Is the Star Wars Rey movie still happening?
When Kathleen Kennedy laid out the future of Star Wars in her Deadline exit interview, she named nearly every major project still lingering at Lucasfilm — stalled films, scripts on hold, and ideas pushed years into the future. She even discussed the Hunt for Ben Solo film that Disney had reportedly already rejected.
But one highly publicized project was conspicuously absent.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: (L-R) Daisy Ridley, Kathleen Kennedy and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attend the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
The Star Wars Rey movie, often referred to as New Jedi Order, starring Daisy Ridley and directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, was not mentioned once.
Given how closely this project has been associated with Kennedy herself, that omission is difficult to ignore.
A Movie Once Positioned as the Future of Star Wars
The Rey film was unveiled with great fanfare at Star Wars Celebration, where Kennedy personally brought Daisy Ridley on stage to announce the character’s return.
At the time, the movie was positioned as:
- The theatrical future of Star Wars
- A post–Skywalker Saga reset
- A new era centered on Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Kennedy also selected Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to direct — a filmmaker who immediately framed the project around gender, stating that telling Rey’s story as a female Jedi was central to the film’s purpose. Obaid-Chinoy openly described her desire to challenge audiences and said she enjoys making men “uncomfortable,” comments that quickly became part of the public conversation around the project.
Regardless of how one feels about that creative direction, the studio clearly intended the Rey movie to be a major pillar of Star Wars’ future.
Which makes its absence from Kennedy’s exit interview all the more striking.
A Project Stuck in Development Limbo
Since its announcement, the Rey movie has quietly struggled to gain momentum.
Multiple writers have cycled through the project, no production start date has been announced, no casting beyond Daisy Ridley has been revealed, and no filming window has been locked.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Dave Filoni, Daisy Ridley and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy onstage during the studio panel at the Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Meanwhile, Ridley herself has taken on a growing slate of non–Star Wars projects, further delaying any realistic timeline.
Ridley has recently stated that the movie is still happening and confirmed that she and Kennedy have discussed it again not long ago. However, those reassurances exist in sharp contrast to Kennedy’s own words — or lack thereof.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
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In an interview where Kennedy openly discussed projects that are stalled, “on hold,” or years away from production, the complete absence of the Rey film is notable.
Why Leave This One Out?
Kennedy spoke at length about:
- James Mangold’s film being “on hold”
- Taika Waititi’s stalled script
- Donald Glover’s Lando project
- The Hunt for Ben Solo, which was already reportedly rejected by Disney
Yet the Star Wars Rey movie — the one she personally championed on stage, tied to the sequel trilogy’s legacy, and framed as a symbolic new beginning — never came up.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: Kathleen Kennedy, President, Lucasfilm attends the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
That raises an unavoidable question: If the Star Wars Rey movie were truly moving forward, why wasn’t it mentioned alongside every other uncertain project?
Omissions matter, especially in an exit interview designed to define a legacy and set expectations.
Fan Speculation May Be Closer to the Truth
For months, Star Wars fans have speculated that the Rey movie is quietly stalled or effectively shelved. Kennedy’s silence does nothing to dispel that belief.
In fact, it reinforces it.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm has a long history of announcing projects that never materialize, and Kennedy’s own interview acknowledged that many scripts exist without clear paths forward. The Rey movie now appears to be drifting into that same category — talked about publicly, but absent when specifics are required.
What This Means for Star Wars
Kennedy’s departure was expected to bring clarity. Instead, it highlighted just how uncertain Star Wars’ theatrical future remains.
The absence of the Rey movie from her final accounting suggests that:
- The project may be far less viable than previously claimed
- It may no longer fit Lucasfilm’s evolving priorities
- Or it has quietly joined the growing list of ideas that never advance beyond development
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Daisy Ridley onstage during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Until Lucasfilm directly addresses the film’s status, the silence surrounding the Star Wars Rey movie may say more than any reassurance ever could.
And for a franchise built on grand announcements, silence is rarely accidental.
Do you think the Star Wars Rey movie could still happen? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Good riddance to (what was likely to be) bad rubbish. It is stunt casting an estrogen empowered Director for no other reason than estrogen. To create a movie that would have so much estrogen and Mary Sue-ing that it would instantly turn any male who saw the trailer into an instant soy boy and cuck who welcomes his girl’s new boyfriend with open arms.
Charmin Obese-Chipmunk is out?
I’m sure she’ll be the next Surgeon General. She has all the new-fangled credentials.
Thing about kennedy is she has such a smug pug mug. Grody sour puss.
rey, rey, go away. Piss off again, every other day.
I hope the Rey movie ends up being canceled, because the funniest thing I can imagine is Kathleen Kennedy realizing that the fanfiction OC character she worked so hard to shove down everyone’s throats isn’t coming back.
They need to de-canonize the entire sequel trilogy. If they want to save Star Wars they have to treat the end of Episode 6 (or the end of Mandalorian Season 2) as the end of canon currently and start fresh at that point without the feminist / DEI nonsense.
The return of this Mary Sue will return the day Jesus returns, lets’ put it that way. Daisy’s latest movie flop, the silly Die Hard rip-off, “The Cleaner” was the final nail in the coffin.
It’s not the actress’ fault, I should add, but the fault of the feminists and woke-propagandists who run Disney.