Why Insiders Think Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars: Starfighter Could Be A Bigger Hit Than The Mandalorian And Grogu

The drought of upcoming Star Wars movies is coming to an end soon. The Mandalorian and Grogu opens on the 2026 movies schedule in May, and the Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter will follow in May 2027. As great as it’s been to watch the various Star Wars TV shows with my Disney+ subscription in recent years, I’m thankful that the franchise is finally returning to its cinematic roots. That said, there are some insiders who already believe that Starfighter will be a bigger hit than The Mandalorian and Grogu.

According to unnamed sources who spoke with Variety, there’s a “sense” that Star Wars: Starfighter, which is directed by Deadpool & Wolverine’s Shawn Levy, will be a more satisfying viewing experience. These same sources are allegedly impressed by the early footage they’ve seen of Ryan Gosling’s performance and also suggested that Levy has “recaptured the franchise’s spirit of fun.” Furthermore, the article states that there’s concern that because The Mandalorian and Grogu is spinning out of a streaming-exclusive series, it might not have as much appeal to people who aren’t already fans of The Mandalorian.

I can certainly understand the latter train of thought. While The Mandalorian has certainly not lacked for attention in its first three seasons, with Grogu, a.k.a. “Baby Yoda,” in particular becoming a pop culture sensation, you still need to be subscribed to Disney+ to watch it. Hardcore Star Wars fans will gladly do that, but there’s still a sizable chunk of people out in the world who casually like Star Wars, but either aren’t signed up on the streaming service or just haven’t had the time to stay current on The Mandalorian.

So that right there cuts down your audience for The Mandalorian and Grogu a bit, and for the people who haven’t seen The Mandalorian, but are deciding to see this movie anyway, I’m curious what steps have been taken to make sure they don’t get lost. Star Wars: Starfighter, on the other hand, will be accessible to everyone equally. It’s set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, which is an unexplored period for the Star Wars franchise onscreen. It’s also expected that most, if not all of its featured characters will be brand-new, so no knowledge of past adventures is required.

And then, as these sources mentioned, the duo of Ryan Gosling as leading man and Shawn Levy in the director’s chair is a recipe for success. The cast also boasts folks like Matt Smith, Amy Adams, Mia Goth and Aaron Pierre, and Jonathan Tropper, whose credits include The Adam Project (another Levy-helmed movie), The Wrecking Crew and Your Friends and Neighbors, wrote the script. All this isn’t to say that we can already declare that Star Wars: Starfighter will be amazing, but it would make sense if it ends up being a bigger deal than The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing both Star Wars movies and hope they both succeed critically and commercially. Between them and the TV shows Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord and Ahsoka Season 2, fans won’t be lacking in space opera entertainment for the foreseeable future.