The Star Wars: Starfighter cast has officially taken shape with two major additions: Amy Adams and Aaron Pierre.
Variety confirmed the news this week, highlighting how quickly the project has gone from announcement to active filming. At the same time, it’s impossible not to notice the stark contrast with the New Jedi Order film—better known as the Rey movie—which was unveiled with great fanfare more than two years ago at Star Wars Celebration, but still shows no sign of life.
Starfighter Gains Speed
First unveiled at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025, Starfighter was pitched as a bold new story in the galaxy far, far away. The timeline has been nothing short of remarkable: only months later, principal photography began in the UK. Ryan Gosling was previously confirmed for a leading role, and now the addition of Adams and Pierre cements the picture as one of Lucasfilm’s fastest-moving theatrical efforts in years.
‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ Adds Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre as Production Begins, Drops First Look at Ryan Gosling’s Character https://t.co/uyXL9SguFe
— Variety (@Variety) August 28, 2025
With cameras already rolling, Starfighter is on track for a May 28, 2027 release date. That sort of efficiency—less than six months between official announcement and production start—suggests the story and creative direction were locked in before fans ever even knew it existed.
The Rey Film That Vanished
Contrast that with the Rey-focused New Jedi Order project, announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023. Daisy Ridley was brought on stage to loud cheers as Kathleen Kennedy touted the return of Rey to rebuild the Jedi Order.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Lucasfilm
Yet after that splashy reveal, the film has been plagued with issues, including:
- Multiple writer departures (including Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson).
- A revolving door of replacements, most recently George Nolfi stepping in after Steven Knight’s draft didn’t move forward.
- Missed production start dates, with early 2025 once floated as a kickoff but no progress reported since.
By summer 2025, insiders described the Rey project as “paused,” with no cameras rolling and no updates at Star Wars Celebration this year. For fans, it’s become the symbol of Lucasfilm’s development purgatory: loud on promises, quiet on delivery.
What the Contrast Reveals
The juxtaposition couldn’t be sharper. On one hand, the Star Wars Starfighter cast is expanding and the film is already shooting. On the other, the Rey project has lost momentum, facing more than two years of script rewrites and public silence.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Daisy Ridley, Kathleen Kennedy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
It raises serious questions about Lucasfilm’s strategy. Why was New Jedi Order given the Celebration spotlight in 2023 if there wasn’t a solid script or direction in place? And why is a brand-new project like Starfighter proving easier to shepherd into existence than a film built on an existing character?
A Franchise at a Crossroads
For longtime fans, the situation demonstrates the uneven leadership guiding Star Wars on the big screen, namely Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Disney and Lucasfilm are clearly capable of moving swiftly when confident in a vision. Starfighter demonstrates that with its confirmed cast, locked production schedule, and firm release date.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Daisy Ridley onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
But the Rey movie, despite being positioned as the next chapter of the saga, remains stuck in neutral. Kathleen Kennedy’s public reassurances that the film is still in the works ring hollow when compared to the visible momentum of Starfighter.
Final Thoughts
With Amy Adams, Aaron Pierre, and Ryan Gosling headlining, the Star Wars: Starfighter cast represents a marquee lineup and a project that’s already off the launch pad. Meanwhile, New Jedi Order is still circling the hangar, waiting for a script that satisfies both Lucasfilm and Disney brass.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Dave Filoni, Daisy Ridley and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy onstage during the studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
The contrast tells a bigger story: in today’s Hollywood, it’s not the loudest announcement that matters, but the project that actually gets made. Fans may have cheered Rey’s return back in 2023, but it’s Starfighter—a movie no one saw coming—that’s proving to be the real star of the future.
How do you feel about the Star Wars Starfighter cast? Is this Rey movie ever happening? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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I’m just going to say it: I have no faith in Starfighter being any good. They can add as many “stars” as they like, but Darth Kennedy’s Lucasfilms has completely burned its bridges with fans. Even their “successes” get miniscule views compared to other shows like GoT. The wine mom, land whale, and Soyjak populations just aren’t big enough to make SW successful anymore.
I like Ryan and Amy, they are really good actors. But even the best actors in the world cant save non-creative, politically correct movie written and directed by woke activist, DEI hires and AI tools. So, I dont believe this movie will be any good.
Unless they make some sort of spoof like “Airplane”, unapologetic, rude and funny movie, but that is even unimaginable in today`s entertainment ruled by woke idiots and morons.
This is Disney. BlackRock, correct me if I am wrong, pretty much controls girl-brand Disney, these days. So expect continued globalist anti-white, anti-male propaganda, and an agenda to trans your kids.
The Rey movie will have to deal with a rapidly-ageing Daisy Ridley. Even when she was youthful, she was plain. Now, this may sound cruel, but, it matters. Ageing actresses have zero power to attract audiences, male or female.
Then you have the Mary Sue factor we all mock relentlessly.