Ryan Gosling's Star Wars Movie Announcement And More At The Mandalorian & Grogu Panel At Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 - Live Blog

I am seated at the Makuhari Messe's Celebration Stage on this beautiful morning in Tokyo with the the warmth of ramen I had last night still soothing my soul. A ton of fans are already seated as a DJ hypes up the audiences.

I can't wait to learn about the first Star Wars movie since Rise of Skywalker! We've loved seeing The Mandalorian with our Disney+ subscription, but this going to be a whole new experience. Stay tuned as attendees continue to take their seats and the whole thing officially starts at the top of the hour...

OK, cell phones and a rainbow of lightsabers are up to the sound of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" blasting as we wait for the panel to begin. The host is getting everyone fist bumping and getting energized. It's almost time!!

The panel has opened with a clip of Princess Leia doing her "Only Hope" monologue as a montage plays featuring Luke, Mando, Rey, Ahsoka, Anakin Padmé, Cassian, Yoda, Darth Vader and such as our wristbands glow. Star Wars Celebration sure can hype up a crowd. I'm in my feels about Star Wars already.

R2D2 and C3PO are on stage, people! They've come to greet the crowd in Japanese and introduce Dave Filoni and Kathleen Kennedy! The audience gave them a warm standing ovation before Kennedy thanked attendees for being the "best fans in the galaxy"!

Filoni also pointed out how Japan was of course a huge inspiration for George Lucas, making it the perfect setting for this year's celebration. This is the first time it's been in Japan since 2008 during the sixth celebration.

Kathleen Kennedy is now speaking to the "numerous" films Star Wars is working on, from Filoni, along with directors Simon Kinberg, Taika Waititi, James Mangold and more. But wait, now she's introducing Deadpool and Wolverine director (and future Star Wars filmmaker) Shawn Levy to the stage!! What a huge surprise. Looks like we're getting more than The Mandalorian And Grogu out of this panel.

Levy has announced they are shooting his Star Wars movie THIS FALL. He's calling it a "standalone adventure" that takes place a few years after the events of episode 9! The attendees reacted to that with a big "OHH" from the crowd. Here's one thing he said to the crowd:

"[Kathleen Kennedy] and I sort of talked for a while about, well, maybe there's a movie we could work on together. And I remember in August of 2022, I got a call that I'll never forget. Kathy said, let's do it. And so we started developing a movie and it was wide open as to what it would be."

It's definitely exciting to hear about the new era of Star Wars is well on its way to emerging after the franchise mostly taking place on Disney+ in recent years.

Levy mentioned that their have been rumors that Ryan Gosling is in his movie which first circulated in January. And low and behold: RYAN GOSLING is on stage! The actor received a standing ovation while wearing a "Never Tell Me The Odds" baseball cap. He also sweetly shared a photo from his mom of his Star Wars bedsheets from childhood that she somehow still has. Clearly the actor has been a longtime fan of the franchise.

Gosling says the movie is a "great story with original characters" and praises Levy, adding that he doesn't think there is "a more perfect filmmaker than Shawn." Levy also jumped in to clarify it's not a sequel and it will not be attached to the sequel films.

Now we have a title: Star Wars: Starfighter. And, it's coming to theaters on May 28, 2027. We got a first look at the logo at the panel. Here it is:

OK, after that bombshell... we're moving to The Mandalorian and Grogu with Jon Favreau now joining Kennedy and Filoni ton stage to talk about the 2026 release.

Sigourney Weaver and Pedro Pascal are on stage now! Pascal shared that he's not at all surprised that The Mandalorian is such a hit. He knew it would be a big deal since he was first introduced to the TV show's storyboards.

The audience really embraced Weaver when she arrived, and she's really taken aback. There's a photo on the screen of her on set in a rebel pilot outfit and some droids. She said that while she hadn't seen the series while it was coming out, Favreau asked her to watch it and Grogu "stole" her heart.

Favreau brought on Grogu on stage next (yay, my wish came true!) Now that all the main stars are on stage (except for the rumored Jeremy Allen White), they are going to show first footage now.

The footage was KILLER! Favreau said they aren't quite ready to release a trailer yet, but that felt close to one. It started with an epic fight sequence with Mando in brand new all black armor before cutting to more scenes from the film.

Guys, there was much Grogu, be still my heart. In one moment Mando flew through the air with him in his arms and there was quite a few moments of him using the Force. Sigourney Weaver's character looks like she's not having any of Din Djarin's antics, calling his style "messy" in one scene before looking a bit bothered by Grogu in another. One standout element of it all was seeing the return of the AT-AT in a snowy scene. The movie is set to hit theaters on May 22, 2026.

That's all for the panel. I'm running to a press line next with the cast, so stay tuned for exclusive interviews along with more panel live blogs with Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Dave Filoni, Jon Favreau and more to break down what we just saw.