When does Star Wars: Starfighter open? May 28, 2027 — Levy/Gosling; post-IX standalone; ≠ 2001 game; ≠ Mando & Grogu May 2026.
Current target date: Friday, May 28, 2027 (Theatrical premiere). We update this page when studios or publishers move the window.
Starfighter opens May 28, 2027 (Disney/Lucasfilm). Levy; Gosling; Tropper; ~5 yrs after Rise of Skywalker. ≠ 2001 game; ≠ Mando & Grogu (May 22 2026).
Theatrical premiere
Friday, May 28, 2027
May 28, 2027 — Gosling’s Star Wars movie after Celebration Japan locked the Friday
Star Wars: Starfighter opens Friday, May 28, 2027. Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni announced the title and date at Celebration Japan; Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) directs Tropper’s script with Gosling as the lead in a standalone set about five years after The Rise of Skywalker.
Principal photography ran from late August into December 2025 across the U.K. and Sardinia — roughly 112 days — before post. Claudio Miranda shoots; Thomas Newman scores. Track May 28, 2027 on the Disney theatrical card, not a “streaming exclusive first” rumor.
Confirmed: May 28 2027 standalone post-IX — not the 2001 game, not Mando & Grogu, not Episode X
Confirmed: May 28, 2027 theatrical; Levy; Gosling; Tropper; ~5 years after Rise of Skywalker; new characters; Smith/Goth antagonists; Flynn Gray as nephew. Not confirmed as a remake of the 2001 LucasArts game, as a Disney+ soft launch, or as Dave Filoni’s Rey feature. The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22, 2026) is the *previous* Lucasfilm theatrical on the slate — don’t merge those Fridays.
From Celebration Japan title drop to a Memorial Day weekend Friday
- Apr 2025 — Celebration Japan: Starfighter titled; May 28, 2027 dated; Gosling + Levy confirmed.
- Jun–Jul 2025 — Mia Goth and Matt Smith locked as antagonists; Flynn Gray as Gosling’s nephew.
- Aug 25 2025 — cameras roll (U.K., then Sardinia locations).
- Dec 2025 — principal photography wraps (~112 days); post begins.
- May 22 2026 / May 28 2027 — Mando & Grogu first; Starfighter the following May.
What separates this May from every other Star Wars stub on the internet
- Standalone post-saga window — not a numbered Episode.
- Levy / 21 Laps + Lucasfilm; Tropper script; Newman score.
- Cast spine: Gosling, Gray, Smith, Goth, Adams, Pierre.
- Shoot footprint: U.K. stages + Isola Rossa / Sardinia plates.
- Name collision: 2001 game ≠ 2027 film (same word, different canon object).
It shares a title with a 2001 LucasArts game — and almost nothing else
Search “Star Wars Starfighter” and you still hit the Naboo N-1 arcade shooter from 2001 before you hit Gosling. Lucasfilm reused the word for a May 28, 2027 theatrical that is explicitly all-new characters five years after Episode IX — not a remake, not a game adaptation, not a prequel-era dogfight movie.
Honest pages keep the Celebration Japan date, the Levy/Gosling package, and the May 22, 2026 Mando & Grogu buffer — and refuse to sell a 24-year-old CD-ROM as the May 2027 SKU.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this release date.
1When does Star Wars: Starfighter open?
Friday, May 28, 2027 in U.S. theaters from Walt Disney Studios / Lucasfilm — dated at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025. Expect IMAX; buy the May 28, 2027 theatrical card, not a Disney+ day-one stub.
2Who stars, and who directs?
Shawn Levy directs from a Jonathan Tropper script. Ryan Gosling leads; Flynn Gray plays his nephew; Matt Smith and Mia Goth are antagonists; Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, and Daniel Ings round out the company. Levy and Kathleen Kennedy produce under Lucasfilm and 21 Laps.
3Is this the next Star Wars movie after Rise of Skywalker?
It’s the next *new-story* theatrical after Episode IX on the calendar that matters here — but The Mandalorian & Grogu opens May 22, 2026, a year earlier. Starfighter is a standalone set roughly five years after Rise of Skywalker with all-new characters, not a Rey-movie substitute or a Skywalker-saga Episode X.
4Is this the same Starfighter as the 2001 video game?
No. The 2001 LucasArts title Star Wars: Starfighter is a prequel-era space-combat game. The 2027 film only shares the word “Starfighter” — new characters, post-IX timeline, Levy/Gosling package. Don’t treat game FAQ pages or Naboo N-1 walkthroughs as spoilers for May 28, 2027.
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