Disney and Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Starfighter faced third-act rewrites that the director insists made his 2027 blockbuster even better. Star Wars is finally ending its seven-year theatrical absence in May 2026 with The Mandalorian & Grogu, and fans won't have long to wait for more after that. Director Shawn Levy is currently in production on Starfighter, which will be released on May 28, 2027, and takes place after The Rise of Skywalker. The beloved filmmaker was hired by Lucasfilm in November 2022 and hired The Adam Project writer Jonathan Tropper to work with him once again in July 2024.
Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy recently sat down with On Film... With Kevin McCarthy to talk about Stranger Things Season 5, but also ended up dropping one bombshell regarding his 2027 movie in the galaxy far, far away.
The Deadpool & Wolverine director explained that they had a "whole different idea" for part of Starfighter's third act. But when issues arose with the original plan, he was "forced to come up with a new idea:"
"We had a whole different idea for something in the third act, and then things didn’t align, and I was forced to come up with a new idea. And I’m literally right now shooting that section of the movie. "
It's unclear exactly when Levy was forced to make these last-minute rewrites to Starfighter's ending, but he seems to be happy with the results, telling the podcast that the new direction is "so much better:"
"Everyday I’m grateful that the way I was supposed to do it didn’t work out, because the new idea that it forced me to explore is so much better than the original idea would have been."
Levy has chosen carefully from Hollywood's greatest to lead Starfighter, with Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, and Matt Smith all on board the X-Wing, with newcomer Flynn Grey reportedly playing a Jedi Padawan.
Star Wars: Starfighter Might've Cut a Major Jedi Cameo in Rewrites
Shawn Levy's comment about how "things didn't align" may indicate that the issues that led to his ending change were out of his control, perhaps due to shifts involving other Star Wars projects in development at Lucasfilm.
Interestingly, some fans are convinced that Daisy Ridley's Rey is the end goal of Starfighter, with Ryan Gosling's character trying to get his Force-sensitive nephew to her New Jedi Academy while evading intergalactic bad guys.
This is fueled by rumors that Starfighter is hiding a "big cameo" in the third act that could set up a trilogy. If these rumors carried any weight, it's entirely possible that such a surprise was what was eliminated or changed in these rewrites.
Currently, Rey's New Jedi Order movie is reportedly "on hold" at Lucasfilm, despite prior expectations that it could arrive before Starfighter. One has to wonder if the development struggles with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's blockbuster, or even the cancellation of The Hunt for Ben Solo, forced Levy to alter his ending.
However, the filmmaker has been clear in the past that Starfighter is a standalone affair with new characters (including an original Jedi played by Amy Adams), meaning fans should temper expectations for any shock Star Wars cameos.
