The Daisy Ridley-led Star Wars Rey movie has officially tapped its third writer, George Nolfi, in what seems like another chapter in the ongoing saga of delays and turbulence under Kathleen Kennedy’s leadership at Lucasfilm.
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)
READ: ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Will Ignore All Connections to ‘She-Hulk’ Series, Showrunner Confirms
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this latest change signals “continued faith” in the project, though fans and critics alike might see it as another sign of disorganization in a franchise struggling to find its footing and a studio head desperate to deliver on at least one of her many announced projects.
Announced nearly two years ago with great fanfare, the so-called “New Jedi Order” movie will see Daisy Ridley reprise her role as Rey, 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. The story will reportedly position Rey as a mentor to a new generation of Jedi, though details beyond this basic premise remain scarce.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
The project was initially spearheaded by writers Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Justin Britt-Gibson, only for them to part ways shortly after director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was brought on board. Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) took over the script in 2023, but he too departed by late 2024.
Now, Nolfi, whose credits include The Bourne Ultimatum and The Adjustment Bureau, has stepped in to salvage the script.
This shuffle of creative talent, combined with a lack of concrete updates on production, has left many wondering whether this project will ever make it to theaters. Adding fuel to the fire, Kathleen Kennedy’s reputation for announcing ambitious Star Wars projects without delivering has drawn scrutiny, with titles like Rogue Squadron, Rian Johnson’s trilogy, and the Kevin Feige-produced film all languishing in limbo.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Daisy Ridley 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/Getty Images for Disney)
The director, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, is making her big-budget narrative feature debut with this project, transitioning from her background as a documentary filmmaker.
Known for her feminist ideals, Obaid-Chinoy previously made headlines for her comments about making men uncomfortable and prioritizing Rey’s identity as “a female Jedi” over simply being a Jedi. These statements have sparked debates over the film’s potential focus on gender politics rather than storytelling.
Obaid-Chinoy’s previous assertion that “it’s about time” for women to take charge in Star Wars also raised eyebrows, given that Kathleen Kennedy has helmed Lucasfilm for over a decade.
(L-R): Amandla Stenberg , set PA Taylor Young, director Leslye Headland and director of photography Chris Teague on the set of Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Furthermore, women have played significant roles in directing and developing recent Star Wars content, including Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, and Leslye Headland. Most Star Wars projects since Disney’s acquisition have prominently featured female protagonists, from Rey in the sequel trilogy to Jyn Erso in Rogue One, Ahsoka Tano in Ahsoka, and just about every character in The Acolyte.
Despite the announcement fanfare and Daisy Ridley’s on-stage appearance at Star Wars Celebration 2023, the movie has yet to gain significant momentum. The delays have pushed back any potential production, with other Star Wars projects moving ahead first. Shawn Levy’s untitled Star Wars film, reportedly starring Ryan Gosling, appears to be the next movie entering production, set to follow The Mandalorian and Grogu movie slated for May 2026.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
George Nolfi’s track record includes writing action-heavy hits like The Bourne Ultimatum and more character-driven projects like The Adjustment Bureau and The Banker. Known for building strong relationships with actors and crafting elevated thrillers, Nolfi as the Rey movie writer may bring a fresh perspective to a project desperately in need of stability. However, given the track record of this film’s development and the fanbase’s lack of interest in anything Rey related, it’s unlikely his involvement will be enough to steer the ship.
The constant creative reshuffling and lack of clarity on the Rey-led Star Wars movie underscore a broader issue with Lucasfilm’s management under Kathleen Kennedy.
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)
Fans are growing increasingly skeptical as high-profile announcements fail to materialize, leaving the franchise’s theatrical future in question. And the projects that do make air are often stuffed to the brim with identity politics. Series like Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and most recently Skeleton Crew often face critical panning and waning interest.
While Disney and Lucasfilm may claim “continued faith” in the project, it’s clear that faith alone isn’t enough to mask the ongoing struggles behind the scenes.
Do you think the Rey movie will actually get made now that it has a new writer? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
It takes an infinite number of primates with an infinite number of keyboards to eventually type Shakespeare. Look at how many women they had for She-Hulk; I don’t think a third writer will save this.
Evidence that Rey is a Sith:
1.) She goes straight for the Dark as evidenced by Jake Skywalker
2.) She doesn’t need training because her path, as Yoda put it. is quicker, easier, and more seductive.
3.) She can easily and effortlessly do stuff like Force Lightning, the healing powers of Darth Plagueis the Wise, and so on
4.) She kills her grandfather Darth Sidious in anger, something Luke would never do.
5.) She changes her name the same way all Sith do, though usually they change it to Darth something.
What did I miss?
Good take, Bunny.
This has really bugged me because Force Healing is not a Dark Side power in any fiction. It involves the Force Sensitive using their own power to heal wounds and is considered a Light Side power. According to Lucas before he sold out to Disney, Palpatine lied about Plagueis’ power of healing and his immortality to sway Anakin.
Why didn’t Anakin have a very easy time learning it?
If that’s true, Lucas should have made it clear to the audience. It makes perfect sense to me that you need attachment to heal.
Because it’s an EU thing that Lucas never cared about. It was first introduced in the third Star Wars Legends novel, then picked up on in the TTRPG and then the video games. Notably the KotOR games and SWTOR. According to Wookieepedia it’s even been shown in several comics, like the High Republic series but also some good ones.
Kennedy no doubt used it for Rey because it’s something Female Jesus would know how to do. I’ve never seen the Disney trilogy but I wouldn’t be surprised if what Rey uses isn’t Force Healing but Force Drain, a Dark Side power that sucks the life out of others to heal the user. The movies certainly seemed to do just that to most of the people who saw them.
So, in the EU, it’s a light side power, but in the Disney version, it’s what Darth Plagueis the Wise used as a Dark Side power, and his Sith granddaughter picked it up easy when not even Anakin could use it as a light side power.
Gonna say it now. if this movie ever wil be in theatres, it will flop harder than SOLO.
It’ll flop harder than Jabba the Hutt dropped into the ocean from orbit.
That’s funnnny because “solo” will be the audience.
Kathleen Kenedy, and the rest of Disney’s managers, hate Whitey, hate pretty Northern European women, and hate men unless they’re African, and hate straight families.
Conversely, these woke lunatics can’t get enough of Rey, who is Kathleen’s Mary Sue alter ego.
And Rey herself is an insipid character, devoid of any star power, devoid of both looks and charm. She’s not getting any younger, too.
Any Rey movie will be a Flopbuster. Any Disney Star Wars movie will be a Flopbuster. Because DEI people are making the movies.