Star Wars: Starfighter’s Unexpected Original Trilogy Inspiration Revealed By Shawn Levy

Star Wars: Starfighter’s Unexpected Original Trilogy Inspiration Revealed By Shawn Levy Mark Hamill looking concerned as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Return of the Jedi By  Ryan Northrup Published 11 minutes ago

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

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Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy reveals the biggest inspiration from the original trilogy, and it could come as a surprise. Starring Ryan Gosling, the upcoming Star Wars movie was announced in April 2025, with plot details remaining under wraps.

During a recent appearance on the On Film...with Kevin McCarthy podcast, Levy is careful not to reveal too many specifics, but he does reveal that Starfighter is most similar to Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983):

“Let me tell you something. People – I’ve not said this out loud because everyone’s like ‘Which Star Wars movie is Starfighter the most like? Which is the most inspired by?’ If I’m being honest – I know the cool answer would be Empire, and sort of the inarguable answer would be A New Hope – but it’s kinda Jedi.”

As for why Return of the Jedi was such a touchpoint, the director explains that the film, to him, just struck a perfect tonal balance. Check out Levy's explanation below:

“It’s Jedi because of the combination of theme, levity, adventure, heart, spectacle. Somehow that movie just got it right for me. And I saw that movie so many times in a theater, more times in a theater than New Hope and Empire, and it stuck with me. I will tell you…there’s moments where I’m on set, and I feel like that kid is with me, in the director’s chair. Like I’m there making his dream come true.”

Return of the Jedi was met with a generally positive reception, but it's usually ranked behind A New Hope (1977) and Empire Strikes Back (1980). When looking at Levy's filmography, though, it becomes less surprising that it's Episode VI that resonated so greatly with him.

Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars Starfighter

Levy is the director behind movies like Night at the Museum (2006), Real Steel (2011), Free Guy (2021), The Adam Project (2022), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), all of which have that mix of adventure, humor, and heart he references. Levy has also directed a number of episodes of Stranger Things, a show he's also a producer on, and that series features a similar combination.

Though Starfighter may take after Return of the Jedi in many ways, it's also set to be a departure from that film. Notably, Levy's film is neither a sequel nor a prequel. It takes place about five years after Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), but its story is disconnected from Rey (Daisy Ridley) and the events of Disney's sequel trilogy.

The Star Wars: Starfighter cast is also set to usher a number of new faces into the franchise. In addition to Gosling, the film stars Mia Goth, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, Aaron Pierre, Flynn Gray, Daniel Ings, and Simon Bird, among others. Levy also just confirmed that composer Thomas Newman will score the film.

With a release date still about 18 months away, it will still be quite some time before an official trailer is released, but more information regarding the plot of the film should start to emerge next year. 2026 is already poised to be a big year for the franchise, with Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu set to release on May 22.

Star Wars: Starfighter is scheduled to race into movie theaters on May 28, 2027.

Star Wars: Starfighter

Like Follow Followed Fantasy Action Sci-Fi Release Date May 28, 2027 Director Shawn Levy Writers Jonathan Tropper, George Lucas

Cast

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• Ryan Gosling
• Matt Smith
• Flynn Gray
• Amy Adams

Producers Shawn Levy, Kathleen Kennedy Genres Fantasy, Action, Sci-Fi Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movies
• Star Wars: Starfighter
• Star Wars

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