Shawn Levy Reveals the ‘Star Wars’ Film That Most Inspired Him for ‘Starfighter’

by

Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool & Wolverine and Stranger Things, is working on what might be his most significant project yet: a new Star Wars film slated for release in 2027. This movie aims to recapture the excitement for the Star Wars franchise, which has faced division among fans following the recent sequel trilogy and Disney+ series. As a lifelong Star Wars fan who remembers when the special effects were practical rather than digital, Levy recently revealed a surprising influence on his approach to the film – a choice that offers a clue to his vision for Starfighter and is perhaps the most unexpected inspiration in the entire Star Wars universe.

While publicizing the fifth season of Stranger Things, director Shawn Levy discussed his upcoming Star Wars project on the podcast On Film…With Kevin McCarthy. Although he wasn’t asked to create a standalone Star Wars movie, Levy admits the earlier films heavily inspired his work. He specifically cited Return of the Jedi from 1983 as his biggest influence.

To be honest, while many would say The Empire Strikes Back or A New Hope is the best, I think it’s Return of the Jedi. It perfectly balances everything I look for in a movie – a strong theme, humor, exciting adventure, genuine emotion, and amazing visuals. It just really resonated with me.

I watched that movie countless times in theaters – even more than the first two Star Wars films – and it really stayed with me. When I’m directing now, I often feel like that young fan is right there with me, helping me fulfill his childhood dream.

Shawn Levy on Making a ‘Star Wars’ Film That Isn’t a Sequel, or a Prequel, or Anything Else You Can Think Of

As the director has previously stated, Star Wars: Starfighter isn’t directly connected to the existing Star Wars movies – it’s not a sequel or a prequel set in the same time period. However, he acknowledges that when working within an established universe, certain core elements should remain consistent. He describes making sequels as a difficult task: you want to offer fans something familiar while also avoiding repetition. Having seen the challenges involved in creating a sequel, he admits it can be stressful wanting to get it right. He then shared his goals for Star Wars: Starfighter.

Starfighter isn’t a continuation of previous stories – it’s not a sequel, prequel, or focused on familiar characters. It takes place in a completely new era, five years after the events of ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ exploring a previously unseen part of the galaxy.

We’re building everything from scratch for this movie, which is incredibly exciting. We want all the creative decisions – from the characters and planets to the costumes and droids – to feel authentically Star Wars. But I’m really focused on making sure it all feels original and not like we’re just copying ideas from the existing films.

Read More

2025-12-01 16:17