Daisy Ridley on Rey’s Return to Star Wars Amid Rumors The Movie Won’t Happen

Movies

Daisy Ridley was recently interviewed by French film publication Premiere. She told Premiere (via Star Wars News Net) that she was pitched a concept for Rey’s return to Star Wars rather than a full treatment or script for the movie. However, she defends Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order film as “a story worth telling”:

“They simply asked if I wanted to do it, based on an idea, without the script being written yet. But if I hadn’t been convinced by the concept, the movie wouldn’t have been made. I took a day to think about it and I told myself that I had had great times making those films. This new adventure seemed fun to me, so why say no? My thoughts on the subject are quite simple: if I didn’t think the story was worth telling, I wouldn’t have come back.”

As we know, the tentatively titled New Jedi Order will take place fifteen years after The Rise of Skywalker and follow Rey as she rebuilds the Jedi Order. Ridley goes on to mention fan interest in this phase of Rey’s life:

“Two people told me in the same week that they’d love to know what Rey is up to now. I had no idea there was such interest! People really love Rey. I think this new movie will be exciting and will move the franchise forward in an interesting way.”

Next, Ridley discussed how playing Rey will change now that she has more experience:

“Time passes, and things calm down. I have more perspective on all of this now, I know how it all works. So it will definitely be easier to manage… I’m also in a very different position: I was 21 when I did the first one, now I’m 32, and I have a lot more experience on set. It’s really exciting to imagine how my current life will affect the character.”

I don’t like Rey or the Star Wars sequels, so I’m not excited by any of this. But I also have no ill will towards Daisy Ridley or any of the actors, really; they were just doing their jobs. The fault lies with Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson, and everyone who worked on the scripts for the sequel trilogy. I’m not looking forward to New Jedi Order at all, and I don’t think it’s a good or necessary idea, but I don’t fault Daisy Ridley for being excited.

However, the real issue is whether or not this movie will ever be made and released. Lucasfilm is beyond notorious for announcing projects without delivering, especially movies. The Rise of Skywalker was the last Star Wars movie in theaters, and that was five years ago in 2019. Rogue Squadron, Kevin Feige’s movie, Taika Waititi’s movie, and Rian Johnson’s trilogy have all been in development hell or outright canceled in recent years. I honestly wish this would happen to New Jedi Order, not out of spite for Daisy Ridley and Rey but because I didn’t like these movies and characters. And there’s a rumor from scooper Daniel RPK (via That Park Place) suggesting that the script for New Jedi Order “needs more work” and that the film is “on hold” and won’t start shooting until next year; many think this is a sign that it will be scrapped, which would be for the best. I would like to see this era end and Lucasfilm tell different stories in a different time period. Beyond my preferences, most fans didn’t love the sequels, and there doesn’t seem to be a large fandom for them among the masses of “normal people.” So, I genuinely think the market for this film is tiny, regardless of how I feel personally. The only reason to make a Rey movie is to stroke Kathleen’s ego.

But what do you think about Daisy Ridley’s comments? Are you looking forward to New Jedi Order? Do you believe the movie will ever come to fruition? Let us know in the comments below!

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