‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ Finally Unveils First Footage at D23 and Ryan Gosling Gets Emotional

Disney’s D23 Expo has once again proven itself as the go to venue for major franchise reveals, and this year’s Entertainment Showcase carried on that tradition in a big way. The annual fan convention has previously given audiences their first real glimpse at projects like ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ and fans walked into this year’s presentation hoping for something similar tied to the studio’s next big theatrical Star Wars venture.

That anticipation centered on ‘Star Wars: Starfighter,’ the Shawn Levy directed feature starring Ryan Gosling that has been shrouded in secrecy since it was first announced. The film follows a story set in a period of time never before explored in the franchise, taking place roughly five years after the events of 2019’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.’ Gosling stars alongside newcomer Flynn Gray, with a supporting cast that includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings and Amy Adams.

The wait for actual footage finally ended when Deadline confirmed that the movie had touched down at D23, with Disney showing off the first clips from ‘Starfighter’ during Friday night’s Entertainment Showcase. Levy took the stage to introduce the project, telling the crowd that the film embodies themes of hope, family and adventure that the franchise is known for, but set in a timeline never explored before.

Levy didn’t stop there. Before bringing out his leading man, the director poked fun at Gosling with a throwback clip from The Mickey Mouse Club, the show that first launched Gosling’s career decades ago, before declaring this new Star Wars role the most pivotal of the actor’s career.

Gosling then took his own moment in the spotlight, and he made sure to acknowledge just how far his journey with Disney has come. Speaking to the room, the actor appeared in a Mickey jacket and said he owes a lot to Disney, joking that he’s now back thirty years later and it’s changing his life again, a comment that landed warmly with the crowd according to the Hollywood Reporter, which had a team on the ground for the reveal.

The ‘Starfighter’ unveiling arrives at an interesting moment for Gosling’s relationship with major studio franchises. This project marks the first of two high profile collaborations between the actor and Levy, since Marvel revealed at its Comic Con presentation that Gosling would also play Ghost Rider in a new big screen version of the character, with Levy directing that film as well for a planned 2028 release. That kind of overlap between two of Disney’s biggest properties has only added to the buzz surrounding Gosling’s expanding footprint in blockbuster filmmaking.

For now, ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ remains on track for its theatrical debut, with the film set to arrive in theaters on May 28, 2027. Deadline’s post sharing the D23 reveal quickly circulated among fans eager for any new details, and the footage itself is being treated as a strong signal that Lucasfilm is ready to build serious momentum toward next year’s release.

With actual footage finally out in the world and Gosling opening up about what this role means to him personally, do you think ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ is shaping up to be the franchise’s next big theatrical hit?