Star Wars Starfighter reveals Ryan Gosling’s Kade Auberon

Star Wars Starfighter has stepped properly into view, with Lucasfilm revealing Ryan Gosling’s character, Kade Auberon, and the first official outline of the film’s story during Disney’s D23 showcase on 15 August. Director Shawn Levy joined Gosling on stage as an exclusive first look was shown to the audience, ahead of the film’s cinema release on 28 May 2027.

Gosling described Kade as someone from “the wrong side of the galaxy” whose path becomes linked to the fastest starfighter ever built. Lucasfilm’s newly released synopsis adds that the character is a cynical rogue forced to confront a mysterious past before being thrown into a dangerous journey with far-reaching consequences.

That is still a deliberately compact description, but it marks the clearest picture yet of the standalone adventure. Lucasfilm has confirmed that the story occupies a period of the Star Wars timeline not previously explored on screen, giving Levy and screenwriter Jonathan Tropper space to introduce fresh characters without placing the film directly inside one of the saga’s established chapters.

Ryan Gosling introduces Kade Auberon

Gosling’s appearance at D23 connected the new role with his own Disney history. Before becoming an Oscar-nominated film star, he was a cast member on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. At the showcase he wore a jacket inspired by Kade Auberon, complete with an inverted symbol linked to the character, before presenting the footage with Levy.

The actor leads a substantial ensemble that includes Flynn Gray, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings and Amy Adams. Levy is directing and producing alongside Kathleen Kennedy, while Gosling, Dan Levine, Mary McLaglen and Josh McLaglen serve as executive producers.

Production began in the UK in August 2025, another point of interest for British audiences beyond the familiar franchise name. Lucasfilm announced the cast at that stage, but the latest presentation adds Kade’s name, his place at the centre of the story and the first confirmed premise.

The “standalone” label is also significant. It indicates that audiences will meet this adventure as a self-contained film rather than a numbered episode in the Skywalker saga. That does not rule out connections with the wider universe, but none have been confirmed, and the studio is currently presenting Kade and his story on their own terms.

Levy said the film is built around the familiar Star Wars themes of hope, family and adventure, while taking place in an unseen era. He has also pointed to American car culture and films including George Lucas’s American Graffiti as creative influences. That suggests speed, machinery and youthful momentum may shape the film’s identity, although Lucasfilm has not yet released enough material publicly to draw firm conclusions about its tone or plot.

Reuters independently reported that first-look footage from Star Wars Starfighter was screened at D23. The studio’s own account makes clear that the material was an exclusive for the live audience, so fans elsewhere should be cautious about unofficial clips or supposed trailer uploads circulating online. No wider trailer release date was included in Lucasfilm’s announcement.

The timing of the theatrical launch carries its own piece of history. Levy noted that the film will arrive on the same weekend that the original Star Wars opened 50 years earlier. The 28 May 2027 release therefore places this new standalone story at the heart of the franchise’s anniversary celebrations, while its unexplored setting offers room to look forward rather than simply revisit familiar ground.

For now, the important confirmed development is straightforward: Ryan Gosling is Kade Auberon, his past is central to the mystery, and a remarkable starfighter will pull him into the adventure. With an established supporting cast, a UK production base and a firm cinema date, Star Wars Starfighter now has a clearer identity of its own.