Portrait of director Shawn Levy smiling at a table, with the phrase “Do Something New” in bold white text beside him.

Lucasfilm Tells Shawn Levy: “Do Something New” for His Star Wars Movie

gingetattoo Disney, Lucasfilm, People, Star Wars Movies

It looks like Lucasfilm is finally ready to chart a new course for Star Wars films — and director Shawn Levy just gave us the clearest confirmation yet. In a new interview with KCRW’s The Business, the Starfighter director revealed that Lucasfilm has specifically encouraged him not to use existing Star Wars characters in his upcoming movie.

According to Levy, every time he’s floated the idea of borrowing a familiar face from the films, he gets the same answer:

“Every time I’ve asked, ‘Should I use this character that was maybe in that movie?’ Every time it’s, ‘You know what? People have seen that. Do something new.’”

Source

That’s a surprising — and frankly refreshing — creative directive. For years, new Star Wars projects have often leaned heavily on legacy characters, cameos, and nostalgia-driven storytelling. Whether it’s Luke Skywalker showing up in The Mandalorian or familiar Clone Wars characters weaving into live-action, the franchise has rarely been shy about dipping back into its archives.

But Levy’s comments make it clear: Lucasfilm wants Starfighter to be different.
No Skywalkers. No Jedi Masters from previous films. No background characters resurrected for cheap applause. Instead, Lucasfilm is pushing him toward new characters, new worlds, and a new cinematic identity.

This is all the more interesting given Levy’s rising profile. Fresh off Deadpool & Wolverine and with massive success from Stranger Things and Free Guy, he’s one of Hollywood’s most reliable crowd-pleasers. If anyone can introduce a whole new cast to a galaxy far, far away, it’s probably Shawn Levy.

And strategically, it makes sense. The Star Wars film slate has been in flux for years, with multiple projects cancelled, reshuffled, or quietly shelved. Audiences are eager for something fresh — something that pushes the franchise forward rather than re-treading the same ground.

If Lucasfilm truly lets Levy build Starfighter from the ground up with zero legacy baggage, we might be witnessing the start of a new era: Star Wars stories that aren’t just connected… but genuinely new.

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