Where was Star Wars: Starfighter filmed? 'Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea' appears to be Sardinia
Star Wars: Starfighter
Shawn Levy wrapped Star Wars: Starfighter and headed into post-production with a single Instagram caption: "That's a wrap! Headed into #Starfighter post-production like…" Before that moment, he had marked the start of the shoot in September 2025 by sharing a photograph of Gosling and co-star Flynn Gray in costume with the Mediterranean Sea behind them. "Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea #Starfighter," he captioned it. That somewhere, it turns out, was Sardinia.
Star Wars: Starfighter opens in cinemas on May 28, 2027. It is a standalone adventure set approximately five years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, featuring all-new characters in a period of the galaxy not yet explored on screen. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings and Amy Adams, alongside villains Mia Goth and Matt Smith. The screenplay is by Jonathan Tropper.
Principal photography began in the United Kingdom, with Lucasfilm marking the occasion by unveiling the full cast.
The "Mediterranean Sea" photograph was tracked to a specific location by a French reporter operating the fan site Star Wars Boarding Pass, following their contact with a local running an Airbnb near Spiaggia Lunga beach. Using Google Earth and precise coordinates, they confirmed that filming took place at Isola Rossa in the Trinità d'Agultu e Vignola region of northern Sardinia, from September 14 to September 17, 2025. The Sardegna Film Commission confirmed Lucasfilm's use of Sardinian locations, specifically identifying Li Cossi beach and Isola Rossa as filming sites: "Among dozens of international locations, the island's cliffs, turquoise waters, and untouched shores provided an extraordinary backdrop for the saga's latest chapter."
Disney reportedly prevented locals and tourists from accessing the filming locations from September 8 to September 18. Additional filming may also have taken place near Costa Paradiso, close to Spiaggia Lunga, based on local reporting about an unspecified Disney production in the area during the same period.
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The Mediterranean location has prompted widespread speculation that Starfighter returns to Naboo – the prequel planet filmed at Lake Como and Caserta Palace in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Whether Sardinia's cliffs and turquoise waters represent Naboo, an entirely new planet or simply a galaxy that happens to look like northern Sardinia.
"I feel a profound sense of excitement and honor as we begin production on Star Wars: Starfighter," said Levy. "Star Wars shaped my sense of what story can do, how characters and cinematic moments can live with us forever."
Star Wars: Starfighter opens in cinemas on May 28, 2027.
SOURCE
Star Wars Boarding Pass / Star Wars News Net / Sardegna Film Commission / Officenaprogetti.org
CREDITS
© Lucasfilm // Photo Shawn Levy
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