Star Wars fans (those who remain), get ready for a slew of rumors regarding the Rey Movie, and a dose of accurate truth we’re ready to relay.
Lucasfilm has reportedly put its Rey Skywalker-led Star Wars movie on hold, according to multiple industry insiders. While not officially canceled, the project—once touted as the next major theatrical chapter in the Star Wars saga—has been quietly moved to the backburner amid internal restructuring and shifting franchise priorities.
The film, tentatively titled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, was set to star Daisy Ridley in her return as Rey, rebuilding the Jedi Order fifteen years after The Rise of Skywalker. It was to be directed by Academy Award-winning documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and had cycled through several writers, including Damon Lindelof, Steven Knight, and most recently, The Banker‘s George Nolfi.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
According to a report by entertainment insider Daniel Richtman, the film has been placed on hold while Lucasfilm focuses on other projects in development. Among those are The Mandalorian & Grogu, currently in production and scheduled to release on May 22, 2026, and director Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, which has reportedly cast Ryan Gosling and is being targeted for a 2027 release.
However, not all industry voices agree on the term “on hold.” Journalist Jeff Sneider has pushed back on the characterization, stating, “Lucasfilm doesn’t have a finished script yet. So it’s not on hold—it’s actively being written. They’re just waiting on it.” His comments suggest that the project remains in development limbo rather than outright paused, but confirms that production is nowhere near starting.
Of course, it should be noted that Rey was supposed to release in 2025… not still be in scriptwriting limbo.
Lucasfilm are currently hoping to release the Rey film in 2025, followed by Dave Filoni’s movie a year later
(Source: THR) pic.twitter.com/RgKEogHQI2
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) April 12, 2023
The uncertainty stems in part from Lucasfilm’s evolving release strategy. The studio, under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, is now spacing out major theatrical releases and giving more breathing room between projects. With Disney facing pressure to revive Star Wars theatrically after a six-year absence from cinemas, the company appears to be prioritizing proven concepts and marquee characters like The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Additionally, a rumored new trilogy spearheaded by Simon Kinberg may be influencing how and when Rey’s story unfolds. Sources suggest that rather than a standalone feature, Rey may be repositioned as a key character across multiple interconnected films, further delaying the timeline for New Jedi Order as originally conceived.
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
The project’s turbulent development history has also contributed to delays. Damon Lindelof departed the film early on, citing creative differences. Steven Knight (of Peaky Blinders fame) was brought on next, but he too left, reportedly due to dissatisfaction with the direction. George Nolfi was later attached, but there has been little public confirmation regarding his progress.
For fans of Rey and the sequel trilogy era, the news will be disappointing. Daisy Ridley’s return was announced with fanfare at 2023’s Star Wars Celebration, and the film was expected to help steer the franchise into its next chapter post-Skywalker Saga.
For now, it appears that Lucasfilm is content to let the Jedi rest, at least temporarily. While New Jedi Order may eventually see the light of day, its fate is now tethered to the completion of a script, the performance of other Star Wars films in the pipeline, and the broader strategy to revitalize the brand on the big screen. More importantly, however, we’d like to add one more nugget of truth for readers so that you can make sense of what’s really happening at Lucasfilm.
Adam Driver as Ben Solo kisses Daisy Ridley as Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Lucasfilm
No official release date had been set for the film prior to this reported pause. No script is finished. With Kathleen Kennedy almost certain to leave Lucasfilm, it’s up to the next Star Wars leader to decide what to do with Rey.
Daisy is not getting any younger, and she never had Starlet looks, like Princess Leia did. Damn, that bikini scene! Daisy will NEVER match that in her boring, androgynous grey suit. So, common sense says that, any movie with her as the lead will seriously under-perform. As already happened, of course. But, now, the Star-Wars brand is a DEI JOKE.
They should delay this forever. Rey was not a popular hero and Daisy has shown she cannot headline a movie. Without the OG three characters they couldn’t find enough creative bones to rest a movie on without exhuming the Emperor. And they still failed to deliver something entertaining. Star Wars was always a spectacle, but the spectacle could never stand on its own, it needed the legs of a solid, relatable Hero’s Journey core story.
I think folks running the show and planning movies at LucasFilm forget that part.
I don’t wish Ridley’s ill, I can’t imagine her doing much better with the material she was given, but I feel like Kennedy and co. are trying to shove Rey down and that is going to generate a… Resistance to any future appearances of Rey all by itself.
Maybe by the time a Rey movie does come out, the sequel trilogy and Rey will be looked at with fondness, sort of like how people warmed to the prequels over a decade, even if they cringe at the Anakin/Padme dialog. Of course when the basis of comparison for the prequels are the sequel movies, the prequel are bound to come out looking good.