Shawn Levy revealed to The New York Times that Tom Cruise visited the set of “Star Wars: Starfighter” in November and ended up filming one of the movie’s lightsaber duels. Levy is directing the Ryan Gosling-led “Star Wars” tentpole, which is due in theaters in May 2027.
As recounted by The Times: “Tom Cruise was up to his ankles in mud and pond water. He wore a look of great concentration as he stooped over a digital camera, trying to frame the perfect shot. Shawn Levy glanced around in slight disbelief.”
“Last week Steven Spielberg was here,” Levy told the publication. “And now Tom Cruise is wielding a camera, ruining his very nice shoes.”
The Times continued: “Cruise just wanted to watch, he told them, but Levy, setting up a scene involving a lightsaber duel in the water, suggested the star jump on one of the cameras. He’d meant it as a joke. But there was Cruise, wading into the muddy pond, holding the camera like a pro.”
“Now when you see the movie, you’ll know that part of it was shot by Tom,” Levy added. “I mean, how cool is that?”
Not much is known about “Star Wars: Starfighter” other than it being an original entry in the galaxy far, far away that is separate from the Skywalker movies. Gosling headlines the tentpole opposite Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre and Amy Adams, among others. Levy directed the movie from a script by Jonathan Tropper, best known as the creator of Cinemax series such as “Banshee” and “Warrior.”
“There is a breed of movie star and filmmaker that makes it a point of pride to spend all the time and all the money,” Levy told The Times about his approach to blockbuster filmmaking. “As if your creative appetite is so voracious that cost and schedule be damned. But I’m the guy the studios call when they want someone they know will take their investment seriously and deliver responsibly. It’s not the sexiest way to put it. But I’m a good worker. And I do take pride in that.”
Levy’s previous feature directorial effort was Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,” which earned $1.3 billion in summer 2024 to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time. Surely Disney and Lucasfilm are hoping he can bring the same success to the “Star Wars” film franchise. Levy is also an executive producer of “Stranger Things” and directed a few episodes of the show’s final season.
“Star Wars: Starfighter” opens in theaters May 28, 2027.