Rey’s New Jedi Order Is Inevitable After the Latest Lucasfilm Shake-Up

The future of Star Wars may be in motion but I’m convinced Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order movie is more inevitable than ever before. Three years ago, Star Wars Celebration returned to London for an experience that was absolutely unforgettable. The real highlight was an epic presentation that revealed Lucasfilm’s future plans, as the studio unveiled projects spanning the entire Star Wars timeline. The atmosphere was electric when Daisy Ridley stepped on to the stage, set to star in a “New Jedi Order” movie by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Then, the inevitable seemed to happen. We now know that Lucasfilm began focusing on succession planning in January 2024, which explains why the focus shifted to whole new projects, and Rey’s New Jedi Order film wound up in limbo. In fact, none of the 2023 announcements actually became a priority; departing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy gave recent updates on several films suggesting James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” film is on the backburner, while Dave Filoni’s movie has also reportedly been shelved given he’s stepped in as new co-president alongside Lynwen Brennan. And yet, despite this, Rey’s return seems inevitable.

Kathleen Kennedy Was Notably Silent About Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars Movie

Let’s start with the obvious; conducting an “exit interview” with Deadline, Kennedy was asked about the state of every upcoming Star Wars movie. She was notably silent about Rey’s return and the “New Jedi Order” film, and Deadline notably avoided asking her (perhaps implying they’d been told not to do so). Amusingly, Deadline‘s reporter did get in what felt like a last question to fish for information, asking whether there were any other Star Wars films or spinoffs the fanbase wouldn’t forgive them for overlooking, but Kennedy still refused to be drawn.

What makes this particularly striking, though, is that this is the second time Kennedy has conducted a wide-ranging interview where she was notably silent about the “New Jedi Order” project. Exactly a year ago, as rumors swirled about her potential retirement, Kennedy sat down for a similar interview and discussed future projects. She notably avoided mentioning Obaid-Chinoy’s film or Daisy Ridley at that time, too, which raised eyebrows. It seems pretty clear Kennedy takes the view that whatever’s going on with Ridley is not for her to announce.

Lucasfilm Understand How Important the Sequel Trilogy Is

The Star Wars sequel trilogy is heavily criticized, especially in online communities, but it’s important to remember that these films collectively grossed over $4 billion worldwide (granted, with diminishing returns). They introduced a whole new generation of viewers to Star Wars, and the sheer excitement when Ridley’s return was announced at Celebration shows just how important they really are. It was an unforgettable moment, and it taught me just how unrepresentative the internet really can be; in the aftermath, I swiftly realized Rey was the most popular cosplay at London that year.

In November 2024, there were well-sourced reports that Star Wars’ new movies hinge on Rey. Ridley’s Rey was seen as “the most valuable cinematic asset, in some ways maybe the only one, Star Wars has right now.” Plans were reportedly changing, not to lessen Rey’s significance but to increase it, and it’s telling that this was right around the time Simon Kinberg was hired to start working on a brand new trilogy that would serve as a backbone to the franchise’s future. It was also well after succession planning had begun, meaning it’s not hard to join the dots.

The last few months have simply underlined how important the sequel trilogy really is. Adam Driver revealed Lucasfilm had actually wanted to bring him back in The Hunt for Ben Solo, a post-Rise of Skwalker movie that would have mysteriously resurrected him. This, it seems, is the real reason Lucasfilm struggled to find a creative direction for years; Kennedy and her team had planned out this project, only to be overruled at the last second by Disney bosses. Driver’s revelation led to a resurgence of interest in Star Wars, and a vocal ongoing campaign to bring Ben Solo back.

Rey’s Return Really Is Inevitable (Just Not in the Form Star Wars Originally Announced)

Ultimately, then, it’s reasonable to assume Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars return really is inevitable. It just won’t happen in the Obaid-Chinoy film, simply because a new leadership team has a different creative vision. The more likely scenario is that Rey will return in Simon Kinberg’s trilogy, whether as the star or as a mentor figure in the New Jedi Order. Recent reports of a lightsaber duel in next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter have even raised the possibility Ridley will make a cameo before even that, because that surely means we’ll have Jedi in Starfighter.

According to Kennedy, Kinberg is due to hand in a script in March. She strongly implied his trilogy would be the next thing to progress after The Mandalorian & Grogu and Starfighter, and if I’m right, there’s a strong possibility we’ll see Rey return in just a few years. Lucasfilm would be mad not to recognize the enthusiasm we saw at Star Wars Celebration 2023 when Ridley stepped on to the stage, and that particular promise really does need to be fulfilled.

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Star Wars Just Provided Major Evidence for the Biggest Theory About Rey’s New Jedi Order Movie