Mikey Madison will not be joining the cast of the upcoming Star Wars film being developed by director Shawn Levy. Sources familiar with the project confirmed that Madison was offered a role but has since passed on the opportunity.
The project, still untitled, is being written by Jonathan Tropper, whose credits include The Adam Project and This Is Where I Leave You. Levy is set to direct and produce through his 21 Laps banner, working in collaboration with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. Ryan Gosling remains attached to star.
Levy’s involvement with the film dates back to late 2022. The film is expected to operate outside the timeline of the Skywalker saga, with no direct connections to previous mainline entries. Further plot details have not been released.
If it moves ahead on its current production track, the Levy-directed film would follow The Mandalorian & Grogu, the only Star Wars theatrical title in active development to complete principal photography since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. That film is scheduled to premiere on May 22, 2026.
Madison’s decision arrives just weeks after she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Sean Baker’s Anora. The role was a significant turning point in her career and marked the first time she was cast without an audition.
Speaking on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast before the ceremony, Madison reflected on her earlier years. “I was scrolling through my Dropbox the other day and saw hundreds of auditions I’ve done — so many hours of work,” she said. “But then, everything that came after was extremely difficult.”
Baker, who directed and co-wrote Anora, said he first became interested in Madison after watching her performance in Scream 5 (2022), where she played a key role in a pivotal confrontation with David Arquette’s character. “I had just made the decision to start looking for [the actress to play] Anora when we went to Scream,” Baker recalled. “We were in the theater watching — I’d already seen her in Once Upon a Time — and I was like, ‘She’s her. There’s no reason to look any further. We don’t need a casting call. No auditions.’”
Before Anora, Madison had appeared in a range of television and film projects, including FX’s Better Things, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, and the fifth installment of Scream. Her breakout moment came through a mix of dramatic range and unpredictable energy, which Baker cited as qualities that informed his casting decision.
Levy’s new film has been under close scrutiny since its initial announcement. Known for balancing large-scale projects with character-driven stories, Levy is also behind Free Guy, The Internship, and episodes of Stranger Things. His history of working with both Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds has placed the project in a high-visibility category for both fans and the industry.
While Madison will not be part of the cast, no additional casting announcements have been confirmed beyond Gosling’s involvement. Lucasfilm has not released comments on Madison’s exit or the current production timeline for the film.
