Star Wars sequel trilogy star Daisy Ridley is returning to a galaxy far, far away for the next films in the franchise.
Per Deadline, Ridley will be leading a new Star Wars film, which will be by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni and James Mangold. Lucasfilm executive Kathleen Kennedy noted that several new films will take place everywhere from the “deep past” to “15 years after the events of Rise of Skywalker.” Obaid-Chinoy noted of her latter entry into the series, “[It] will tell the story of rebuilding the new Jedi order.”
The latest news comes as a surprise to fans after Ridley openly questioned the future of her role in the Star Wars universe. In February, Ridley said, “I feel like Rey’s story ended in a wonderful way with [The Rise of Skywalker]. It’s already been an insane three years since that film came out. I feel like quite a different person… So I really don’t know if there are plans. I just don’t know.”
Ridley first appeared as fan-favorite Rey in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens before reprising her role for 2017’s The Last Jedi and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. Ridley previously advised other women joining the franchise that “The world is a crazy place. It’s important to tune out the stuff not just with Star Wars, but with everything, you try and be in the moment and enjoy what it is because life moves quickly.
Ridley has also opened up about her experiences working on the Star Wars sequel trilogy, citing the final film in the series as her favorite to work on. “On the third film [Rise of Skywalker], I was very present,” Ridley said. “On the first two, I was like, ‘Oh my God, they’ve chosen the wrong person. Oh my God, I’m gonna screw it all up. Oh my God, oh my God.” She continued, “I still had moments of feeling like, ‘Oh my God, am I terrible?’ But I also knew that I worked really hard and that I was in a very safe environment with a lot of people that I already knew. So I felt very comfortable, and I really made an effort to be present every day.”
The upcoming Star Wars films from Mangold, Filoni, and Obaid-Chinoy currently do not have any planned release dates.
