Star Wars: Starfighter has moved into a very important phase of production: the part where the footage stops being potential and starts becoming an actual movie.
Speaking to Variety at the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, director Shawn Levy said he is currently editing the film, describing himself as being in the “beautiful sanctity of the edit room” while shaping the movie ahead of its 2027 release. As Levy put it, “We don’t come out until next year,” adding that he is in the “dark quiet of the edit room finding the best possible shape for the film.” The quote comes from Variety’s recent interview with Levy.
That is not exactly a flashy reveal, but it is the kind of update that makes the project feel more real.
Earlier official coverage from StarWars.com’s original announcement of Star Wars: Starfighter confirmed that the film stars Ryan Gosling, is directed by Shawn Levy, and is set approximately five years after The Rise of Skywalker. Lucasfilm later followed that up with an official cast announcement on StarWars.com, confirming that the script is by Jonathan Tropper and that Levy and Kathleen Kennedy are producing.
A quieter update, but a useful one
What makes Levy’s quote interesting is the tone. This is not “we just wrapped, everything is chaos, pray for us.” It sounds more controlled than that.
Levy specifically pointed to the unusual luxury of not having an immediate release deadline breathing down his neck yet, which suggests Starfighter is in that rare post-production window where the team still has room to refine, reshape, and tighten the film properly. That is an inference from his remarks, but it is a grounded one.
And honestly, that is probably good news for a movie carrying this much curiosity.
Why this matters for Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter is not arriving as just another continuation of a known saga thread. StarWars.com has framed it as a new theatrical story with a new character at the center, and People previously reported Jonathan Tropper describing it as a completely original entry rather than a prequel or sequel in the usual sense. That gives the movie more freedom, but it also means the shape of the final film matters even more.
So yes, “Shawn Levy is editing the movie” sounds like a small update on paper.
But in practice, it is one of those reassuring progress markers that tells fans Star Wars: Starfighter is still moving steadily toward the screen — and that right now, Levy is in the room where the final version starts taking shape.
