It’s crazy to think that Star Wars, once the epitome of sci-fi spectacle at the multiplex, has effectively become a straight-to-TV streaming franchise over the past seven years. Sure, there has been the occasional highlight during the series’ Disney+ tenure—with its tonal gear shift towards high-concept political thrills, quality evocative of the best prestige dramas, and a timely anti-fascist bent, Andor courted Emmys and critical acclaim. But for the most part, it has faltered under the weight of gluttonous universe expansion, the product of a constellation of mid spin-offs, and flagrant nostalgia grabs.

This extended small screen nadir, coupled with the fact that the last movie, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, is widely considered the series’ theatrical low point, has left Star Wars in a weird place. But there’s hope on the horizon: enter box office king Ryan Gosling, reliable studio director Shaun Levy, and Star Wars: Starfighter, which swoops into cinemas next May.

While it won’t be the first Star Wars movie to hit the multiplex since episode nine—that will be next month’s The Mandalorian and Grogu starring Pedro Pascal (and, of course, Baby Yoda), which has been projected to make a respectable $100 million debut on its opening weekend—it does feel like the likelier candidate to reassert the franchise’s erstwhile status as a galaxy-sized box office behemoth. For one, it isn’t a spin-off from a TV spin-off, which in itself carries a sense of restricted scale. More importantly, it’s a fresh story made for cinemas first, with one of Hollywood’s biggest, smiliest, most classically moulded movie stars, who helped take Greta Gerwig’s Barbie to the moon, and has just had his own massive sci-fi hit in March’s Project Hail Mary. The list of actors who can alone bring butts to seats is infinitesimally short in 2026, but if anyone can do it, it’s The Gos.

As for Starfighter itself, details remain pretty scant, as will likely remain the case for some time, the right move for building anticipation and preserving intrigue. (You might’ve expected the fan con Star Wars Celebration to include a bigger reveal, but Disney are skipping the event in 2026.) What we do know is that it’ll pick up five years after The Rise of Skywalker, which saw the heroes of the Star Wars sequel trilogy finally overthrow the First Order and the Sith, or at least until Palpatine somehow returns again. “In a rebuilding galaxy, a solitary pilot becomes entangled in a crucial mission as new threats emerge,” reads the film’s logline on IMDb. “Their journey may alter the future of the Force itself.” This isn’t much to go on, but does seem to indicate a return to the huge existential stakes—and appropriately IMAX scale—befitting of a space opera. Other cast members include newcomer Flynn Gray, plus Matt Smith, Mia Goth, and Aaron Pierre, though all of their characters are yet to be disclosed.

“There are many rumors, some true, some not,” said Levy at last year’s Star Wars Celebration in Japan, per an article in Deadline. “This is not a prequel, this is not a sequel. It’s a new adventure.” Gosling himself also appeared at the event, and further emphasized the original nature of the film: “[It’s] such a great story with great and original characters,” with “so much heart and adventure.” The whole enterprise has the obvious air of a cinematic reboot, signposting an awareness of the series’ present doldrums. Will it be the blockbuster needed to reinvigorate the force on the big screen? We’ll find out when it opens on May 28 next year.

This story originally appeared in British GQ.