Star Wars' Rey Film Isn't Dead, Daisy Ridley Drops Update

According to the lead actress herself, a previously announced Rey-focused Star Wars film is still very much in the works - even though it’s been over two years since Disney offered any new updates on the project.

I’ve said it before a dozen times at this point, but it’s pretty clear that Disney has had issues when it comes to its direction with Star Wars. I’m not saying that with any hint of bias, because, frankly, I’ve never really been a fan of the franchise.

The issue some have had with the company's handling of the Star Wars IP is that they just keep announcing new projects and not following through with them.

Case in point: Star Wars: New Jedi Order, a Daisy Ridley-led Rey film, that will apparently follow on from the events of Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, which was announced during the 2023 Star Wars Celebration event.

Generally, when a studio announces a film, you sort of expect that things like the script and the cast are at least partially locked in.

Turns out that Disney has a more laissez-faire approach to the art of film production however, because recent reports have revealed that the script has gone through several revisions since the film was announced.

Promo art for The Mandalorian and Grogu, Disney

Following the immediate radio silence on Disney’s end, most fans assumed that, much like half of the other Star Wars projects that Disney has announced in the last decade, the film had been cancelled.

Turns out, nope– it’s still in the works. At least, that’s according to Daisy Ridley, who was asked by IGN if the cancellation of Adam Driver’s Star Wars film, The Hunt for Ben Solo, has led the actor to “push harder” for Star Wars: New Jedi Order.

“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”, stated Ridley.

“The hurdles are vast… But with this particularly, I know that incredible voices and creatives are part of it, and I know the wait will be worth it.”

Not exactly a shining endorsement of Disney’s creative process when even the film’s lead actor has no idea what’s going on with the project, but at least it sounds like it’s still in the works.

I have a feeling that Disney is simply waiting to see how their next two theatrical Star Wars films, The Mandalorian & Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter, perform before they fully greenlight Star Wars: New Jedi Order’s production though, because I think they’re now painfully aware that their half-measures and indecisiveness have left a lasting mark on the brand’s profitability.