Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy has clarified the origins of the two production photos that were shared with the public. Speaking during a new interview, Levy explained how the images came about during spontaneous moments on set.

Shawn Levy explains two Star Wars: Starfighter photos

Shawn Levy has offered some new information about the first images shared from the sets of Star Wars: Starfighter. 

Speaking during a recent episode of On Film… with Kevin McCarthy, the director clarified that the images were unscripted moments on set involving Ryan Gosling and young co-star Flynn Gray. He explained the first photo was captured while the team was shooting on the Mediterranean Sea. Meanwhile, the second was taken beside a speeder inside a garage set.

According to Levy, neither setup was arranged in advance. He said, “But the weird thing about those photos, someone asked me like, ‘Is Lucasfilm and Disney extra controlling with Star Wars?’ What’s weird is neither photo was planned.”

The director recalled looking over during a camera test and seeing an image that struck him as memorable. He said, “Both were literally one was at the camera test, and the other was we’re shooting at sea, and it was just two spontaneous moments where I looked up, and I was like, ‘Wait, wait, that is an awesome image. Can I take a picture, you guys?’”

Expanding on this, Levy said he photographed the scene on his phone. He explained, “And I took a picture on my phone, and then I sent it to Disney, and Kathleen Kennedy was there with me. She’s on location with me, and I’m like, ‘Can I share this with the world?’”

The director also added that the images were “motivated and inspired by just looking up and seeing something that felt magic to me.”

The discussion follows Levy’s earlier Instagram post that gave audiences a glimpse of the film’s production.