Shawn Levy Compares Experience Making ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’

Shawn Levy is not taking a break anytime soon, as he has moved on from Stranger Things and is currently entering post-production on his upcoming Star Wars film, Starfighter. Levy is known for his work in large-scale franchise productions, but in his own words, he doesn’t intend to focus on “franchise expectation.” The director compares both worlds, confirming that while they’re based on “spectacle and scale,” he has made sure to “stay rooted” in what matters most: the characters.

As he juggles two of the most important film and TV franchises in recent history, Star Wars and Stranger Things, Levy had the chance to speak to The Hollywood Reporter. While the Netflix series has wrapped up, there’s more to come, and Levy means to stay involved. “Nothing is more priority for me than Stranger Things,” the director says of the wildly successful phenomenon. However, his immediate future also includes Star Wars: Starfighter, the Ryan Gosling spin-off that we should not address as a remake or a sequel. When comparing both productions, Levy offers great insight into what he learned while making the TV series:

“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. 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: 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.”

Shawn Levy Continues His ‘Stranger Things’ Journey With ‘Tales From ’85’

A still from ‘Stranger Things: Tales from ’85’

Netflix

Although fans of the Netflix fantasy horror hit saw their favorite show end a few days ago, things are far from over in the Stranger Things universe. Not only is the show getting its own animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, but Levy teased a live-action spin-off “that the Duffers have started to allude to.” However, the director is now focusing on Tales from ’85, which will be produced by the Duffers and Levy:

“I’m excited. You’re not getting a watered-down continuation of the show you’ve watched and loved. You’re getting a different tone, a different visual style. It’s filling in blanks of mythology and timeline that you’ve never gotten in what we call ‘the mothership,’ the original show. The Duffers loved a certain style of ’80s and ’90s all-family audience animation and cartoons, and this show is made in the spirit of that. So it’s not ‘Stranger Things, but animated,’ it’s very much its own tone and style.

“I have so many projects coming up, but nothing takes precedent. I made three movies while we’ve made five seasons of Stranger Things, but it has been my North Star and imperative to be there for the show; to be there for the Duffers and for this cast and Netflix, whenever and however Stranger Things needs me, and that’s going to be the law that I live by as long as Stranger Things exists.”