoken at length about the impact of Star Wars on his childhood and life, calling his appointment to direct the next Star Wars film “a dream come true”. This has led many fans to speculate that, much like The Mandalorian was for creator Jon Favreau, Starfighter will be Levy’s passion project and love letter to the galaxy of Star Wars, and his film one he pours all the love, energy, and excitement he has for Star Wars into. With a May 28, 2027 release date to target, Star Wars: Starfighter has raised the fanbase levels from excitement to fever pitch from just one screengrab.