Star Wars: Starfighter director says the biggest inspiration for his film is Return of the Jedi: "I know the cool answer would be Empire"

Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter — (Image credit: Shawn Levy)

Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy has opened up about the Star Wars movie that most inspires his upcoming film, which takes place in a new, unexplored era of the franchise, and it's a bit of an underdog pick: Return of the Jedi.

While fans around my age (who were kids in the '80s and '90s) largely consider Return of the Jedi a beloved entry in the Star Wars canon, for those who were older teens and adults when it was released, it was the most immediately divisive of the original trilogy thanks in large part to the teddy bear-like Ewoks. Thankfully for me and other fans of a certain era, Levy comes down on our side of the debate.

"Let me tell you something. People - I've not said this out loud because everyone's like 'Which Star Wars movie is Starfighter the most like? Which is the most inspired by?' If I'm being honest - I know the cool answer would be Empire, and sort of the inarguable answer would be A New Hope - but it's kinda Jedi," Levy states on the On Film… With Kevin McCarthy podcast.

"It's Jedi because of the combination of theme, levity, adventure, heart, spectacle. Somehow that movie just got it right for me," he explains. "And I saw that movie so many times in a theater, more times in a theater than New Hope and Empire, and it stuck with me. I will tell you…there's moments where I'm on set, and I feel like that kid is with me, in the director's chair. Like I'm there making his dream come true."

Shawn Levy talks Star Wars Starfighter, Stranger Things 5, Night At The Museum, Big Fat Liar & more! - YouTube

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That's music to my ears, as I'm also a lover of Return of the Jedi. It was the first Star Wars movie I saw as a kid, probably with one of the movie's first airings on network television in the late '80s. I was naturally captivated by every single aspect, from the all-time-great opening sequence, to the controversial Ewoks, and of course the fateful final confrontation between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Emperor.

I feel the way about Return of the Jedi that fans a decade or so younger than me feel about the prequels - I'm protective of my love for it despite my understanding that parts of it were alienating to older viewers in its original release. The idea of a Star Wars story set in a new era less tethered to the Skywalker Saga might be what it takes to re-engage me in the franchise, especially with the director invoking my personal favorite movie.

Star Wars: Starfighter is currently in production for a May 28, 2027 theatrical release. While we wait, stay up to date on all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows that are currently in the works, and dig into our list of the best Star Wars movies, ranked.

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011, and now I'm the Entertainment Writer at GamesRadar+. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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