Star Wars fans are convinced one upcoming movie, Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, is secret setup to Rey’s New Jedi Order movie. The future of Star Wars is taking shape, with next year’s The Mandalorian and Grogu leading the charge to the big screen. It will be followed in 2027 by Shawn Levy’s Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling.

Marketed as a standalone, Starfighter is clearly a big deal for the franchise. 2027 is the 50th anniversary of Star Wars, and this features an all-star cast (unusual for Lucasfilm). Levy seems to be dropping images on social media during filming, which means a strong sense of hype is building up.

And yet, for all that’s the case, Star Wars fans are convinced this isn’t a standalone at all. Rather, they believe this is setup for Rey’s New Jedi Order movie.

The Force Has Always Been Part Of Starfighter

Starfighter is set five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and marketing has always hinted at a Force connection. The original animated logo features a flare that’s deliberately evocative of the Jedi insignia. We finally learned more when filming began, and Lucasfilm announced Starfighter‘s full cast.

We now know that young actor Flynn Gray (Sherlock & Daughter, Wednesday, Borderline) is playing a Force-sensitive teenager hunted by the movie’s villain. Amy Adams is his mother, and the latest rumors suggest she too is Force-sensitive; in fact, there are suggestions she’s a Jedi, perhaps a survivor of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Order.

It’s not hard to see a pattern here; many are speculating the movie’s plot will mirror that of The Mandalorian seasons 1 and 2, with Ryan Gosling’s hero trying to get Gray to the Jedi. If that is the case, then the precise setting – five years after the sequel trilogy – means they’re likely heading straight for Rey.

Starfighter Can Be The “Rogue One” For Rey’s New Jedi Order

Daisy Ridley’s return was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration, with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to serve as director for a “New Jedi Order” movie. Plans seem to have been in flux since then, but Rey is considered Star Wars‘ most valuable cinematic ᴀsset. There have been reports Rey could appear in quite a few upcoming Star Wars movies now.

Screenwriter Simon Kinberg is now working on a new Star Wars trilogy, which Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has described as “the new saga that moves us into the future.” It would make sense for Star Wars to use Starfighter as a sort of “Rogue One in reverse,” a largely standalone story that nevertheless sets up the ongoing saga.

All this is only a theory, of course, and Lucasfilm is certainly unlikely to confirm it; Starfighter seems to be intended as a jumping-on point for Generation Z, which means a stress on connectivity and lore would be a critical mistake. But the goal is surely to encourage these new viewers to stick around, and this already-planned follow-on would be smart.

For now, though, the speculation is an exciting pointer to the future of Star Wars. No doubt Shawn Levy will release more images as filming continues, so we’ll learn more about Star Wars: Starfighter with time.