Confirmed: Director Forced To Change New 'Star Wars' Movie

The Star Wars director explained why he was forced to change the upcoming science-fiction movie.

Lucasfilm is steering Star Wars into an entirely new era, and this shift is coming straight from the top. Kathleen Kennedy is officially distancing the franchise from its long-running Skywalker lineage, emphasizing a commitment to new characters, untapped timelines, and fresh corners of the galaxy. According to Kennedy, the future of Star Wars won’t be built on legacy; it will be built on discovery.

That transition kicked off with the long-awaited return to theaters. The Mandalorian and Grogu, arriving in 2026, marks the first big-screen Star Wars outing in years. But it was Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo that delivered the real seismic moment. Kennedy took the stage with Dave Filoni, Shawn Levy, and Ryan Gosling to confirm the next theatrical chapter: Star Wars: Starfighter, officially slated for release on May 28, 2027.

What makes Starfighter different is how intentional its direction is. Lucasfilm made it clear that this isn’t a film tied to the sequel trilogy, or even the Skywalker saga at all. It’s being pitched as a standalone adventure, set in a period of Star Wars history audiences have never visited before.

Levy’s movie is designed from the ground up to operate independently–no baggage, no expectations, no need to connect the dots to characters we’ve already met.

The cast supports that push into new territory. Alongside Gosling, the film includes Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and newcomer Flynn Gray. Mia Goth and Matt Smith step into villainous roles, adding a darker edge to the narrative. Amy Adams is also on board, prompting early speculation that her character may tie into the Force, or perhaps the emergence of a new Jedi mythology entirely.

That speculation has ignited a swirl of theories suggesting Starfighter could quietly evolve into more than a single film. Some sources suggest the story may introduce a Force-sensitive child protected by his mother–potentially Adams’s character–who could play a larger role in future Star Wars storytelling.

There are even whispers that this thread may eventually intersect with Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker in the still-developing New Jedi Order project. Lucasfilm has made no official comment on any of this, but the possibility of narrative crossover is already stirring excitement and debate across the fandom.

And new information has come to light that suggests this reported inclusion of Ridley’s Rey Skywalker might now be completely off the table. Talking to On Film… With Kevin McCarthy, Shawn Levy has confirmed that the third act of the movie has been rewritten.

“We had a whole different idea for something in the third act, and then things didn’t align, and I was forced to come up with a new idea. And I’m literally right now shooting that section of the movie,” the director said. “Everyday I’m grateful that the way I was supposed to do it didn’t work out, because the new idea that it forced me to explore is so much better than the original idea would have been.”

For now, Levy insists the film is built as a standalone story. What drew him to the project, he said, was the creative freedom Kennedy offered from day one. He described the process as a childhood dream brought to life: a chance to make a Star Wars movie that still feels like one of his own. According to him, there are no restrictions beyond one guiding principle: make it new.

Levy emphasized that he wasn’t asked to follow any template from past films. Instead, he was challenged to build something from scratch–a different era, a different energy, and an identity all its own.

That mindset could mark a historic turning point for Star Wars on the big screen. With fresh characters, a different timeline, and no ties to legacy arcs, Starfighter represents one of the boldest departures in franchise history.

Whether it becomes the foundation for the next cinematic phase or remains a self-contained experiment, Lucasfilm has made its intentions clear: the future of Star Wars lies in uncharted space.

And for the first time in a long time, that uncertainty may be precisely what makes it exciting.

How do you feel about this news about Star Wars: Starfighter‘s rewritten ending? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!