'It's Not Gonna Be Remixes of Williams Cues': Star Wars: Starfighter Director Says Ryan Gosling Movie Will Avoid The Skywalker Saga's Themes, And Has an Emmy Award-Winning Composer

Star Wars: Starfighter manager Shawn Levy has revealed the movie's high-profile composer, and said the task would deliberately debar "remixes" of John Williams' classical themes for the franchise.

Starfighter, the upcoming standalone Star Wars movie starring Ryan Gosling, volition beryllium scored by Thomas Newman — the Grammy, Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning composer who has besides racked up 15 Academy Award nominations.

Newman is down galore classical movie scores, including American Beauty, Erin Brockovich and The Shawshank Redemption, arsenic good arsenic modern blockbusters specified arsenic Bond films Skyfall and Spectre, positive Pixar's Finding Nemo and WALL-E.

Speaking via the On Film... with Kevin McCarthy podcast, Newman said that Starfighter would dependable "classically inspired" portion avoiding the classical Star Wars themes that person go synonymous with the franchise. It's an attack that makes immoderate sense, based connected what we cognize already of Starfighter's communicative — which sounds similar it'll beryllium wholly abstracted to the franchise's Skywalker Saga.

"I was reasoning astir this movie and what I request the euphony to be, due to the fact that it wants to beryllium benignant of classically inspired," Levy said. "But no, it's not gonna beryllium remixes of Williams cues. It whitethorn beryllium inspired by immoderate of that, but I knew that I needed a big-hearted movie people from a composer who, similar John Williams, doesn't shy distant from themes.

"So, I called up Tom Newman... and I said, 'Hey, it's Shawn Levy. Would you ever consider—?' And helium said, 'Send maine the script, and picture your vision.' And I did some those things, and it was yes. And I'm truthful stoked... I'm truthful excited astir it."

Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray connected the acceptable of Star Wars: Starfighter. Image: LucasFilm/Disney.

Set successful a caller epoch of Star Wars storytelling, 5 years aft the events of Episode 9: Rise of Skywalker, Starfighter alternatively focuses connected a caller quality played by Ryan Gosling and his teenage nephew, who volition beryllium portrayed by young histrion Flynn Gray. Former Doctor Who Matt Smith and Frankenstein's Mia Goth play the movie's villains, portion The Inbetweeners histrion Simon Bird volition besides star.

Filming began successful August, and since past we've glimpsed a mates of photos from the movie's set. First, Levy released an representation of Gosling and Gray sitting connected a conveyance that looks a spot similar a landspeeder, which fans of 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope volition cognize well. The pursuing month, we past got to spot the duo present floating connected immoderate benignant of sci-fi raft.

"This is simply a standalone. It’s not a prequel, not a sequel," Levy antecedently said astatine Star Wars Celebration 2025 successful April. "It’s a caller adventure. It’s acceptable successful a play of clip that we haven’t seen explored yet." Star Wars: Starfighter is presently owed to motorboat connected May 28, 2027.

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Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social