Ryan Gosling In Talks For Shawn Levy’s ‘Star Wars’ Movie

The new star of Star Wars could be … Ryan Gosling?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Gosling is reportedly discussing roles for an upcoming Star Wars film that Shawn Levy is directing and Jonathan Tropper is writing, which has been in development at Lucasfilm.

Gosling is following the popular but economically underperforming summer movie titled “The Fall Guy” from last year. On the other hand, Levy, who was behind Marvel’s 2024 blockbuster hit Deadpool & Wolverine, is reportedly working on a Star Wars project he has been preparing since 2022.

THR revealed little information regarding Rian Johnson’s upcoming Star Wars film, only confirming that it would not be connected to the Skywalker saga and would serve as a standalone movie.

As a die-hard Star Wars fan, it’s been five long years since we last saw a new feature film in theaters – that would be “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” back in 2019. Since then, Lucasfilm has been churning out some fantastic Star Wars television series on Disney+, with the latest being the kids-on-a-space-adventure show “Skeleton Crew”, reminiscent of The Goonies.

In this gap, they’ve been brainstorming a multitude of potential Star Wars movie projects, even collaborating with directors like Rian Johnson and Patty Jenkins. However, unfortunately, none of these have made it to the big screen yet. The only one that seems to be moving forward is “The Mandalorian and Grogu”, a big-screen spinoff from the hit TV series “The Mandalorian”.

Ryan Gosling seems well-suited for a role in a Star Wars film, given his expertise in action and adventure genres, and he’s also been featured in prominent roles across various franchises, such as Blade Runner 2049 and Barbie. However, it’s worth noting that Star Wars typically casts newer or less recognized actors for its main roles. For instance, the Sequel Trilogy focused on Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac, who were either relatively new to Hollywood or not widely known. The same goes for Alden Ehrenreich when he was picked to play young Han Solo. Even Ewan McGregor was primarily recognized as an independent film actor when he took on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels.

The upcoming “Star Wars” film titled “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is set to premiere in cinemas on May 22, 2026.

Actors Who Were Wasted in Star Wars Roles

Danny Trejo

It’s no surprise that Danny Trejo, who often stars in Robert Rodriguez’s projects, was featured in the Rodriguez-directed “The Book of Boba Fett” on Disney+. However, his role was disappointingly minor; he portrayed the trainer of Boba Fett’s pet rancor for only a few minutes. Given that we’re discussing Machete here, isn’t it a missed opportunity not to have him engage in a showdown with Boba Fett? After all, wouldn’t you want to see them face off against each other?

Dominic Monaghan

It appears that Disney’s Star Wars sequels often generate excitement for certain characters before their release, only to have them receive minimal screen time in the actual film. A character who fell victim to this trend in The Rise of Skywalker was Beaumont Kin, portrayed by Dominic Monaghan. Initially hyped as a talented codebreaker working for the Rebels, Beaumont’s role seemed significant given his previous work in the Lord of the Rings and Lost ensembles. However, despite these promising expectations, Beaumont ended up contributing very little to code breaking in The Rise of Skywalker, and he barely did anything else in the film.

Dominic West

Prior to his starring role on the legendary TV series, “The Wire”, Dominic West had a minor part in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” as a security guard who allowed Anakin Skywalker entry into Queen Amidala’s chamber. He delivered some expository dialogue and lacked a close-up. With his charming yet morally ambiguous charm, Dominic West seems ideally suited to portray a Han Solo-like smuggler. Remarkably, he could potentially still do so. For now, his underutilized performance in “The Phantom Menace” remains an unjust waste of his talent.

Gwendoline Christie

Enthusiasts were thrilled when ‘Game of Thrones’ actress Gwendoline Christie was chosen to portray Captain Phasma in ‘The Force Awakens’, a formidable Stormtrooper clad in a chrome armored suit. However, what the audience received was essentially an extended cameo part. The character primarily served as a means to utilize a visually striking design initially conceived for Kylo Ren. Captain Phasma featured in both ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’, yet failed to leave a significant mark on either movie. Essentially, any actor could have donned that undeniably impressive armor.

Jessica Henwick

Discussing “Game of Thrones”, it’s worth mentioning that Jessica Henwick has made appearances there as well as in other realms, including the distant stars. She has taken on significant roles, such as Colleen Wing in “Iron Fist” and Bugs, a key character from the younger generation in “The Matrix Resurrections”. In “The Force Awakens”, Henwick portrays… an X-wing pilot.

