Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy reveals how the upcoming movie will follow in the footsteps of Stranger Things. Levy was an executive producer and frequent director of the hit Netflix series and has a cameo as a morgue attendant in season 1.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Levy explains that he wants Starfighter to feel “epic and intimate” in the same way that Stranger Things does. He also discusses how Stranger Things taught him not to be overwhelmed by franchise expectations, and to instead remain focused on telling character-driven and thematically rich stories. Check out Levy’s full comments below:
If I’ve learned anything on Stranger Things, it’s that you can get intimidated by the scale of franchise expectation. But you will lose your way if that’s your focus. I’ve learned the need to stay rooted in character, and themes and relationships on screen. Yes, there’s spectacle and scale, just like Stranger Things. And of course, Star Wars and Starfighter has spectacle and scale and adventure at a level I’ve never done in my whole career. But like Stranger Things, it’s also very much anchored in a human scale character-sized story. I think that if I can balance the epic and the intimate the way the Duffers have with Stranger Things, I’ll make a movie and an original and new Star Wars adventure that can be really satisfying to fans and audiences.
While this comparison is meant to create further anticipation for Starfighter, it comes in the aftermath of a deeply divisive response to the Stranger Things series finale. Many fans have taken issue with how the show ended, especially where the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is concerned.
That being said, a criticism of Stranger Things, particularly in season 5, was that as the show’s scale expanded, some of the intimate character moments and relationships were arguably overshadowed and lost. Levy is promising a Star Wars movie that balances the characters alongside large-scale adventure.
Even though Starfighter will not be released in theaters until May 28, 2027, Levy confirmed on his Instagram in December that the movie had wrapped filming. Starfighter‘s cast features Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams.
Plot details remain under wraps, but Gray’s young character is confirmed to be playing a central role. This is another potential parallel to Stranger Things, with the story balancing the child and adult characters in their various adventures, which can help appeal to a wider range of audiences.
In terms of where Starfighter takes place in the Star Wars timeline, it is set five years after The Rise of Skywalker. Despite the chronological proximity to the sequel trilogy, Levy has emphasized that his film is a standalone story focusing on new characters, although there has been speculation that it could connect to other in-development projects.
Star Wars: Starfighter will not be the franchise’s first movie since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. The Mandalorian and Grogu comes to theaters first on May 22, 2026. Stranger Things did a limited release of the finale in theaters, but the Netflix franchise is sticking with television for its upcoming spinoffs, while The Mandalorian‘s story has pivoted to film.
