This is interesting news for us nerds. It’s been reported that Ryan Gosling is in talks to star in Shawn Levy’s untitled, standalone Star Wars film. The film has been in development since 2022. By my count, there are at least 10 other Star Wars movies currently in development, but the casting of Gosling is likely to help propel this one to the front of the production list. This is just a report, though, so Gosling’s casting isn’t a done deal just yet and neither party involved (Levy, Gosling, or Lucasfilm) have confirmed anything yet.
If you’re a Jedi, then Ryan Gosling is a Jedi… well, maybe.
The Barbie star is reportedly in talks to star in a new Star Wars movie written and directed by Deadpool & Wolverine filmmaker Shawn Levy, according to multiple outlets.
While other details surrounding the force-filled movie are currently floating in space, Ryan boarding the ship would likely send the project—which Levy has been slowly developing since 2022, including bringing on his This Is Where I Leave You screenwriter Jonathan Tropper—“into hyperdrive,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The new addition to the Star Wars franchise—which has seen Disney+ TV shows The Mandalorian, The Acolyte and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew added to its repertoire in recent years—would be a standalone movie, akin to 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, per the outlet.
E! News has reached out to reps for Gosling, Levy and Lucasfilm, but has not heard back.
Anyway, I admit that I am intrigued by this news, even though part of me thinks it’s overkill when big movie/TV franchises cast really famous actors in big roles. I like when relative unknowns or underexposed actors have a chance to make a role their own like that. That said, I also thought this way about Jude Law being cast in Skeleton Crew before I watched it and found him to be utterly fantastic in it. So, I’m willing to keep an open mind about Ryan. I like that it’s going to be a one-off and hope they don’t tie it into a spin-off TV show, lol.
I’ve been thinking about what type of role I can see Ryan playing and I honestly can’t decide. No matter how hard I try, I really can’t see him playing a Jedi or Republic politician. I also can’t see him playing a member of the Empire or some slimy smuggler character either. I guess it makes sense that he’d be a complicated anti-hero-turned-hero-type character a la Han Solo, especially because the one-off comparisons all mention Solo instead of my favorite non-original trilogy film, Rogue One. Speaking of Rogue One, it would be cool if he played a Rebellion character like Cassian Andor, but I have a feeling Ryan’s role will be a lot less serious and give us some comic relief.
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