Update: Mikey Madison had the offer to play one of the leads in the upcoming Star Wars film from Shawn Levy, Variety has confirmed. However, they have added that the Oscar-winning actress has passed on Lucasfilm’s offer and may not be lightspeeding to a galaxy far, far away. No additional details were provided. You may read the original story below, which still contains some general details about the film and what to expect from Star Wars Celebration.
While we are about a day away from Star Wars Celebration commencing in Japan, rumors continue to develop regarding the Shawn Levy Star Wars film. It has been long reported that Ryan Gosling will star, and in a recent interview with Deadline, Kathleen Kennedy certainly didn’t deny as much when the topic was brought up. Now, a report by Jeff Sneider claims that Academy Award winner Mikey Madison has been offered a role in the film.
On The Kristian Harloff Show (at around the 45:00 minute mark), Sneider says Levy is working on filling out his cast around Gosling. The lead of the film is reportedly going to be a 15-year-old boy. Other roles include the boy’s mother, two villain roles, and another female role, which Madison would occupy. It would be a supporting role. Kathleen Kennedy has previously said that Levy’s film takes place 5-6 years after The Rise of Skywalker.
Madison recently starred in Best Picture winner Anora. Based on that film’s critical success and Madison’s win for Best Actress, it would instantly add a higher level of prestige casting rarely seen in Star Wars. Paired with A-lister Ryan Gosling and blockbuster director Levy, it would cement this film as possibly the most anticipated Star Wars film coming in the pipeline.
Sneider also says that Ryan Gosling will make an appearance at Star Wars Celebration this weekend to officially confirm his casting. The most likely place for that would be during The Mandalorian and Grogu panel on Friday morning, but we will have to wait and see if that pans out to be true. (Another possibility would just be a random appearance on the Live show.)
Lucasfilm has yet to release a Star Wars film in the post-Covid era and perhaps they feel this elevated casting is what is needed to create the blockbuster level of interest a Star Wars film demands. The next Star Wars film will be The Mandalorian and Grogu, slated for a May 22, 2026 release. That film would have the built-in audience from the Disney Plus show, The Mandalorian, which has run for three seasons on the streamer.
If Levy’s film makes a surprise appearance at Star Wars Celebration, then stay tuned here and follow us on social media as we’ll have updates all weekend long!
In 1977, Rob waited on line with his older sister for Star Wars and he has been experiencing and dreaming about the franchise ever since. A lifelong New Yorker, he is married with two grown daughters. And he anxiously awaits for that time once again, when the houselights dim and those magic words appear: “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
Nate uses his love for Star Wars and movies as a way to cope with the pain of being a Minnesota sports fan. When he’s not at the theater, you can usually find Nate reading or pretending he isn’t washed at video games.