Why ‘Star Wars’ Is the Franchise Ryan Gosling Finally Landed On

For years, Ryan Gosling was always a name thrown around for big franchise casting. Could he play Batman? Could he play Superman? Would he be Adam Warlock? Would he be Ghost Rider? But in all that time, the Oscar-nominated star of Barbie and Blade Runner 2049 has completely avoided those kinds of roles. He’s never played the same character twice. But that may change come 2027.

In 2027, Ryan Gosling stars in Star Wars: Starfighter, the first Star Wars movie set after The Rise of Skywalker. It’s directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) and sees Gosling play some kind of older mentor character to a younger character played by Flynn Gray. It’s being touted as a standalone story unconnected to the rest of Star Wars, but if it does well, that obviously could change.

Little is known about the story beyond that, though rumors are flying around and we’re sure to learn more in the coming months. But what we do know is that on March 20, Gosling stars in another space movie, Project Hail Mary. In it, he plays Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher who finds himself on a wild space mission to save planet Earth. Speaking to io9 about that project (Hail Mary), we, of course, had to sneak in a Star Wars question, and it was about those career choices.

We asked Gosling that, considering he has avoided large franchises for so much of his career, what was it about Star Wars: Starfighter that made him finally jump into something as massive as a galaxy far, far away?

“It was Shawn’s enthusiasm and his vision and the script,” Gosling told io9. “And I just avoided these things because they never felt right. And I’m glad I did because I feel like, [similar to] a book like this, [it was] worth waiting for. And it is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Much like his roles in films like Barbie, Blade Runner 2049, now Project Hail Mary, and others, the question becomes, will Star Wars: Starfighter remain a standalone? Or will Gosling actually return to the role in future projects, something he has never done before? That, we don’t know. But if the movie is half as good as we hope it will be, we’d imagine there’s a chance.

Project Hail Mary opens March 20. Gosling’s other space movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, opens May 28, 2027.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.