Star Wars icon Daisy Ridley is pausing her work on the franchise to move to…professional football.
Daisy Ridley went from a virtually unknown British actress to one of the most famous people in the world when she was cast by J.J. Abrams as Rey (later to adopt the surname Skywalker) in 2014.
She made her debut as one of the new lead actors in the Disney-owned Star Wars sequel trilogy in The Force Awakens (2015), alongside John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Adam Driver. While her character has been accused of everything from being a Mary Sue feminist stand-in to a fake Skywalker, she has become one of the more beloved elements of the sequel movies.
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That is probably why Lucasfilm has re-enlisted Daisy Ridley to star in a new Star Wars film, which is generally being referred to as New Jedi Order in the absence of an official title. The film will follow Rey as she attempts to rebuild the Jedi in the post-Rise of Skywalker (2019) galaxy, although little else is known so far.
It is fair to say that the franchise is at something of a crossroads right now, with fans becoming increasingly hostile to any new expansion of the series narrative or new elements, so it’s not really a surprise that Ridley would be brought back in.
Before she jumps back into the lightsaber game, however, Daisy Ridley has a new mission: narrating a documentary about the controversial controversial 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup (per Deadline). The documentary series, titled We Were There, will reportedly “beyond the headlines” and investigate “the remarkable human stories from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.”
Notably, the Qatar World Cup was a hot topic as soon as it was announced in 20202 because (per NPR) of “the logistics of holding a sporting event in a country where summertime temperatures regularly top 100 degrees; over allegations of bribery and corruption among FIFA officials who voted for Qatar; and over concerns about human rights abuses that have persisted in the years since.”
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It is unclear exactly why Daisy Ridley has been tagged for this particular narration duty, as she does not have a notable association with FIFA or professional football, but, hey, a job’s a job between Jedi gigs. Director Luke Mellows will helm the film, which is being produced by Tarun Thind and executive-produced by Richard Makinson.
We Were There is being backed by Qatar’s Supreme Committee, the UK-based Noah Media Group, and Host Broadcast Services, so maybe audiences shouldn’t expect too much objectivity about all the controversies.
But if Daisy Ridley can face the toxic controversies of the Star Wars fandom, she’s probably not too worried about a bunch of FIFA fans.
What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?