Credit: LucasfilmDaisy Ridley has spoken out amid production challenges for her upcoming Star Wars movie.
It was back in the spring of 2023 that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy revealed that Daisy Ridley would be coming back to the galaxy far, far away for a new movie set decades after the events of Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The announcement at Star Wars Celebration was met with rapturous applause, but still, almost two years on, no clear details have been uncovered.
The project was expected to be one of the first out of the gate, but that all changed in January 2024 when Lucasfilm pivoted to the Mando-Verse and announced The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) from Jon Favreau.
Over the last year, there have been conflicting reports as to whether this new feature film–which drops May 2, 2026–will replace the fourth season of The Mandalorian or just act as a new installment in Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Din Grogu’s journey.
Another slot was carved out for Disney and Star Wars release in December 2026, which many presumed would be for the Rey Skywalker movie. However, after numerous reports of script troubles and development woes, as well as a rotating list of screenplay writers (the latest is George Nolfi), that slot was handed to 20th Century Studios’ Ice Age 6 (2026).
All that to say, outside of The Mandalorian and Grogu, Kathleen Kennedy’s studio has no other footprint on the release calendar. It’s not for lack of projects, though.
From James Mangold’s “biblical” epic set 25,000 years in the past and Shawn Levy’s standalone that may or may not star Ryan Gosling to Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron and Dave Filoni’s Mando-Verse crossover, there are plenty of movies in motion. Fans just wish the future was a little more stable.
2019’s The Rise of Skywalker may have been the last time fans saw Rey on the big screen, but it doesn’t mean Lucasfilm hasn’t been interested in bringing her back. The defunct Damon Lindelof movie wanted to center on an older Rey, potentially played by Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren, while recent comments from executives place Rey as the most valuable cinematic asset in the Star Wars franchise.
So with George Nolfi on board, will Rey’s movie finally gain momentum? Daisy Ridley herself recently spoke out on the production, giving insight to what it’s like being on the other side of moviemaking.
“I don’t know that I’d be a producer on it, but I certainly have been very involved,” the actress told Collider. “I’m involved in, well, not very involved, but I’m involved in as much as I know what’s going on, I know the story, I know what’s going on with the script, so I’m aware of all that.”
“And I think what’s been really wonderful over the last few years is being more involved from the start to finish, really coming to set knowing this is the absolute best way we can tell this story,” she continued.
“These are the best actors for the job. This is the best crew for the job. Having that confidence is so lovely. And it’s not that I didn’t have that before, but I’m much more cognizant of it now. So in that way, I’m looking forward to turning up, really knowing the ins and outs of what the journey has been, and we’re arriving at the absolute best place to tell this particular story.”
At one time, the so-called New Jedi Order movie starring Rey Skywalker was presumed to be the tenth chapter in the Skywalker Saga–the character did, after all, take the surname in the final moments of The Rise of Skywalker.
However, that all seemed to be upended upon the announcement that Simon Kinberg, known for some of the X-Men franchise movies, had been tapped by Lucasfilm to bring an entirely new trilogy to the saga, possibly Episodes X through XII.
The slate as it stands is troubled. Star Wars is clearly trying to claw its way back to the big screen after saturating Disney’s streaming service for the past six years. What started with The Mandalorian has grown exponentially to all corners of the Star Wars galaxy, however, as time turns on, have fans turned off?
Last year, the biggest disturbance in the Force was felt with the discourse established by Leslye Headland’s The Acolyte. The show was ultimately canceled by Disney despite setting up so many unfinished storylines.
This project was followed by Skeleton Crew, which generated far less commentary, but possibly to its detriment as it became one of the least-watched Star Wars shows on the platform. With a huge budget, this could spell disaster for its future.
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