It’s been three years since Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that Daisy Ridley would return as Rey in a new movie directed by non-fiction filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Since then, radio silence. Many believed the project was dead. I still do.
While speaking with IGN, Ridley seems to believe the project is still on, expressing excitement for it and saying the Rey movie will reward fans’ patience:
Honestly, there are scripts that I read five years ago, and now I’ve gone, ‘Oh, maybe they will actually happen. I think over the years, I’ve learned how the reality of getting any film made is so massive. The hurdles are vast . . . But with this [Rey movie], particularly, I know that incredible voices and creatives are part of it, and I know the wait will be worth it.
So, this thing is still on? Lucasfilm actually believes a Rey movie is a sound option going forward? Back in 2024, they pulled the film from the 2026 release calendar. Since then, we’ve had no updates whatsoever regarding, really, anything.
The only actual details we’ve gotten about the project are that it takes place 15 years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker,” with Rey establishing a new Jedi Order. In fact, the film is reportedly titled “New Jedi Order.”
A few writers have attempted to take a crack at the script. Various drafts have circulated, with different scribes — including Damon Lindelof and Justin Brit-Gibson — both eventually exiting the project. Steven Knight came aboard soon after, and he too left the movie. The latest update had George Nolfi (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) replacing him.
The most curious aspect of this Rey project is Obaid-Chinoy’s attachment. She once proudly exclaimed that her goal was to “make men uncomfortable,” and that it was “about time that a woman” shaped a Star Wars movie — seemingly unaware of Princess Leia?
Obaid-Chinoy’s background is in feminist non-fiction filmmaking, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that she said these things. If it’s a passion of hers, then so be it, and I’m sure she has plenty of knowledge on the topic, but Star Wars fans are primarily male, and when you say such things, they will likely be turned off from buying a ticket to see your movie.
Honestly, maybe Lucasfilm should just stop announcing all of these Star Wars projects until they are definitely happening — just my opinion. I get that the announcements are meant to make the stocks go up, but it’s not a good look and only leads to further ridicule of the brand.
It’s now been 13 years since "The Grandmaster,” and it doesn’t sound like Wong Kar-wai will be making another film in the near future. His future seems to be on the small screen.