On June 3, 2026, producer Shawn Levy floated a crossover between Backrooms and Star Wars, after shepherding the Backrooms feature through 21 Laps with director Kane Parsons. The idea drew swift backlash on social media, with critics arguing that merging a minimalist, liminal-space horror and a grand space opera rooted in the Force would strip both of their defining strengths.
On June 3, 2026, Shawn Levy told Vanity Fair he fancied a meeting between the liminal dread of Backrooms and the sweeping myth of Star Wars. The producer behind the hit Backrooms film, made with director Kane Parsons via 21 Laps, likely expected curiosity; he got a social media pile-on. Fans and critics bristled at the clash of creative DNA, pitting minimalist, intimate horror against an operatic galaxy of Force, creatures and spectacle. The uproar fits a broader fatigue with Hollywood’s franchise sprawl, where mashing worlds for scale risks dissolving the very mystery that made Backrooms work in the first place.
Shawn Levy sparks debate with crossover proposal
Some ideas light up the internet the second they’re spoken aloud. This is the case with a comment from Shawn Levy, who on June 3, 2026 told Vanity Fair he’s intrigued by a mashup of Star Wars and Backrooms. Levy’s company 21 Laps produced the Kane Parsons horror hit, which surged at the box office this spring. The notion of folding its liminal dread into galactic mythmaking set off swift skepticism.
Why fans are raising alarms
Backrooms works because it stays small: fluorescent hum, endless corridors, a mind gnawed by silence. Star Wars thrives by going wide, trading in myth, starships, and destinies shaped by the Force. Many fans argue that merging these modes would blunt both edges. The fear is simple. Backrooms loses its suffocating intimacy, while Star Wars forfeits its velocity and operatic scope.
A reflection of Hollywood’s franchise obsession
The suggestion arrives amid a well-worn studio reflex to stitch everything into a shared universe. Audiences have rewarded cross-pollination before, but the returns can flatten texture. Backrooms built its profile on ambiguity, letting absence do the talking. Grafting in legacy lore risks turning that negative space into exposition. The critique echoes recent pushback to brand extensions that treat surprise as a cameo, not a choice.
Shawn Levy says he’d “love” to see a ‘Backrooms’ x ‘Star Wars’ crossover:
“I can’t help but be captivated by a ‘Backrooms’ x ‘Star Wars’ mashup—and luckily, I’ve got a little involvement in both so I’ll see what I can do” pic.twitter.com/d1HwLMxN65
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) June 3, 2026
Shawn Levy would love to see a ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Star Wars’ crossover
“I can’t help but be captivated by a ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Star Wars’ mashup … luckily, I’ve got a little involvement in both, so I’ll see what I can do”
(via @vanityfair) pic.twitter.com/cFK6pbGmT5
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) June 3, 2026
— . (@MemphisGoblin) June 3, 2026
The price of chasing shared universes
There is a creative cost to every crossover. When mystery drives terror, introducing named orders, galactic factions, or Force mechanics can feel like turning on the lights. Conversely, shrinking Star Wars to beige corridors would mute its heroic sweep and visual momentum. Levy does have a practical bridge, given 21 Laps’ role on Backrooms and the Disney footprint around Star Wars via Lucasfilm, but practical is not the same as persuasive.
What a workable middle ground could look like
If the idea ever advanced, a lighter-touch approach might fare better. For example, Backrooms could nod to cosmic phenomena without importing canon characters, while Star Wars could flirt with liminal horror in a self-contained thriller episode. In addition to fan misgivings, the box office glow around Parsons’ film argues for patience. Let each world breathe, then experiment at the edges rather than at the core.