Star Wars: Starfighter's Budget Is Fine to PLD, but Winston Sees Pressure

Star Wars: Starfighter has a big budget, and I wasn't sure what to make of the 226 million dollar figure when it came up. So I put the question to PLD and Winston, and they landed in different places. PLD thinks the number is fine for this kind of adventure. Winston thinks it backs the movie into a corner where it has to succeed.

There's other news to get to as well. The Carrie TV show has been renewed for season 2, and the Harry Potter reboot is reportedly one of the most expensive shows ever made. Starfighter's budget is where we started, though.

PLD calls 175 million after a 51 million tax credit a fine budget for Starfighter

PLD's read is that the film sits at 175 million dollars with a tax credit of 51 million. "I think it's a fine budget for this kind of adventure," he said. With Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling attached, he thinks it's good enough.

He also drew a line between Starfighter and The Mandalorian and Grogu, saying this isn't that type of film. In his view, it should be a decent enough size budget without being too extravagant or way over what it needs. With the tax credit factored in, he thinks things should be okay.

Winston thinks the high budget means Starfighter can't miss

Winston agrees the tax credit will definitely help. His concern is that with the budget still as high as it is, the film has backed itself into a corner where the movie needs to be successful.

He acknowledged that was always the case for Starfighter. But knowing the budget is that high, he thinks "they really can't miss now." When I asked whether he had anything to add, Winston said that was about everything: the main point was the credit and seeing where that goes.

Starfighter's cost raises questions about what Episode 10 will cost

Another point raised in our conversation was that this isn't the Episode 10 budget. That prompted curiosity about what Episode 10 will cost if this is the figure for the smaller adventure. Starfighter does have some name actors, and the view was that it will be interesting to see how they pull it off, and that it definitely needs to hit with that kind of budget.

There was a note of faith in the conversation too. The feeling expressed was that Star Wars will figure itself out and is too big to completely implode. That doesn't mean the people behind it don't need to focus and do what they plan to do. Starfighter still felt exciting, but anytime budgets get this big, the reaction was nervousness.

Shawn Levy's track record and a possible Episode 10 connection make the case for optimism

The case for optimism came next. Shawn Levy has done big budget filmmaking before and has had hits. The argument was that Starfighter has a lot more hype than The Mandalorian and Grogu ever had at this point in its run.

The thinking was that connecting Starfighter to Episode 10 would bring more excitement, because a Star Wars film tied to an episode could bring even casual fans back. The expectation voiced was that there will be some kind of connection towards the end. Starfighter is the first film since The Rise of Skywalker, with only TV shows in between, and it has names attached.

The budget was a little higher than expected in that view. But at 175 with a tax credit, it isn't overly extravagant for a Star Wars movie, and it feels like a normal budget for a big spectacle. There was also mention of a leaked teaser that looked epic on the screen from the small amount shown.

Episode 10, not Starfighter, framed as the real test for Star Wars

One more point came up before we moved on. With Dave Filoni taking over, the argument went, people are going to judge him on Starfighter, even though it isn't his project. The claim was that he wasn't even fully on board, considering it's another lone wolf and cub story.

The view was that Star Wars has to get past this film, and then Episode 10 will be the real determination of where things stand, a comparison was drawn to Man of Tomorrow from the DCU. Starfighter is still a big step, because a bigger budget has to bring the money back, though it's not a Clayface situation. If Starfighter isn't successful, that's a danger, with Episode 10 the real litmus test of where Star Wars is at that point.