STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER Budget Revealed, And It's Already Higher Than THE FORCE AWAKENS
Disney is spending some serious money to bring Ryan Gosling into the Star Wars universe, and the price tag for Star Wars: Starfighter is already pretty insane.
The upcoming sci-fi adventure has reportedly cost more than Star Wars: The Force Awakens did at the same stage of production, giving us an idea of just how much Lucasfilm is investing in its next big theatrical release.
According to a new report from Forbes, Starfighter had already racked up $226.5 million in production costs by the time filming wrapped. That figure comes from financial filings covering expenses through January 31, 2026, and it doesn't even represent the movie's final budget. There's still post-production and plenty of visual effects work to account for.
For comparison, The Force Awakens, which eventually became the most expensive Star Wars movie ever made, had spent less at a similar point in production.
There's some good news for Disney's bean counters, though. The production qualified for a $51.5 million reimbursement through the UK's film tax incentive program, bringing its net spending so far down to approximately $175 million. Even with that financial break, this is one expensive trip to a galaxy far, far away.
The big question is whether that investment will pay off. Disney and Lucasfilm have spent years announcing Star Wars movies that have struggled to make it into production. Projects such as Star Wars: New Jedi Order, which would bring back Rey, and James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi remain in various stages of development, with no confirmed theatrical release dates.
Meanwhile, Starfighter is moving forward with a May 28, 2027 release date, and the studio needs a win after The Mandalorian and Grogu disappointed at the box office earlier this year.
Fortunately, Starfighter has some promising things going for it. Gosling is an great choice to lead a Star Wars movie, and he's teaming up with director Shawn Levy, who previously delivered the massive Marvel hit Deadpool & Wolverine. The two reportedly hit it off so well working together that they're also developing Marvel's upcoming Ghost Rider movie as a team.
The story also takes place roughly five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, giving the filmmakers an opportunity to explore what happened to the galaxy following the sequel trilogy.
Rather than returning to the Skywalker family drama or focusing on the Jedi, Starfighter is heading in a different direction with new characters and a standalone adventure. That's something I'd love to see more of from Lucasfilm. There's an entire galaxy filled with interesting possibilities, and not every adventure needs to revolve around the same familiar characters.
Of course, spending hundreds of millions of dollars doesn't automatically guarantee a great movie. Star Wars fans have strong opinions about where the franchise should go next, and winning everyone over is practically impossible.
Still, Disney clearly sees Starfighter as an important part of the franchise's future, and the combination of Gosling, Levy, and a fresh story has plenty of potential.
Now it's up to the movie to deliver something worth that massive investment. Hopefully, Lucasfilm has something awesome planned that reminds audiences why they fell in love with Star Wars in the first place.
Star Wars: Starfighter hits theaters May 28, 2027.