This year, after half a decade away, Star Wars returns to theaters with The Mandalorian and Grogu. But after that movie, 2027 will see another Star Wars entry hit theaters: Starfighter. According to the film’s director, Deadpool Vs Wolverine’s Shawn Levy, one scene in the upcoming sci-fi sequel was filmed by superstar Tom Cruise. Really.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Levy talked about the pressure he’s under making a new Star Wars movie starring Ryan Gosling, as well as the excitement of getting to work on the sci-fi mega-franchise. He also told the newspaper that various big names have visited the Starfighter set, including Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. The most surprising bit? Cruise actually ended up filming a bit of the movie after Levy made a joke about the mayor of Hollywood grabbing a camera.
As Levy tells it, Cruise arrived on set in November and after getting welcomed by the cast with the Mission Impossible theme song, started watching as Levy set up a lightsaber duel in a muddy lake. Levy joked to Cruise to get in and help with the cameras, and apparently, the superstar takes everything at face value. So he reportedly grabbed a camera and hopped into the water, ruining his shoes in the process, in order to get the perfect shot.
“Now, when you see the movie,” Levy told the NYT, “you’ll know that part of it was shot by Tom. I mean, how cool is that?”
It’s wild, for sure, but the more interesting information is Levy confirming a lightsaber duel in Starfighter. Many had wondered if the Jedi would appear in this film, which is set a few years after Rise of Skywalker. And while a lightsaber duel doesn’t confirm Jedi are involved, it does make it seem far more likely that some Force-wielding folk will be showing up in Starfighter.
The question now is who will be swinging those laserswords and why? Is Starfighter actually (secretly) Star Wars Episode 10, as some fans have wildly speculated? Or will two people who have no history with a lightsaber be fighting in a swamp? Is Rey showing up in this movie? We’ll have to wait until next year to find out. Let’s hope Tom Cruise is a good cameraman.
