This past April, Lucasfilm made quite a splash at Star Wars Celebration 2023 by announcing three new Star Wars films set in three all-new eras of storytelling. One of those films will be set following the events of the sequel trilogy and will see Daisy Ridley reprise her role as Rey who will be attempting to resurrect the Jedi Order. While there have been no official updates on the film from Lucasfilm’s new CCO, Dave Filoni, Ridley gave some insight into the film in an interview with Collider.
“I’m very excited. The story is really cool. I’m waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don’t have any other updates. It’s not what I expected, but I’m very excited,” said Ridley who explained that she was “shitting” herself ahead of her appearance at Star Wars Celebration 2023, “because no one knew I was going to that.“
The New Jedi Order film began as a top-secret project co-written by Lost and HBO’s Watchmen Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson, who left the project in the Spring of 2023, just a few months after Lucasfilm had hired Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to direct it. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight came on to continue developing the film, allowing it to be part of Lucasfilm’s big announcement that Star Wars would finally be returning to theaters. In the Summer of 2023, Disney added two new Star Wars films to its upcoming theatrical slate (May 22nd, 2026 and December 18th, 2026) and it’s long been expected that Ridley’s Rey film, which will pick up 15 years after Star Wars: Episode IX-The Rise of Skywalker, would be the first of the trio to hit screens.
While Ridley’s not quite ready to reveal everything about her next appearance as Rey, she did reiterate that she expects it to be the film that puts Star Wars back in theaters, though she’s not quite as sure that those 2026 dates will hold in this post-strike world.
“I know the storyline for one film,” said Ridley when asked if this new film might kick off her own trilogy. “That’s not to say that that’s all it is, but that’s what I was told about,” she added. “And I imagine it will be the next film, I think. I mean, again, I don’t know, post strikes and everything, how quickly everything will start up again. But yes, so far, I know the story of one film and I think people will be very excited.“
Given the deluge of projects that are backed up at this point, there’s no certainty that any of Disney’s previously slated films will make their dates; however, their most recent update showed two Star Wars films still on the docket for 2026 and one for 2027, so Ridley may make it back to the big screen on time after all!
Source: Collider
