By Lisa Richwine

April 17, 2025 – 8:27 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling will star in a new “Star Wars” film that will reach movie theaters in May 2027, Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) Lucasfilm announced on Thursday.

“Star Wars: Starfighter” will take place five years after the events of 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” a Lucasfilm statement said.

The movie is “an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet,” the statement said.

Shawn Levy will direct and production will start in the fall. Levy directed Marvel’s 2024 “Deadpool & Wolverine” film and episodes of Netflix’s TV series (NFLX.O) “Stranger Things.”

Gosling has been nominated for three Oscars, most recently for his role as Ken in 2023’s “Barbie”.

“Star Wars” is a science-fiction franchise created by George Lucas in 1977 and set in a galaxy far, far away. The “Star Wars” films have brought in more than $5.1 billion at global box offices.

^{Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Kate Mayberry}