At Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, Lucasfilm made waves when it announced a trio of new Star Wars movies: James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, Dave Filoni’s New Republic movie that would tie together storylines from the MandoVerse, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order, which features the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey. At the time, it was an exciting development, illustrating that Lucasfilm was fully embracing the broad scope of the Star Wars franchise for the next film slate. All three of these projects are set at different points in the franchise timeline, demonstrating the wide range of storytelling possibilities now that the Skywalker Saga is in the past.
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Nearly three years after that fateful panel, we still don’t know when any of these films are going to come out. Outgoing Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently shared that Dawn of the Jedi is on hold. The same might be true for Filoni’s movie, as he adjusts to his new responsibilities as Lucasfilm’s co-president. Interestingly, during her exit interview with Deadline, Kennedy did not provide an update on New Jedi Order when discussing in-development Star Wars projects, which seems odd. One would think a movie starring Rey would be a top priority for the studio, but Kennedy might have confirmed a popular theory about the heroine’s big-screen future.
Rey Could Appear in Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars Trilogy
In late 2024, it was reported that Simon Kinberg, a veteran of Fox’s X-Men movies and the animated TV show Star Wars Rebels, had signed on to write a new trilogy of Star Wars films. At the time, there were conflicting reports regarding how the trilogy would fit into the larger tapestry of the franchise. Some suggested that these movies would be Episodes 10-12 of the Skywalker Saga, while others claimed the trilogy would tell a new story revolving around a new set of characters to help push Star Wars forward into a new era. As fans waited for official clarity on that matter, a different report painted a rather intriguing picture.
Rey has been described as “the most valuable cinematic asset” the Star Wars franchise has at its disposal right now, so it wasn’t surprising to read that the fan-favorite character is part of “several movies” that are on the table. What was interesting to read, however, is that Kinberg’s trilogy was among the Rey-centric projects listed. The implication was that Lucasfilm was going to have to choose which direction it wanted to go: either move forward with the New Jedi Order standalone movie or bring Rey back in a new trilogy. It did not appear there would be room for both.
While Kennedy remained mum on New Jedi Order in her exit interview, she did provide a major update on Kinberg’s trilogy. She noted that the trilogy’s first film remains in the writing phase; after delivering something to the studio in August 2025, Kinberg got to work on a revamped treatment, which should be finished in the spring. What’s more is that Lucasfilm’s new leadership team of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan are said to be “very much on board” with Kinberg’s ideas, indicating that this trilogy could be Star Wars’ main attraction for the next several years. Kennedy even said the project is “what’s up next,” taking Lucasfilm into the 2030s.
To be fair, Kennedy didn’t confirm any plot details about Kinberg’s trilogy (meaning Rey may not even be a part of those films), but her silence about New Jedi Order combined with what’s been previously reported about Kinberg’s project makes it easy for fans to come to certain conclusions. If Rey is indeed as important to Star Wars’ movie future as people have indicated and her return in Kinberg’s trilogy was previously being discussed, it seems Lucasfilm has made its choice and is moving forward with a full trilogy as opposed to a standalone. While New Jedi Order lingers in development hell, Kinberg’s trilogy is seemingly coming into greater focus, and it’ll be interesting to see how that rounds into shape.
Could New Jedi Order Still Happen?
If Lucasfilm has pivoted away from New Jedi Order, it’d be easy to understand why. Since being announced in 2023, the film has cycled through multiple writers, a sign that there’s been great difficulty in cracking the story. George Nolfi is the most recent scribe to take a stab at New Jedi Order, but outside of vague promises from Daisy Ridley that it’ll be worth the wait, it’s been mostly quiet on this front for a while. On one hand, that could be interpreted as a good sign, as the creative team is hard at work hammering out the details. On the other, the lack of true concrete momentum can be seen as concerning. New Jedi Order has no production start date, so it’s unknown when it’ll be released.
Lucasfilm may have decided that instead of trying to force something that wasn’t really working, it was better to shift gears. This wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. As we’ve seen plenty of times during Lucasfilm’s Disney era, plans can change. The list of unrealized Star Wars projects is long, so there’s definitely precedent for the studio pulling the plug. If a handful of screenwriters can’t find a way to get something off the ground, a case can be made that the idea is no longer worth pursuing — even if the premise is tantalizing. Audiences would be interested in seeing Rey lead a new generation of Force users, but there are other routes her story can take.
It might look somewhat bleak for New Jedi Order now, but it is worth keeping in mind that the film was one of the projects Kennedy mentioned when outlining Lucasfilm’s movie slate during Star Wars Celebration Japan last year. Notably, Kinberg’s trilogy and Obaid-Chinoy’s standalone New Jedi Order were referenced, indicating that perhaps they are not in direct conflict with each other. During her exit interview Kennedy stated that the story for Kinberg’s first film was “upended,” hinting that it has gone through some sizable changes over development. For those holding out hope that New Jedi Order will come to fruition, this is the hope you can hang your hat on. If Lucasfilm had completely given up on New Jedi Order, then Kennedy probably wouldn’t have discussed it at Celebration.
Fans are looking forward to The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, but they also want to know what’s coming next. Now that Kennedy has stepped down and Filoni and Brennan are calling the shots, Star Wars’ future should come into clearer focus moving forward. The studio doesn’t have to worry about a transfer of power anymore, so the higher-ups can concentrate on figuring out the best path forward for the franchise. Hopefully, this involves shedding light on what some of these new movies will entail, giving fans a better idea of what to expect. There isn’t a Star Wars Celebration happening this year, but there is a D23 Expo taking place in August, and that could be a platform for Lucasfilm to make some announcements. If not then, then Celebration 2027 should be a massive event.
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