Ryan Gosling spotted in first look of Star Wars: Starfighter, Tight Pants, Ocean scene tease a new direction

Star Wars: Starfighter, Ryan Gosling

The galaxy’s most famous space opera just went seaside. Director Shawn Levy has unveiled the first look at Star Wars: Starfighter, the upcoming spinoff starring Ryan Gosling.

The photo, shared on Instagram, shows Ryan and newcomer Flynn Gray adrift on a watercraft, dressed in battered clothes. Notably, Levy tagged the location in Sardinia, Italy, writing: “Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea #Starfighter.”

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A post shared by Shawn Levy (@slevydirect)

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That’s a big shift for Star Wars. Traditionally, fans are used to desert landscapes like Tatooine or Jakku. This time, the story seems to lean into oceanic mystery. Where Gosling’s rugged look, and those slim-fit pants, quickly started trending.

A Story Never Told Before

Details on the plot remain under wraps, though Lucasfilm has confirmed Starfighter will be “an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored in Star Wars.” Reports suggest the film takes place about five years after 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

Jonathan Tropper, who penned The Adam Project, is writing the screenplay. Levy will direct and produce alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. The ensemble cast is hefty too, with Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, and Daniel Ings joining the adventure.

When Does Star Wars: Starfighter Release?

The standalone film is scheduled to hit theaters on May 28, 2027, about a year after The Mandalorian & Grogu (set for May 2026). That makes it the first big-screen Star Wars feature in nearly a decade.

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Levy himself admitted he felt a “profound sense of excitement and honor” when asked to develop this original tale. “Star Wars shaped my sense of what story can do,” he said earlier this year.

For Gosling fans, the excitement is double, seeing him step into the galaxy far, far away with a look that’s already turning heads.