Star Wars Starfighter: First glimpses of the new movie starring Ryan Gosling

"Star Wars: Starfighter" is highly anticipated. Now, attendees at the Disney D23 event were given a first look at the cinematic adventure. In the new film set in a galaxy far, far away, Ryan Gosling plays the protagonist, Kade Auberon. Young actor Flynn Gray is also set to play a central role. According to Deadline, the scenes shown at D23 offer a first glimpse of how Gosling's and Gray's characters interact with each other. When Gray's character apparently wants to take a closer look at a spaceship, Gosling's Kade Auberon responds with the words: "Didn't I tell you not to touch anything?"

There had already been speculation that Kade's character type is meant to resemble the legendary Han Solo. In other words, we might be in for a hero with an extremely cool attitude and rough charm – which would certainly fit the scene shown. Deadline describes the character as a pilot with the swagger of the cool hero Gosling once portrayed in Nicolas Winding Refn's thriller "Drive." As for the plot of "Star Wars: Starfighter," however, no major revelations were apparently made. As Variety reports, it was a short teaser that shows, among other things, Kade flying "through alien landscapes, including massive, skyscraper-sized geysers emerging from a planet's ocean."

Star Wars: Starfighter premieres 50 years after the original

Details about the story have been kept under wraps so far. However, according to Variety, it's said to be a standalone story set five years after the events of the 2019 blockbuster "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." In any case, we'll have to wait before we can see the new film starring Ryan Gosling: "Star Wars: Starfighter" hits theaters on May 28, 2027. In addition to Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray, the cast includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams. Shawn Levy is directing, and the screenplay is by Jonathan Tropper.

At D23, lead actor Gosling and director Levy were there in person to promote the film. Speaking about "Star Wars: Starfighter," Levy said:

"Our movie comes out May 2027. I'm honored that we're releasing our film on the same exact weekend that the original 'Star Wars' came out exactly 50 years earlier. 'Starfighter' embodies the themes of hope and family that have always been core to [these films]. It takes place in a period of time that's never been shown in a 'Star Wars' adventure."

Gosling and Levy are also teaming up on Ghost Rider

"Star Wars: Starfighter" isn't the only major franchise project Gosling is currently tackling with Levy. Under Levy's direction, Gosling will also play the lead role in "Ghost Rider," as was officially announced a few weeks ago. In the upcoming Marvel adaptation, Gosling will take on the role of a decades-old comic book hero. The Ghost Rider first appeared in August 1972 in issue #5 of the "Marvel Spotlight" series. The popular character is stunt rider Johnny Blaze, who makes a pact with the devil. This transforms him into the motorcycle-riding being with a flaming skull.

Gosling won't be the first to portray the character on screen – Ghost Rider was previously played by Nicolas Cage. There was also a TV version of the character. In the Marvel series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Gabriel Luna took on the role of Ghost Rider for several episodes, though he portrayed a different incarnation of the hero, Robbie Reyes. It will be interesting to see how Gosling fares in the role. But we'll have to wait for an exact theatrical release date for "Ghost Rider." However, the release year has already been announced: it's set for 2028.