Shawn Levy Sees AI Becoming an Essential Tool for Moviemaking

Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy told Variety in late April 2026 that artificial intelligence will become essential to filmmaking, even as he has not incorporated it in any meaningful way on any production to date. The remarks, made at the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, position one of Hollywood's most commercially active directors as a close observer of AI who has not yet stepped into using it.

Not Yet, But Inevitable

Levy was direct about his current position. "To date, I've not incorporated AI in any meaningful way in any phase of my storytelling process, but I have no doubt that in the course of my career we will see its integration", he told Variety.

That studied distance is deliberate. He described spending part of every day increasing his "fluency around the regulatory options surrounding AI", treating governance and compliance as prerequisites to adoption rather than obstacles.

Responsible Integration, Not Replacement

Levy framed future AI adoption around preserving the director's voice rather than accelerating output. "It's about integrating these technologies responsibly and with still the primacy of the creative voice and not a potential replacement for that voice", he said.

He was equally firm that avoiding AI entirely is not an option. "I think to hide our heads in the sand and pretend that it's not going to be an essential part of our lives", he told Variety, "I think that would be naive and foolish".

The Star Wars Context

Levy is currently directing Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, Amy Adams, and Matt Smith, with a May 28, 2027 release. His comments on AI land in the middle of one of the most technically demanding productions in the current Hollywood slate.

A director managing that scale of production has direct exposure to where AI tools are already being used, including in visual effects pipelines, post production color and lighting work, and data management on set, even before deciding to adopt them in his own creative workflow.

A Distinct Position Among Directors

Steven Soderbergh is already using AI extensively in post production on his current project with Wagner Moura, describing it as "just another tool". Kathleen Kennedy has drawn a sharper line, questioning whether AI can absorb the taste and lived experience that define a filmmaker's judgment. George Miller has embraced the technology outright, comparing its cultural moment to the Renaissance.

Levy holds a fourth position: he has studied AI seriously, expects to use it, and is preparing through regulatory research rather than production trial. He has directed seven theatrical releases since 2021 and counts a major Star Wars film among his current commitments. That combination of output and caution is uncommon at his level of the industry.

Filmmakers who want to explore the generation and enhancement tools Levy is studying can access them through the AI FILMS Studio video workspace.

---

Sources

Variety | The Hollywood Reporter | WDW News Today | Jedi News