Ryan Gosling Confirms Star Wars Role

Ryan Gosling is trading his pink Barbie mojo for a lightsaber, and fans couldn’t be more excited. The 44-year-old actor officially entered the Star Wars galaxy during the Star Wars Celebration event in Tokyo on April 17. Standing beside director Shawn Levy, Ryan confirmed his role in the upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter, set to hit theaters on May 28, 2027.

Shawn didn’t hold back his excitement. “I had heard at one point that my movie was going to star Ryan Gosling,” he told the cheering crowd, “and believe me, that would be a dream come true. So today, I just wanted to tell you here in this room that that rumor is 100% true.”

Cue the applause – Ryan stepped out on stage, lights, cameras, and full-blown nostalgia in tow.

And this isn’t just a role for Ryan — it’s a childhood dream come true. To prove it, he shared an old photo from when he was five, proudly wrapped in Star Wars bedsheets. “She still has them, obviously. Naturally, she thought that it might be something that the fans would appreciate, but I suspect that she just sort of wants to justify years of hoarding,” she joked.

Ryan’s love for the galaxy far, far away runs deep. “I was probably dreaming about Star Wars before I even saw the film,” he stated. “And it’s probably framed my idea of what a movie even was.”

While the film is still in early stages — with filming beginning this fall — Starfighter is already being billed as something fresh. Shawn explained that the movie is completely standalone. “[It’s] not a prequel, not a sequel, just gives us the Star Wars DNA that we love but with an adventure that’s all new.”

Set after The Rise of Skywalker and the Battle of Exegol, the film opens up new storytelling possibilities. “There’s so many opportunities to tell a Star Wars story that has all the heart and action and fun of Star Wars, but to do it in ways that are new and original,” Shawn shared.

Ryan, who has earned his stripes in everything from intense dramas to musicals to action-packed blockbusters, said the script instantly pulled him in. “It has such a great story, with great and original characters,” he said, adding, “It’s filled with so much heart and adventure, and there just really is not a more perfect filmmaker for this particular story than Shawn.”