Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy has confirmed an unexpected lightsaber scene with a difference. Star Wars is finally returning to the big screen this year with The Mandalorian & Grogu, but all eyes are already turning to 2027. The 50th anniversary of Star Wars, this will feature the original cut of A New Hope returning to theaters, as well as Shawn Levy’s Starfighter, the first movie set after the sequel trilogy. Featuring an all-star cast including Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, and Amy Adams, this is easily one of the most exciting Star Wars films in years.
Speaking to the New York Times, Levy has revealed Starfighter features an unexpected lightsaber duel – and that Tom Cruise was involved. According to Levy, he’d had a steady stream of Hollywood A-listers visiting during filming. “Last week Steven Spielberg was here,” he recalled, and now Cruise was on-set. Cruise made an entrance, arriving by helicopter as his team piped the Mission: Impossible theme tune over loudspeakers, and Levy made a joke that he should jump on one of the cameras. “And now Tom Cruise is wielding a camera, ruining his very nice shoes,” Levy continued.
According to the New York Times, Levy was setting up a lightsaber duel in the water, apparently a muddy pond. “Now when you see the movie,” Levy added, “you’ll know that part of it was shot by Tom. I mean, how cool is that?” Even more excitingly, the article notes that lightsaber props were being swung around the set.
This is Official Confirmation of Jedi – & Possibly Sith?
Play video
According to Star Wars lore, Jedi and Sith are not the only ones to use lightsabers. That said, the films themselves have often been very careful to avoid linking them to any other Force cults, simply because Lucasfilm is wary of diluting the iconic image. Levy’s comment therefore seems to indicate there will indeed be a Jedi presence in the film, and that the villains too – Matt Smith, Mia Goth, or perhaps both – will be either dark Jedi or Sith. The former possibility can’t be ruled out, given Ahsoka introduced the likes of Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati.
This revelation may well have major implications for Rey’s Jedi Order. Starfighter is set five years after the end of the sequel trilogy, at a time when Rise of Skywalker‘s ending set Rey up to restore the Jedi. It takes two to have a lightsaber duel, so it’s reasonable to assume that at least one of these characters has connections to Rey herself. This is our first glimpse of the Star Wars galaxy after Rise of Skywalker, and now it promises to feature at least a glimpse of the Jedi.
Does this mean Ryan Gosling himself is a Jedi, or perhaps a former Jedi? That’s certainly possible; although his character has been described as a pilot, the Force has always been strongly associated with piloting skills, and the Starfighter title deliberately evoked the Jedi symbol. Hopefully it won’t be long before we get some more teases, confirming whether this is indeed the case.
Which upcoming Star Wars movie or TV show are you most excited about? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!