Deadpool and Wolverine Director Shawn Levy Says Starfighter Came With Creative Freedom To Match Anything He's Ever Made
Shawn Levy is flying Star Wars: Starfighter with room to maneuver — rare latitude that hints at a bolder, more personal mission in a galaxy far, far away.
Shawn Levy is taking his Deadpool-and-buddies energy to a galaxy far, far away. His Star Wars movie is called Starfighter, and the marching orders from Lucasfilm are basically: surprise us. Honestly, that sounds like the right note for Star Wars right now.
So what is Starfighter, exactly?
Levy says the movie is set at a fresh point on the Star Wars timeline and built around entirely new characters. He is developing it with Jonathan Tropper, and the idea sprung from the two of them, not from existing canon. No sequels, no prequels, no legacy character safety net. It is meant to keep the classic themes while playing with a lighter, big-hearted, adventurous tone — think the breezy, game-changing vibe of A New Hope, not a homework-heavy lore dive.
Lucasfilm note: make it new
On The Business podcast, Levy framed the guidance from the studio as refreshingly simple. Here is the money quote:
"There is no mandate or interference other than the constant encouragement to make this new. Starfighter is all new characters, based on new ideas that Jonathan Tropper and I cooked up alone and together."
He even compared the process to making originals like Free Guy (2021, Disney) and The Adam Project (2022, Netflix) — both with Ryan Reynolds — saying the level of freedom is on par with those. In his words, it has been liberating.
Freedom is great; pressure is real
Levy is also very aware of the stakes. He called the whole thing terrifying in that way where you badly want to get it right. He talked about feeling the fan expectation up close at Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo — and, curveball, he said he attended with Ryan Gosling. Unexpected pairing for a Star Wars confab, but that is what he said. The big takeaway from that trip, according to Levy: fans are genuinely hungry for something new right now.
He has been saying this for a while
Levy has repeatedly described Starfighter as a clean-slate Star Wars adventure: brand-new timeline, brand-new characters, not tethered to previous plots. It aims for fresh while inheriting the spirit people love about the franchise, including moments of real levity.
When you will actually see all this
- The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters May 22, 2026 — the first Star Wars movie back on the big screen in years.
- Ahsoka season 2 is also expected in 2026.
- Starfighter is slated for 2027.