There’s no franchise on earth that carries more contradictory pressure than “Star Wars.” Filmmakers are expected to honor a sacred canon while being scolded for repeating old tricks. But according to Shawn Levy, his upcoming “Starfighter” film has unexpectedly become the most creatively liberated project of his career. Speaking with Kim Masters on The Business podcast, Levy described receiving a level of trust from Lucasfilm that shocked him and said his movie arrives at an “opportune moment” where the company insists on originality.
Levy said the moment Lucasfilm approached him in 2022 felt surreal. “[They reached out in] August of 2022 and [Kathleen Kennedy] said, ‘I want you to do a ‘Star Wars’ movie.’ And I said, ‘Well, what’s it a prequel to? What’s it a sequel to? Which one is it?’ The answer was, ‘It’s whatever you want it to be. You pick the writer, you pick the story, just imbue it with the feeling that your movies have.’”
That directive — originality above all — became the film’s mandate. “Let’s make an entirely original ‘Star Wars’ movie,” Levy said. He brought in Jonathan Tropper (“This Is Where I Leave You,” “Your Friends & Neighbors”), noting, “Starfighter is written by Jonathan Tropper, with whom I’ve collaborated many times.”
From there, the message from Lucasfilm only became clearer. “There is no mandate or interference other than the constant encouragement, ‘Make this new.’ And that’s the truth.” Whenever he considered using a legacy character, the studio pushed back. “Every time I’ve asked, ‘Should I use this character that was maybe in that movie?’ Every time it’s, ‘You know what? People have seen that. Do something new.’”
Levy contrasted that with earlier franchise installments. “Unlike ‘Solo’… unlike ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ which was a sequel to two other movies and ultimately a ninth film in the Skywalker saga, ‘Starfighter’ is all new characters based on new ideas that Jonathan and I cooked up alone and together.”
Even the setting breaks with precedent. “It’s in a time period that’s never been in a ‘Star Wars’ movie. It is not about legacy characters. And while it does have, I hope, the sense of joy and adventure that ‘A New Hope’ introduced us to back in 1977, this is a new ‘Star Wars’ adventure.”
And despite the ambition, Levy said Lucasfilm’s attitude has remained remarkably permissive. “So far, I’ve had more freedom on this movie… It’s equal to any other movie I’ve made, including the original movies like ‘Free Guy’ and ‘The Adam Project.’”
None of that erases the pressure, however. “It’s still terrifying. Let me make that clear. You still want to get it right.” After appearing at Star Wars Celebration in Japan with Ryan Gosling, the reality hit hard: “The appetite of the fan base and the expectations of the fan base are intense. And it’s palpable.”
But that global response also crystallized the moment. “What I learned [at Celebreation] is the thirst for something new at this moment in time. So I feel lucky that that’s what I’m making right now.”
Currently, there is no release date for “Star Wars: Starfighter,” but given its current production speed, that prime spot in May 2027 seems like a good bet.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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