Mikey Madison, fresh off her Oscar win for Anora, has reportedly turned down a role in the next big Star Wars movie, yes, the one that’s set to star Ryan Gosling and be directed by Shawn Levy.
According to Variety, Madison was offered a significant part in the untitled project currently in development at Lucasfilm, but passed on the opportunity. The reason behind the decision hasn’t been made public, but the timing is notable. Madison, 26, is riding a major career high after beating out Demi Moore at this year’s Academy Awards, and it looks like she’s being selective about her next moves.
The Star Wars film in question has been in the works since 2022, with Levy teaming up with his The Adam Project co-writer Jonathan Tropper. While details about the plot and characters are tightly under wraps, Levy has previously made it clear that his take won’t rely on previous timelines or try to shoehorn itself into existing Star Wars canon.
“I don’t want to do a Star Wars movie that is redundant,” Levy said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast last year. “Nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie.” Instead, his focus is on character, tone, and the kind of emotional pull that defined the originals, think Return of the Jedi vibes, not just another cameo-filled nostalgia trip.
He doubled down in a piece for Esquire, recalling how he felt watching Luke Skywalker go head-to-head with Darth Vader in that iconic throne room scene: “The forty seconds of stillness from the audience, then the spectacle and emotion, is seared not just in my eyeballs but in my heart.”
Given the creative freedom Levy’s been granted and Gosling’s star power, this film could be a standout in the galaxy far, far away. That’s what makes Madison’s decision all the more intriguing. Is she holding out for a lead in a character-driven indie? Does she have her eyes on prestige dramas? Or is she just being careful not to get swallowed by a franchise at the height of her artistic breakout?
Madison isn’t the first high-profile actor to pass on a Star Wars opportunity, but she might be one of the most talked about in recent memory. With the franchise slowly pivoting away from legacy stories and toward more standalone originals, her absence from Levy’s film will be noticed, especially if it turns into another blockbuster moment.
For now, fans will have to wait and see who ends up stepping into the role she turned down. Meanwhile, Madison’s next steps will be watched just as closely, because when you say “no” to Star Wars, you better be saying “yes” to something big.
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