Credit: LucasfilmStar Wars is expanding both on the big screen and in the streaming world, and this year sees Rey Skywalker return without Daisy Ridley.
Rey Skywalker in Star Wars
The live-action Star Wars cinematic future, at first, largely revolved around Rey Skywalker, Daisy Ridley’s trilogy heroine. But if you were hoping she’d lead the next wave of films soon, she won’t be. The Rey standalone film, expected to be the franchise’s return to the big screen and theorized to drop at the end of 2026, has reportedly been suspended. The news of the movie’s production delay came after Disney moved Ice Age 6 from 20th Century Studios into the December 2026 release slot originally set aside for a Star Wars movie.
According to reports, it’s on hold so that James Mangold’s and other projects can move forward first. In fact, while Mangold develops his movie, and no word has been made about Dave Filoni’s Mando-Verse effort, Star Wars has actually readied other films to fill the next two years: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) from Jon Favreau and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter (2027).
Yet, reports insist the Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-helmed movie is not canceled—just delayed. Another confusing element to all of this was the announcement of a Simon Kinberg-produced new trilogy set outside the Skywalker Saga, anticipated to be Episodes X through XII.
In the meantime, Lucasfilm has confirmed that “The Jaws of Jakku”, a new Rey-centric prequel-sequel, will drop in late 2025 in audiobook form on Audible. This narrative bridges Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker (2019), casting Rey, Finn, and BB-8 back onto Jakku–where she must face her past and help a young girl in danger, navigating hidden tunnels and gnaw-jaws beneath shifting sands. Rey’s story is still central, even if her cinematic future languishes.
Star Wars Highlights New Rey Actress
Star Wars is once again playing in multiple dimensions, and as usual, none of the paths are quite what fans expected. On one front, Lucasfilm is rolling out a fresh LEGO take on the galaxy with LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy–Pieces of the Past, introducing a bold new villain who wields dual purple sabers.
In Pieces of the Past, Lucasfilm has introduced the enigmatic new dark-side figure: Master Solitus, voiced by Dan Stevens. Solitus enters as an established force–a fallen Jedi who now guides Tony Revolori’s Darth Rev on an even darker path.
What’s especially playful here is that this isn’t canon–it’s a LEGO alternate reality. Yet that doesn’t prevent the story from riffing on serious lore. Solitus wields dual purple lightsabers (seemingly a nod to Mace Windu’s violet blade) instead of the usual reds, which opens speculative threads about lightsaber mythos and crystal alignment. He is introduced as the “Master Dev’s always been looking for,” even if that “Master” has far more emotional baggage than pure purpose.
Also returning are the familiar voices: Ashley Eckstein will reprise Ahsoka (reimagined in BrickHeadz form), while Gaten Matarazzo, Bobby Moynihan, Ben Schwartz, Tony Revolori, and Ahmed Best (as Darth Jar Jar) join the fun. The four-episode series premiered on September 19, 2025, on Disney+.
In the recently released LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy–Pieces of the Past, Daisy Ridley does not reprise her role as the most recent Jedi in Star Wars. Instead, voice actress Helen Sadler takes on the part, giving fans a new take on Rey–or rather, dark Rey–an alternate version of the character that flips her familiar arc on its head. While Sadler may be new to many Star Wars viewers, she has already voiced Rey across LEGO’s expanding animated projects, making her an established choice for this turn into the brick-built Multiverse.
The decision to recast Ridley for this project has sparked questions, though the reasoning remains unclear. Some suggest this LEGO series, with its tongue-in-cheek humor and playful departures from canon, simply wasn’t a natural fit for her involvement.
What’s striking is how Lucasfilm is using the LEGO series as a sandbox for villains and tonal experimentation–a lighter, more irreverent space to push new ideas without committing them to the live-action canon. Even the darker twist of a fallen Jedi mentor feels safer in brick form. In that sense, Pieces of the Past is a cheeky what-if and a laboratory for fan reactions to narrative gambits.
At first glance, Pieces of the Past, “The Jaws of Jakku,” and the Rey film occupy different lanes–one whimsical LEGO alt-universe, the other serious cinematic continuity. But both signal Lucasfilm’s strategic posture: experiment boldly while protecting core intellectual property.
Meanwhile, Rey’s return in audiobook form keeps her narrative alive and relevant, even amid delays. Lucasfilm is carefully preserving her as a storytelling hook while it builds out the New Jedi Order slate. The postponement of her film suggests they don’t want to rush her return without narrative harmony–especially when future films may take the saga in unexpected directions.
In merging these threads, it’s worth noting how the LEGO villain shift mirrors the narrative reinventions happening on the film side. Solitus, a fallen Jedi, complicates the simple light-versus-dark binary, just as Rey’s story–in comics, prequels, and now a bridge audiobook–complicates linear framing of the Skywalker era. The themes of legacy, corruption, and reinvention run deep across both.
What to Watch For
On the Rey front, the release of “The Jaws of Jakku” will reveal how much new lore it introduces and whether it will reposition how we view The Rise of Skywalker. Will the eventual Rey film pick up threads from that audiobook or treat it as supplemental? And how tightly will future Jedi-era films tie to her presence?
Between bricks and audiobooks, what we’re seeing is Lucasfilm’s new dance: one foot in playful what-ifs, one foot in franchise continuity. And as always, the galaxy far, far away keeps fans guessing.
How do you feel about these recent Star Wars projects? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!