In January, it was revealed that Top Gun star Tom Cruise had visited the set of Star Wars: Starfighter. There's nothing too unusual about that, but filmmaker Shawn Levy also mentioned that the actor had landed in a helicopter before stepping behind the camera to film a lightsaber battle.
Apparently, Levy joked that Cruise should step behind the camera, only for the actor to happily oblige. The writer and director has since said that some of what the Mission: Impossible icon shot will make it into the finished cut.
The whole scenario sounds pretty bonkers, and during a recent interview with Happy Sad Confused (via SFFGazette.com), Project Hail Mary star Ryan Gosling revealed what he heard about Cruise's set visit, which, unfortunately, he wasn't there for.
"It’s the one day I’m not there," the actor said. "I worked on that movie the whole time. I get one day off. Shawn sends me a picture of him, Tom Cruise and Flynn [Gray]. They’re in the mud, and I was like, 'What?' And they were like, 'Yeah, Tom Cruise flew his helicopter onto set. They were just shooting, and they heard a helicopter.'"
"They had to cut and it was Tom Cruise. He lands in the middle of set. He takes a camera, and he just starts shooting the action scene," Gosling continued. "There’s like a shot of him in the mud with Flynn shooting. And this is Flynn's first. I mean, it’s not his first film, but it’s like one of his films."
"It was an incredible moment. And I don’t know why he waited for the one day I wasn’t there. I’m going to hope that was an accident."
It's a fun anecdote, but the biggest reveal here may be that Gray's character is involved in that lightsaber battle, not Gosling. This lends significant weight to reports that he's Force-sensitive and that Gosling's character has been tasked with delivering him to Rey's Jedi Academy (or returning him to his mother after his training prematurely ended).
However, if he's already using a lightsaber on this journey, that raises some big questions about exactly what kind of story Star Wars: Starfighter is telling and what it means for the franchise post-Skywalker Saga.
Of course, it's also possible that Gosling is playing a Jedi and that his stunt double was on set in his place that day. We'll have to wait and see.
Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy steps behind the camera to helm the movie that follows Ryan Gosling's unmanned lead character in a story reportedly set 5 years after the Skywalker Saga's conclusion. That's uncharted territory for the franchise, and one that could lay the groundwork for the next era of Star Wars storytelling.
Star Wars: Starfighter also stars Flynn Gray (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2), Matt Smith (House of the Dragon), Mia Goth (Infinity Pool), Aaron Pierre (Lanterns), Simon Bird (The Inbetweeners), Jamael Westman (Hedda), Daniel Ings (Lovesick), and Amy Adams (Man of Steel).
Directed by Levy, the film is produced by him and former Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. Executive producers are Ryan Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen, and Josh McLaglen. The script is by Jonathan Tropper.
Star Wars: Starfighter will be released theatrically on May 28, 2027.