Ryan Gosling is headed to the great galaxy far, far away.
The three-time Oscar nominee is in negotiations to topline the Star Wars feature project that will be directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy.
Details on any Star Wars project are harder to acquire than plans for an orbital planet killer, and this one is no exception. Levy has been developing his Star Wars feature since 2022 and Jonathan Tropper, who collaborated with Levy on films such as This is Where I Leave You and The Adam Project, has been working on a script for over a year. Levy is also producing the feature via his 21 Laps banner, joining Star Wars stewards Kathleen Kennedy and Lucasfilm.
It is unclear when Levy’s project is set. Star Wars stories have run the gamut of hundreds of years, detailing the goings-on of a galactic republic-turned-dictatorship-turned-rebellion. It’s also unclear if it concerns Jedis and their enemies, The Sith. It is, however, to be unconnected to the so-called Skywalker Saga, the stories centered on well-established and beloved characters Luke Skywalker and his father, Anakin.
It is meant to be a standalone movie, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Lucasfilm had no comment on any impending deal or the project’s details.
Sources say the Gosling development is a late-in-the-game move for Levy’s movie schedule. The filmmaker was eyeing to direct a boy band movie set up at Paramount, which would have reunited him with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. But Gosling’s interest and involvement suddenly shifted the Star Wars project into hyperspace. If a deal makes, the project would continue to fly like the Millennium Falcon, becoming not only Levy’s next movie but also the next Star Wars movie to go into production, with cameras potentially rolling this fall. The Mandalorian and Grogu wrapped in mid-December and will be released on May 22, 2026.
Gosling’s boarding will mark a rare occasion that a Star Wars feature brings aboard an actual A-lister. The original trilogy featured up-and-comers and British veterans, turning actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher into household names. The prequels followed a similar model, although The Phantom Menace did bring on Liam Neeson to buttress the ranks following his Oscar nomination for Schindler’s List. The Disney era saw J.J. Abrams also introduce a crop of rising talent, even as it brought back the original stars.
In a bit of synchronicity, Gosling was name-checked for a Star Wars part back in 2013 when rumors spread online that he and Zac Efron were being eyed by Abrams for a familial part that may have eventually become Kylo Ren.
The actor, last seen starring in Universal’s Fall Guy, is repped by CAA and Sloane Offer. He recently wrapped on Project Hail Marry, another space-faring movie, which hails from Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
