Lucasfilm has announced that it is developing three new Star Wars movies, and while one of them will see the return of Rey Skywalker, once again played by Daisy Ridley, not everyone seems to think it was a great idea. In a post with over 2,000 comments on the official Star Wars subreddit, fans of the franchise have voiced their concerns over the project, with some calling Rey’s return a polarizing one based on how her character was written and portrayed in Disney’s sequel trilogy, which, apparently, comprises “some of the worst movies ever made.” Others remain cautiously optimistic, and while at least one poster has recommended that a restraining order be placed on J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm has confirmed that the new movie is being directed by Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face). Ridley’s latest credited project on IMDb is a feature titled Sometimes I Think About Dying.
“As you can see by all the television we’ve been doing, we’re exploring a lot of different storylines. This really spawns from what George Lucas said years ago, that he created Star Wars to move forward and backward along a mythological timeline,” Kennedy said. “Now we’re looking to broaden that timeline, building a rich future, expanding upon the present, going deep into the past to tell our stories, and we’re thrilled to be working with some of the best and most passionate filmmakers on projects that will span the past, the present, and the future.”
From a Star Wars post:
[…] during Lucasfilm’s Studio Showcase at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced that three new live-action Star Wars films are on the way. Helming the movies are James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), and Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face).
James Mangold’s movie will go back to the dawn of the Jedi, while Dave Filoni’s will focus on the New Republic, and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s film will be set after the events of Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, and feature Daisy Ridley back as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order.
From an IGN interview (via Variety):
“Well we’re 15 years out from ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ so we’re post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray,” Kennedy confirmed. “There’s a lot of discussion around, ‘Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What’s the state of the galaxy?’ She’s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that’s where we’re going.”
As for whether Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker could be involved in the film via flashbacks or as a Force ghost, Kennedy said: “I don’t know if we’ll spend a lot of time in flashbacks or [on] Force ghosts or things like that, but certainly, the spirit of what he represents to her is going to be significant.”
Welcome home, Daisy. #StarWarsCelebration pic.twitter.com/9wIpKdicbe
— Star Wars (@starwars) April 7, 2023