Daisy Ridley’s Rey Movie Isn’t Dead, but ‘Star Wars’ Has a New Priority

Few things in Hollywood test a fan base’s patience like a long-gestating sequel. When Lucasfilm announced that Ridley would return as Rey, the news came at Star Wars Celebration in April 2023. Since then, the project has spent more time in development limbo than on a soundstage.

The film, widely referred to as ‘Star Wars: New Jedi Order,’ was reported by Variety to be in development with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy directing. It was meant to jump ahead to a story set 15 years after the events of ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ with Rey training a new generation of Jedi. On paper, it was exactly the kind of next step many fans had been waiting for.

Behind the scenes, though, things kept shifting. The project went through a three-year cycle of writers, including Damon Lindelof, Steven Knight and George Nolfi, but the film never went into production. That revolving door set the stage for the latest update.

That update arrived Friday, when Star Wars Holocron posted that Ridley’s ‘New Jedi Order’ movie has not been scrapped but is reportedly on hold as Lucasfilm prioritizes ‘Star Wars: Episode X.’ In other words, the Rey film is still alive on paper, just sitting in the hangar while something else gets fueled up first.

So what is Episode X? The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Jon Watts, the director of the Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ films, has been tapped to helm the first installment of Simon Kinberg’s new trilogy, with Knight Edge Media first revealing his involvement. Watts is no stranger to the galaxy far, far away, having co-created the Disney+ series ‘Skeleton Crew’.

Kinberg isn’t a newcomer to this either. He has been working on the new trilogy since 2024, and it’s now rumored to continue the Skywalker Saga. Importantly, the report says Lucasfilm is looking for relatively unknown leads, with John Boyega and Oscar Isaac not yet confirmed for the cast.

Ridley’s role in all of this is where things get interesting. Knight Edge Media reported that she is expected to return as Rey, but in a minor role. The same report describes her as a Jedi Master in a supporting capacity, which would put Rey in a mentor position for a new generation of heroes.

The story details being floated are intriguing, too. The trilogy would reportedly begin with a murder, a princess and a new hero, pairing a royal perfectionist with an orphan implicated in a killing. If accurate, that’s a noticeably different flavor from the Jedi-rebuilding premise ‘New Jedi Order’ promised.

This also isn’t the first time Ridley’s solo outing has been parked. Leaker Daniel Richtman previously claimed in September 2024 that the movie was on hold because the script needed more work. He later said it was on hold once again, as the Shawn Levy and James Mangold films were moving forward first, though not canceled.

For now, it’s worth keeping expectations in check. Lucasfilm has not commented on the reports, and Episode X is still in development and has not received a green light from Disney. Anything about its story or casting should be treated as rumor until the studio says otherwise.

The calendar is also crowded. ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ is set to move the saga forward in May 2027, and ‘Episode X’ has no release date yet. Whatever happens next, Lucasfilm seems to be building toward a bigger, more connected plan.

As for Ridley, her standing at the studio doesn’t appear to be in question. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that she is among the most valuable big-screen assets ‘Star Wars’ has right now. Whether Rey’s story unfolds in her own movie or as part of someone else’s remains the big question.