Shawn Levy to Direct Lucasfilm’s 'Starfighter' as Studio Seeks a 'Star Wars' Revival

Lucasfilm has hired director Shawn Levy to make Star Wars: Starfighter, a film being shot in and around London and scheduled for 2027, as the studio looks to restore momentum for the franchise.

Lucasfilm hopes that Levy, who directed Deadpool & Wolverine and helped create and shepherd Stranger Things through his company 21 Laps, can bring a revitalizing touch. Levy is known for large-scale, efficient productions — his budgets often run into the hundreds of millions, and, according to boxofficemojo.com, the 15 studio features he has directed since 2002 have at least broken even and most have been profitable.

On set in November, Levy — described as boyish and energetic — recounted visitors such as Tom Cruise, who briefly waded into a muddy pond to handle a camera; Levy joked that “when you see the movie… part of it was shot by Tom.” Kathleen Kennedy, the head of Lucasfilm who hired Levy, said his earlier work in family comedies was unfairly dismissed as “lightweight.”

The plot of Starfighter remains under wraps, though Levy said it is set five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and built around a father‑son dynamic. Levy has spoken about a personal connection to such themes and called the production more stressful and challenging than anything he has done, while saying his “10‑year‑old self is on set” with him.

Key Topics

Culture, Shawn Levy, Star Wars Starfighter, Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, Stranger Things