One of the new Star Wars movies is set to suffer from a Percy Jackson and the Olympians problem. After a six-year hiatus, during which Lucasfilm has focused primarily on Star Wars TV shows, 2026 will mark the cinematic return of the franchise. Several upcoming Star Wars movies are in development to usher in this cinematic return, causing never-ending excitement.
With these new theatrical installments, the vast Star Wars timeline is only set to expand. Be it the exploration of the Jedi Order’s origin, the development of Star Wars’ New Republic era, or the films set beyond Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the franchise’s new cinematic age is set to be a thrilling one across the board.
Thanks to one of the movies in this upcoming slate, Star Wars is set to encounter the “Percy Jackson problem”, which any further movies in the franchise will need to address.
Star Wars: Starfighter Has Cast 14-Year-Old Flynn Gray
In May 2027, the Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter will be released in theaters worldwide. The movie will be set five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with Gosling’s character protecting a young child from evil pursuers. In a recent update from Lucasfilm, 14-year-old Flynn Gray was confirmed as the actor playing the young character in Gosling’s care.
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Gray’s age was confirmed in a social media post by his aunt, Denise Kenny Byrne. Byrne shared the set pH๏τo of Gray and Gosling that was released by Lucasfilm when production on Star Wars: Starfighter began. Interestingly, Gray’s age gives Starfighter a unique problem.
Gray is going through the age in which boys become young men, meaning he will undergo a significant physical transformation. This transformation will take place as Star Wars: Starfighter is shooting into 2026. By the time Star Wars: Starfighter releases in May 2027, Gray will look even more different than he does now.
This is the “Percy Jackson problem” in question. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, an adaptation of the book series of the same name for Disney+, cast Walker Scobell as the тιтular character when he was 12. This was a book-accurate casting, yet Scobell is now 16 years old and looks significantly older than he did in season 1 of the show.
In Percy Jackson and the Olympians seasons 2 and 3, the former releasing in December 2025 and the latter currently in development, Scobell will look years older than his character is supposed to be. Any sequel to Star Wars: Starfighter will encounter this same problem with Flynn Gray and his new character.
A Star Wars: Starfighter Sequel Will Need To Move Further Into The Star Wars Timeline
With this problem in mind, any potential sequels to Star Wars: Starfighter will need to address the seemingly rapid aging Gray had undergone since the first movie’s production. For instance, a sequel could not take place immediately after the events of the first film, as Gray would look much older than he did in the first story.
Therefore, Star Wars: Starfighter 2, should it happen, would need to move further into the franchise’s timeline. A time-jump of a few years would fix this issue, which Star Wars is no stranger to implementing. Regardless, Star Wars: Starfighter‘s new, young star calls to mind Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which Lucasfilm will need to be aware of going forward.