If there is one thing that is for sure, it is that Shawn Levy’s no stranger to science-fiction.
The Quebec producer and director began his career as a comedy director, and from 2002 to 2010 he helmed numerous box office successes in the genre such as Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Date Night, and the first two entries in the Night at the Museum.
Levy’s first foray into science-fiction, then, is the 2011 Hugh Jackman vehicle Real Steel, and in the years since he has directed Ryan Reynolds-led genre features Free Guy (2021) The Adam Project (2022), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), the latter of which is admittedly a superhero movie, but it nonetheless contains prominent sci-fi elements. He also produced The Watch (2012), Arrival (2016) – which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Picture –, The Darkest Minds (2018), Kin (2018), and Crater (2023), not to mention he served as both a producer and a director on Stranger Things throughout its five-season run from 2016 to 2025.
That is quite the résumé, and this is all without mentioning that Levy is currently working on Star Wars: Starfighter, which entered post-production in December 2025. With a release date of May 28th, 2027, it will be the second feature film in the Star Wars universe since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with The Mandalorian and Grogu nearing its May 22nd release, though Starfighter will be the first feature to be set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, not to mention it is led by Ryan Gosling, with a stellar supporting cast that includes Matt Smith, Mia Goth, Aaron Pierre, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams.
Even though Star Wars: Starfighter’s release is still a year away, Levy has already settled on his subsequent project, and yet another science-fiction feature at that, as it has been confirmed that he will be directing Somewhere Out There for Netflix, who acquired the rights after a bidding war over the spec script written by Max Taxe. Levy will also produce the feature alongside longtime production partner Dan Levine under then banner of their company 21 Laps.
Taxe’s brand of writing falls under what THR has deemed “emotional sci-fi,” having already written the 2022 film Moonshot, which injected romantic comedy into its science-fiction foundation. Somewhere Out There is seemingly no different, as reports point to a narrative akin to previous Shawn Levy projects such as Arrival and The Adam Project, with the synopsis describing a film about “a grieving father who, after losing his wife, sends a message out into the stars…and something out there starts to talk back.”
Of course, the project is in its early stages, as Somewhere Out There seemingly lacks a finalized script, in addition to Levy being busy with post-production and promotion for Star Wars: Starfighter for the next year. Nonetheless, there are reportedly already several major actors already circling the lead role of the grieving father, and do not be at all surprised if one of Levy’s frequent collaborators, such as Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, or even his latest muse, Ryan Gosling, land the part.