Daisy Ridley called Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi “so divisive” in a January 2024 interview that resurfaced on social media over the weekend. The actress brought up Johnson’s film while explaining why the response to The Rise of Skywalker still bothered her years after its release.
When Ridley made those comments, her return to Star Wars had already been announced. Less than a year earlier, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy had unveiled a standalone film about Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order. Kennedy has since stepped down, the standalone still has no release date, and Rey could now return as part of a new trilogy.
Daisy Ridley Looks Back on the Star Wars Sequels
During the January 2024 episode of Happy Sad Confused, host Josh Horowitz asked Ridley whether she was surprised by how divisive The Rise of Skywalker had been. J.J. Abrams returned to direct the 2019 finale after launching the trilogy with The Force Awakens in 2015.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
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“I think it’s still upsetting because you don’t want people to feel like you’ve not served the thing that they’re a fan of,” Ridley said. She recalled that audiences seemed to respond to The Force Awakens in much the same way. Reactions split over The Last Jedi and again over The Rise of Skywalker. Ridley said the criticism hadn’t changed how she felt about making the films.
Rey’s family history shows how much the trilogy changed direction. The Force Awakens made her parentage a mystery, and The Last Jedi presented her as the daughter of nobodies. The Rise of Skywalker then revealed that she was Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter. Fans who liked Johnson’s answer saw it overturned just one film later. For fans who had spent two years looking for clues to Rey’s lineage, Johnson’s answer had already upended plenty of theories.
The Standalone Rey Movie Still Has No Release Date
Kennedy announced the Rey film at Star Wars Celebration in April 2023, with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy set to direct. The project has since gone through several writers, and Lucasfilm has yet to give it a release date.
When Kennedy stepped down as Lucasfilm president in January 2026, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan took over the studio. Kennedy left the Rey movie out of her exit interview with Deadline, even as she discussed other projects, including the shelved The Hunt for Ben Solo.
Kylo Ren in the Star Wars Sequels – Disney+
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The Hunt for Ben Solo would have brought Adam Driver back to Star Wars after his character’s death in The Rise of Skywalker. Speaking recently on The Rich Eisen Show, Driver said they had tried to make one more film and that the decision was out of his hands. “I think the ship has sailed, though,” he said when asked about reviving the project. He also indicated that his time with Star Wars was over.
His remarks came around the same time Ridley’s interview resurfaced, renewing questions about whether she’ll return as Rey.
A New Star Wars Trilogy Could Bring Rey Back
A separate trilogy from writer Simon Kinberg is in development. According to reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts is attached to the first film, which would continue the Skywalker Saga as Episode X. Rey is expected to appear in some capacity, though the size of her role remains unclear. Disney has yet to greenlight the trilogy.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
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When Ridley spoke to Horowitz in 2024, fans knew what Rey was supposed to do next. She was going to build a Jedi Order of her own. Nearly three years later, the question is whether audiences will see her take on that task or meet her again in a different story.
How do you feel about Daisy Ridley and her comments about The Last Jedi? Sound off and let us know!
