There are set visits, and then there are Tom Cruise set visits. Usually, when a celebrity drops by a production, they wave, grab a coffee, and vanish. But when Tom Cruise landed his helicopter on the set of Shawn Levy‘s upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, he didn’t just watch. He grabbed a camera and walked into a muddy pond.
It is arguably the most “Tom Cruise” thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise since Harrison Ford tried to land a plane on a golf course.
A Lightsaber Duel, Interrupted by a Helicopter
The incident occurred while Levy was preparing a water-based lightsaber duel in London. According to a New York Times profile, Cruise happened to be in town and decided to stop by — via helicopter, naturally. When the director jokingly suggested Cruise should “help out by jumping on a camera,” the actor took it literally. He shouldered the rig and waded into the mud to capture the action himself.
Of course he did. It tracks.
This anecdote is charming, but it also highlights the strange orbit Levy now occupies. The Times cites him as the man who could “resuscitate” Star Wars — a task that has broken filmmakers with far more distinct visual styles.
The Starfighter Gamble
Levy’s track record is commercially spotless but critically… beige. Free Guy, The Adam Project, Night at the Museum — movies that perform, but rarely linger. The source material for this article puts it more bluntly: “Not a single good movie out of the bunch.”
Yet the cast he has assembled suggests something sharper. Ryan Gosling leads the ensemble. Matt Smith and Mia Goth are confirmed as antagonists. Aaron Pierre and Amy Adams round out the lineup.
That is a fascinating mix. Goth specifically brings chaotic, horror-tinged energy that feels alien to the sanitized world of modern Star Wars. If Levy lets her off the leash, this might actually work.
Why 2027 Matters for Lucasfilm
Disney has dated Star Wars: Starfighter for May 28, 2027 — exactly one year after Jon Favreau‘s The Mandalorian & Grogu. The studio is clearly betting everything on these two filmmakers to stabilize a franchise that has been drifting in streaming limbo.
I have my doubts. Levy is a competent craftsman, but Star Wars needs more than competence right now. It needs a pulse. Perhaps having Tom Cruise show up to film a single shot is the best metaphor for the current state of the saga: rely on the old guard to carry the weight when the mud gets too deep.
My bet: the single shot filmed by Cruise will have more kinetic energy than the rest of the movie combined. Prove me wrong.
FAQ: Star Wars Starfighter Production Details
Why does Mia Goth’s casting feel significant for this Star Wars project?
Goth built her reputation on unhinged, unsettling performances in films like Pearl and X. That energy is foreign to Disney-era Star Wars, which has leaned safe since 2015. If Levy actually uses what she brings — rather than sanding down her edges — it signals a willingness to take risks. That’s rare for this franchise right now.
How reliable is Shawn Levy as a predictor of Star Wars quality?
Historically, not very. Levy excels at making profitable, forgettable films. His visual style is functional but flat. The concern isn’t that Starfighter will fail commercially — it’s that it will be competently empty, like The Rise of Skywalker with better jokes. The cast gives hope; the director’s track record gives pause.
