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Credit: LucasfilmFor all the uncertainty surrounding Lucasfilm’s return to theaters, one idea refuses to fade quietly into hyperspace.
Over six years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker closed out the Skywalker Saga, speculation is once again orbiting Rey and Ben Solo — and it looks like the studio could finally be preparing to confront the franchise’s most divisive relationship head-on.
That possibility matters because Star Wars has spent the better part of the past half-decade avoiding its own cinematic future. Following the backlash to Episode IX, Lucasfilm pivoted sharply toward streaming on Disney+, focusing on stabilizing the brand rather than pushing it forward.
The result was the MandoVerse, a television-first expansion launched by The Mandalorian and later broadened through titles like Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett.
That era now appears to be winding down. The next major release, The Mandalorian & Grogu, arrives in May, with Pedro Pascal returning as Din Djarin — at least vocally, with the character rarely taking off his helmet (and Pascal rarely on the physical set as a result).
According to industry insider Daniel Richtman (via Patreon), the film and Ahsoka Season 2 could effectively close the MandoVerse chapter.
This follows a rather lukewarm response to The Mandalorian Season 4, the quiet cancellation of its fourth season, and a general lack of hype for The Mandalorian & Grogu within the fandom, leaving Lucasfilm with a more pressing question about its theatrical identity.
Rey, Ben Solo, and the Story Lucasfilm Keeps Avoiding
In many ways, that question has already been answered — even if the studio hasn’t said so explicitly.
Other than Shawn Levy’s upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter, the project furthest along in development remains Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey, first confirmed at Star Wars Celebration 2023. Set 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, the film reportedly follows Rey as she rebuilds the Jedi Order.
Development has been uneven. Three writers have exited the Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy–directed project, fueling concerns about direction and creative cohesion.
Still, Ridley has struck an optimistic tone while promoting We Bury the Dead.
“I am six years older. I am in a different moment. I think the story will be wonderful,” Ridley told ComicBook. “I think the wait will be worthwhile. I think it will be a discovery, as all roles are, of where Rey is when we meet her again.”
Those comments alone would not normally spark renewed Reylo speculation. But a recent moment on The Drew Barrymore Show has many convinced that Ben Solo will star in Rey’s standalone Jedi film.
After discussing Ben Solo’s sacrifice and the divisive Reylo kiss in Episode IX, Barrymore asked where their story could possibly go next.
Ridley’s response was brief and noncommittal.
“Mm-hmm.”
The Clues Fans Can’t Ignore
Adam Driver’s return has not been announced. Yet, late last year, the actor acknowledged interest in continuing Ben Solo’s story after championing a standalone project titled The Hunt for Ben Solo, which Disney ultimately scrapped amid confusion from Disney CEO Bob Iger on how the character survived.
(Yes, this is the same Star Wars franchise that used the line “somehow, Palpatine returned,” but we digress.)
With both that project and the Rey film encountering turbulence, some fans believe the solution may be consolidation.
“The Hunt for Ben Solo was cancelled because it’s being mixed with the New Jedi Order as a single film,” theorized one X user.
Another said, “It really seems like the rey movie is going to be the ben solo movie repackaged with this promo.”
tell me ben solo is in the rey movie without telling me ben solo is in the re movie
tell me ben solo is in the rey movie without telling me ben solo is in the re movie https://t.co/HxwCVVeA6E
— vault dweller sophie (@ivyreys) January 6, 2026
Ridley has remained guarded about what she knows. “I hear things,” she told The Hollywood Reporter about The Hunt for Ben Solo in December. “I’ve got my ear to the ground.”
Reylo, however, remains deeply polarizing. Critics argue the pairing undermines Star Wars’ moral clarity, given Kylo Ren’s history of patricide (RIP Han Solo), mass violence, and allegiance to the dark side.
Just a few red flags, then.
Others see the dynamic as emblematic of the sequel trilogy’s larger issues — rushed arcs, uneven emotional development, and storytelling driven more by spectacle than cohesion.
Yet demand persists. Reylo fan fiction has crossed into mainstream publishing, most notably with “The Hurricane Wars” and “The Love Hypothesis,” both of which began as fan works on AO3.
The latter is now being adapted for film, starring Daisy Ridley’s husband, Tom Bateman, in a role inspired by Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren.
Would you like to see Rey and Ben Solo reunite in a Star Wars film?