A key Stranger Things creator is speaking out on how the lessons from that epic series influenced his Star Wars movie!
Shawn Levy is on the rise in Hollywood. From TV shows like Last Man Standing to hit films such as Arrival, Night at the Museum, and Deadpool & Wolverine, Levy is striking out as a writer/director with a love of sci-fi.
That includes Stranger Things, as Levy was an executive producer for the Netflix smash with the Duffer Brothers, and directed ten episodes over the course of its run. Levy spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the series and how its lessons are carrying over to his upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter movie.
“If I’ve learned anything on Stranger Things, it’s that you can get intimidated by the scale of franchise expectation. But you will lose your way if that’s your focus," the director said. "I’ve learned the need to stay rooted in character, and themes, and relationships on screen. Yes, there’s spectacle and scale, just like Stranger Things. And of course, Star Wars and Starfighter has spectacle and scale and adventure at a level I’ve never done in my whole career. But like Stranger Things, it’s also very much anchored in a human-scale character-sized story. I think that if I can balance the epic and the intimate the way the Duffers have with Stranger Things, I’ll make a movie and an original and new Star Wars adventure that can be really satisfying to fans and audiences.”
Set to premiere in May 2027, Star Wars: Starfighter is finally the “Star Wars meets Top Gun” project fans have wanted for years. Taking place years after The Rise of Skywalker, Ryan Gosling leads the cast as a New Republic pilot, showing how things have changed since the sequel trilogy wrapped up.
The film is wrapping up with a good cast of Gosling, Mia Goth, Matt Smith and Amy Adams, among others. It’s going to be a standalone Star Wars film and Levy seems set to make it work, especially with the lessons learned from Stranger Things.
Why Levy can make Star Wars: Starfighter work
One of the most daunting challenges for anyone making a Star Wars project is handling its infamously demanding fanbase. As someone already used to a massive audience with Stranger Things as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Levy is an old hand at navigating fan expectations without being overwhelmed.
While the finale of Stranger Things is still being hotly debated, many do agree that it captured the right balance between grand spectacle and the character moments fans had come to love. It didn’t lose sight of what made the show so special and heart-warming, and the focus of the finale remained on that rather than just pure special effects moments. It also delivered fantastic action moments to entertain.
That is what fans want from Star Wars, which has long been about its great characters more than the space battles. Levy does have more freedom in not needing to work in the original characters and rather showcase brand new ones in a new storyline. That eases some of the pressure on his shoulders while letting him weave in an entertaining tale.
It’s a testament to how far Levy has come as a filmmaker that fans of both Stranger Things and Star Wars are looking forward to his Starfighter film, and hoping it will be one of the best entries in this epic franchise of recent years.
Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix. Star Wars: Starfighter is set to premiere May 28, 2027.