Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy's untitled Star Wars movie has taken a hyperspace jump forward, with an A-list actor now set to play the lead role.
Following rumors that the mysterious project would be the next big-screen Star Wars film to enter production now that The Mandalorian and Grogu has wrapped, THR (other trades have also shared the news) is reporting that Ryan Gosling (Barbie, Drive, Blade Runner 2049) is in talks to star.
No details on his character have been disclosed.
Levy has been developing the script with Jonathan Tropper (This Is Where I Leave You, The Adam Project) since 2022, and is also set to produce via 21 Laps, along with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
Plot details are still under wraps, and we're not even sure which Star Wars era the story will take place in. We do know what - and who - it won't focus on, however, as it's now been confirmed that the film will be a standalone adventure that isn’t connected in any way to the Skywalker Saga.
Not too surprisingly after the massive success of Deadpool and Wolverine, Levy is reportedly viewed by Disney as "a must-have, must-keep" director, so there's a good chance he will have a significant amount of creative control over the movie. Gosling's involvement is expected to fast-track the project, with production tentatively scheduled to get underway In the UK later this year.
"I'll say that the experience of crafting this story has forced me to think about that question," Levy said last year when asked what he hopes to bring to the table with his trip to the Galaxy Far, Far Away. "Because there's only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline, and so it's really forced me - because I don't want to do a Star Wars movie that is redundant to others, nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie."
"I really wanted to craft something that felt organic to me, both in tone and characters, so I think that there is certainly the Force and a connection to something bigger than our individual selves. And the way that that can make us powerful, those themes, combined with visual delight and wish fulfilment, that's Star Wars to me."
Lucasfilm also has Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Rey-focused movie, James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi (probably not the official title), and Dave Filoni's "Mandoverse" crossover event in the works.
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