The Rey Skywalker Movie Is On Hold — Is Episode X The Reason Why?
A new rumor about the next Star Wars trilogy offers an update on Rey’s future.
As Rey Skywalker, Daisy Ridley occupies a strange corner of the Star Wars galaxy. The sequel trilogy didn’t exactly capitalize on her potential, instead bungling her journey to carry the Skywalker mantle into the future. And while some fans would rather the story end with The Rise of Skywalker, the show must go on. The powers that be just seem very confused about how.
Ridley was set to return in a solo film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, one of three standalone projects Lucasfilm brass announced as Star Wars’ next wave. But one by one, each has been canceled or shelved. Disney pulled Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie from its schedule in 2024, after it was originally slated to premiere December 18, 2026. There’s been no word on when or even if the “New Jedi Order” film will get a new release date, but new details about a very different Star Wars story might give us the answers we seek.
Whether it’s in a solo movie or Episode X, Rey’s return seems guaranteed.
Lucasfilm has pivoted from its previously planned solo films to fast-track another sequel trilogy. Rebels producer Simon Kinberg will write a direct sequel to The Rise of Skywalker, while Skeleton Crew alum Jon Watts has been chosen to direct. While their plans are far from being officially revealed, industry leaker Daniel Richtman suggests the plot will bring Rey back in a supporting role. Episode X will reportedly have two leads, similar to The Force Awakens, which introduced Rey alongside John Boyega’s ex-Stormtrooper, Finn. A slightly older Rey will mentor these leads, but it’s unclear if she’s founded her new Jedi Order by the time Episode X takes place.
Though it would probably make more sense to establish Rey’s new status quo in a standalone film, Kinberg and Watt’s new trilogy might be tasked with that introduction instead. Just as the upcoming Starfighter is set after The Rise of Skywalker and could inform the plot of Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie, Episode X might lay the groundwork for Ridley to return and mentor a new class of Force-sensitive heroes. The Rey movie hasn’t officially been canceled, after all: maybe it just needs an assist from other films before it can be revealed.
