The Force is with Ryan Gosling.
The “Barbie” and “La La Land” star is in negotiations to star in an untitled “Star Wars” movie to be directed by “Deadpool & Wolverine” filmmaker Shawn Levy. Screenwriter Jonathan Tropper (“This Is Where I Leave You,” “The Adam Project”) has been writing the screenplay for the film, which Levy has been developing since late 2022. Levy — who will join the rarefied club of directors who’ve worked with both Canadian movie stars named Ryan — is also producing via 21 Laps, along with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.
The movie is said to be a standalone project that isn’t connected with the Skywalker Saga, which concluded with 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” All other plot details are encased in carbonite for the foreseeable future.
But Gosling’s involvement could jump the project into light speed, moving it to the pole position of Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars” film development slate ahead of projects involving directors James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Dave Filoni that were officially announced at Star Wars Celebration in April 2023. Levy’s movie would follow “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” the only “Star Wars” film to date to get a greenlight in more than five years; that film, which recently completed principal photography, is slated to debut on May 22, 2026.
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For Gosling, joining the “Star Wars” galaxy marks a significant turning point in his career, which hasn’t included the kind of marquee franchise project that so many of his leading man compatriots already have under their belts. He’ll next appear in the sci-fi thriller “Project Hail Mary” from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, based on the bestseller by Andy Weir.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported Gosling’s involvement.