Starfighter Composer Confirmed By Shawn Levy

Shawn Levy is ready to dive headfirst into Star Wars: Starfighter, and he’s brought in what he calls “a maestro” to create the film’s score.

During an interview with the podcast On Film…with Kevin McCarthy, the director confirmed that Thomas Newman would be the composer of Star Wars: Starfighter. Levy praised the musician’s work and spoke about how excited he is to work with the icon. Newman has also been nominated for 15 Academy Awards.

You don’t understand. If you ask me to name my favorite scores, five of the top 10 are Tom Newman: Shawshank, Road to Perdition, Nemo, American Beauty. The guy is a maestro.

Levy explained that Star Wars: Starfighter’s music needs to have a more classical vibe without copying John Williams, who composed the score for George Lucas’ original Star Wars movie. While Newman’s score may draw some inspiration from his iconic work, the director said he wanted someone capable of delivering a bold and memorable soundtrack.

I was thinking about this movie and what I need the music to be, because it wants to be sort of classically inspired. But no, it’s not gonna be remixes of Williams cues. It may be inspired by some of that, but I knew that I needed a big-hearted movie score from a composer who, like John Williams, doesn’t shy away from themes.

Levy said he reached out to Newman as a fan of his work and asked if he’d consider scoring the film. After sharing the script and explaining his vision for Star Wars: Starfighter, he agreed. The director further expressed his excitement to have someone like Newman on board.

So, I called up Tom Newman. You don’t understand, I’m a fan. And I said, ‘Hey, it’s Shawn Levy. Would you ever consider—?’ And he said, ‘Send me the script, and describe your vision.’ And I did both those things, and it was yes. And I’m so stoked. … I’m so excited about it.

Star Wars: Starfighter is its own entity, separate from the Skywalker films. It takes place five years after Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The film is written by Jonathan Tropper and features Ryan Gosling, Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Flynn Gray, and Amy Adams.

Star Wars: Starfighter will be released in theaters on May 28, 2027.