Tom Cruise is among the greatest film stars of all time. “Star Wars” is among the greatest film franchises of all time. Now, the 2 have lastly crossed paths. No, Cruise is not suiting up as a Jedi or a swashbuckling smuggler ala Han Solo, however he did have a small half to play within the making of “Star Wars: Starfighter,” the brand new film starring Ryan Gosling that hits theaters subsequent summer time.
In a current piece by the New York Instances providing a behind-the-scenes peek at director Shawn Levy’s new “Star Wars” film, it is revealed that Cruise, who’s coming recent off of an honorary Oscar win, popped by the set to see what Levy and the crew had been cooking up. The go to passed off in November and Cruise landed his helicopter on set, with crew reportedly blasting the “Mission: Unimaginable” theme over the loudspeakers to set the tone.
The story states that Cruise simply needed to observe, however Levy was organising a scene involving a lightsaber duel within the water. The director then jokingly advised that the “Prime Gun: Maverick” star leap behind one of many cameras, however earlier than Levy knew it, the Instances author says Cruise “was as much as his ankles in mud and pond water. He wore a glance of nice focus as he stooped over a digital digital camera, attempting to border the right shot.” Levy had this to say about it:
“Now whenever you see the film you may know that a part of it was shot by Tom. I imply, how cool is that?”
“Final week Steven Spielberg was right here. And now Tom Cruise is wielding a digital camera, ruining his very good sneakers,” Levy mentioned elsewhere within the piece. I suppose it by no means hurts to have a serving to hand from a man like Cruise.
Tom Cruise is now a small a part of the Star Wars galaxy
Levy might have been joking, however Tom Cruise took it very critically. He’s not solely an adept producer, however a real champion of cinema. It speaks volumes that he was prepared to wreck a pleasant pair of sneakers simply to assist make some film magic occur within the “Star Wars” galaxy.
“Starfighter” boasts a powerful solid led by Ryan Gosling (“Barbie), with Matt Smith (“Morbius”), Mia Goth (“X”), Aaron Pierre (“Insurgent Ridge”), and Amy Adams (“Arrival”) additionally on board, amongst others. Will probably be the second “Star Wars” film to hit theaters since 2019, following this summer time’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” which takes place in the identical universe because the beloved Disney+ TV present.
The distinction is that Shawn Levy is the primary filmmaker to take the franchise someplace new in fairly a while. Whereas plot particulars stay absolutely below wraps in the intervening time, “Starfighter” takes place 5 years after the occasions of “The Rise of Skywalker,” representing an entirely unexplored place on the general “Star Wars” timeline.
In the identical NYT article, Levy recalled a bit of recommendation he obtained from Steven Spielberg: “You direct such as you’re sitting within the viewers.” That is one thing he is making use of to a galaxy far, distant. “I’ve by no means forgotten that,” Levy mentioned. “For higher or worse, I’m making motion pictures like I might need them to feel and look and sound like if I had been sitting in that darkish theater.”
In the meantime, Lucasfilm is in a interval of transition, as Kathleen Kennedy is about to depart as president, with present Chief Artistic Officer Dave Filoni and President and Basic Supervisor of Lucasfilm Enterprise Lynwen Brennan as a consequence of succeed her.
“Star Wars: Starfighter” is about to hit theaters on Could 28, 2027.