Justin Theroux

Initially, Justin Theroux was intended to have a significant role as the Master Codebreaker on the planet Canto Bight in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. However, during the scripting and shooting process, writer/director Rian Johnson altered the movie’s plot, which led to a drastic reduction of the Master Codebreaker’s part. Despite this, Johnson asked Theroux if he was still willing to appear in the film, and he agreed, even though his appearance became a hidden detail for observant viewers. It’s always great to see Justin Theroux, but it’s even better when he gets to act or speak in a production.

Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Nyong’o transitioned from winning an Academy Award for “12 Years a Slave” to portraying a seemingly insignificant CGI character in the “Star Wars” sequels. Over three films, Maz Kanata, played by Nyong’o, didn’t seem to utilize her extraordinary talents effectively. In the initial film, she attempted to hand Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber to Rey before eventually giving it to Finn. In “The Last Jedi,” she had a brief appearance where she instructed Finn, Poe, and Rose to travel to Canto Bight in search of the Master Codebreaker. In “The Rise of Skywalker,” her role primarily served to aid in clarifying the General Leia storyline that was developed posthumously for the character following the death of actress Carrie Fisher. There wasn’t a single intriguing, exciting, or emotionally charged moment for Maz Kanata throughout these movies. Regardless of what Disney paid Nyong’o for her work, it appears they didn’t receive the value they anticipated.

Max Von Sydow

It’s likely you didn’t recall that Max von Sydow was in ‘The Force Awakens’, until now. However, he indeed played the character of Lor San Tekka, a name longer than his brief screen time in the movie. Lor is an old ally of Luke Skywalker and the Jedi; he provides Poe Dameron with the map to Luke’s location, which becomes the film’s main plot device. Regrettably, Lor is swiftly eliminated from the storyline shortly after his introduction. In a nutshell, we barely got to know Lor San Tekka.

You probably didn’t realize that Max von Sydow was in ‘The Force Awakens’, until this very moment. He did appear in the film, portraying Lor San Tekka, a character whose name is longer than his entire screen time. Lor is an old acquaintance of Luke Skywalker and the Jedi; he hands Poe Dameron a map that reveals Luke’s location, which becomes crucial to the movie’s plot. Tragically, Lor San Tekka doesn’t survive for long in the storyline. To put it simply, we hardly had a chance to get to know Lor San Tekka.

Rose Byrne

By 2002, Rose Byrne had already made a name for herself as an accomplished actress in her home country, Australia; in fact, she received the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 for her performance in the film “Goddess of 1967”. However, her role in “Attack of the Clones” as one of Senator Amidala’s handmaiden’s could lead one to believe she was a newcomer to acting. From Hollywood’s point of view, this might have been accurate. Yet, it didn’t take long for her to demonstrate that she was capable of so much more than just starting out.

Sung Kang

Any fan of the Fast & Furious series would agree that Sung Kang is among the most captivating actors out there, possessing a charm that could easily headline a Star Wars series or film. In fact, his Fast & Furious character’s alias, “Han Seoul-oh,” reflects the likeness of Han Solo, the iconic Star Wars pilot. Unfortunately, Sung Kang’s Star Wars character, the Fifth Brother, wasn’t nearly as captivating in Obi-Wan Kenobi as his Fast & Furious persona. It seems like a missed opportunity to create a standalone Star Wars story featuring “Seoul-Oh” instead.

Thandiwe Newton

In the film “Solo”, several talented actors were underutilized, and Thandiwe Newton’s character stood out as being shallowest among them. Her character, Val, was a partner to Woody Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett, a skilled criminal who mentors Han Solo. Unfortunately, Val dies prematurely during a botched heist at the beginning of the movie, serving primarily as motivation for Tobias throughout the rest of the plot. I felt that Newton would have been better suited in almost any other role within “Solo”, simply because it would have provided her with more opportunities to showcase her acting skills. Newton herself expressed dissatisfaction with Val’s storyline; during an interview, she disclosed that her character wasn’t initially meant to die so decisively. She further stated: “It’s not appropriate to kill off the first Black woman to ever have a significant role in a ‘Star Wars’ movie. Is this some kind of joke?

Titus Welliver

Titus Welliver is a renowned television actor whose career spans decades, dating back to iconic series like Deadwood, Lost, and Sons of Anarchy. More recently, he’s been acclaimed for his portrayal of the main character in the Amazon police series Bosch and its spinoff Bosch: Legacy. In the Star Wars universe, he made a solitary appearance in an episode of The Mandalorian, playing the captain of an Imperial ship carrying Mandalorian weapons that Bo-Katan aims to steal. Unfortunately, his character met his end in that episode, ruling out any potential future appearances. Nevertheless, we’ll always remember him for his work on Bosch.

2025-01-22 05:53