Of the three feature films announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023, easily the biggest surprise was that sequel trilogy star Daisy Ridley would be returning to the Star Wars franchise as Jedi Master Rey. Once the credits rolled in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), many Star Wars fans assumed that the conclusion of the "Skywalker Saga" marked the end point of the main franchise. That being said, nobody was really expecting that the franchise was out of stories to tell, as shows like The Mandalorian (2019-), The Bad Batch (2021-), The Book of Boba Fett (2021), and more had become the future of the series. The Disney+ content is all well and good, but that itch for more theatrical, feature-length Star Wars stories still remains, and it's a desire that hasn't gone unnoticed by Lucasfilm.

At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy came on stage to discuss what the future of Star Wars movies looks like by announcing three new feature films, each one coming from a drastically different era of the extensive Star Wars timeline. One comes from the very beginning of the Star Wars timeline, focusing on the supposed "Dawn of the Force" with director James Mangold at the helm. Also in the works is the live-action feature debut of longtime Star Wars television creator Dave Filoni, whose project is set to unite various aspects of The Mandalorian's New Republic era. Finally, one more project was announced to be in development from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and both she and the rest of the directing crew brought out a special guest to debut the project. Fans in attendance got to see Rey herself, Daisy Ridley, make a surprise appearance, where she confirmed that the third Star Wars film in development would be a continuation of Rey's story set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.

The news is no doubt exciting, but it's also been occasionally difficult to get truly hyped when a new Star Wars film gets announced these days. As of now, Lucasfilm has canceled far more films than they've made, with projects like Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron and Rian Johnson's planned trilogy seemingly getting shelved. However, it looks as though the return of the sequel trilogy's hero has and is making some big strides in development, enough to suggest that Lucasfilm is seriously pursuing the project. To learn more about the film's cast, director, development status, and more, here is everything we know so far about the new Daisy Ridley Star Wars movie.

Editor's Note: This piece was updated on January 3, 2024.

When and Where Is the Daisy Ridley Star Wars Movie Coming Out?

Disney recently announced that it had scoped out three different release dates for its next three Star Wars movies: May 22, 2026, December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027. Given that the film seems much farther along in pre-production than Mangold and Filoni's prospective films, it seems likely that it will release on the May 2026 date.

We don't know for sure, but given we're yet to get a Disney+ exclusive Star Wars film and the desire for another theatrical Star Wars experience seems clear, a release in movie theaters does seem fairly likely. Either way, the film will almost certainly be released on the Star Wars hub on Disney+ at some point.

Does the New Daisy Ridley Star Wars Movie Have a Trailer?

Since the project is still so early in development, to the point that it doesn't even have an official title yet, you can probably guess that it is going to be a very long time until we get a trailer for the new Rey movie. We'll talk more about where the project is in the development process momentarily, but if you want to see what it was like when the Rey movie and the other projects were announced, you can check out the Star Wars Celebration 2023 Showcase recap here:

What's the Latest Development Update on the Rise of Skywalker Sequel?

With a director and star attached to the film, one would expect that early pre-production on the project is progressing as planned. We first got wind of Obaid-Chinoy's attachment to the project in 2022, shortly after it was revealed that Watchmen (2019) creator Damon Lindelof was writing a top-secret Star Wars project set after The Rise of Skywalker. Unfortunately for fans of Lindelof, both he and his co-writer Justin Britt-Gibson (Counterpart) have since departed the project. They have since been replaced by Peaky Blinders (2013-2022) writer Steven Knight.

Shortly after officially announcing the project, Kathleen Kennedy also gave a promising update on Knight's screenplay, saying that it should only be about six weeks until the initial draft is completed. In June 2023, a report from Production Weekly said that filming for the project is scheduled to begin in April 2024.

What's the Plot of the New Daisy Ridley Star Wars Movie?

The movie is confirmed to pick up after the events of Episode IX, effectively functioning as a sequel to The Rise of Skywalker. Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that the film will introduce an all-new era of the Star Wars timeline, officially titled "The New Jedi Order." As such, the film is expecting to follow Rey as she works to rebuild the Jedi Order now that her grandfather Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and the sinister First Order have been defeated. In an interview with Collider, Ridley gave a small update on the story, saying:

"I'm very excited. The story is really cool. I'm waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don't have any other updates. It's not what I expected, but I'm very excited."

Who's Making the Rise of Skywalker Sequel?

Directing the Jedi Master Rey movie is Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker who's best known for her documentary work, although she did make her first collaboration with Disney by directing two episodes of Ms. Marvel (2022). With Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron project now shelved, this means that Obaid-Chinoy will likely be making franchise history as the first female director of a Star Wars feature film. The director spoke about taking on a Star Wars film, saying:

"I'm very thrilled about the project because I think what we're about to create is something very special... We're in 2024 now, and I think it's about time we had a woman come forward to shape the story in a galaxy far, far away."

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is also hard at work on the screenplay for the film following the departure of Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson. Kathleen Kennedy is also expected to be attached to the project as executive producer.

Who Else Is in the Cast of the New Daisy Ridley Star Wars Movie?

So far, the only confirmed cast member for the new film is Daisy Ridley, who will once again be playing the character she brought to life in The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker. That's not to say there hasn't been rampant speculation on who else may return, namely John Boyega as Finn and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. Both actors have been rather vocal about their dissatisfaction with certain elements of the films they starred in, with Boyega being somewhat unsatisfied with his character's sidelining and Isaac stating he felt burnt out from the franchise (though he later said he would be open to returning).

We could also see other minor characters from the sequels like Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) and Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o) make a return as well. Not to mention, many fans of The Mandalorian have speculated that a movie about the New Jedi Order could be a perfect way to introduce a teenage version of Grogu.

Will the Jedi Master Rey Movie Be the Start of a New Trilogy?

No announcement of sequels to the upcoming Rey movie was revealed at Star Wars Celebration, but given that the film is going to start an entirely new era of Star Wars, we'll probably see more projects that take place in it. We'll likely learn more about the direction of the series once the script is completed.

Are Rey's Previous Adventures Available to Stream on Disney+?

Do Wookies need to add two coats of conditioner? Well, yes. We think. The answer is yes. Every adventure starring Rey in the sequel trilogy, consisting of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker, and beyond, are available to stream on Disney+, making the streamer your one-stop shop for Star Wars content. Here's your link to the Star Wars hub on Disney+:

Watch on Disney+