Daisy Ridley Casts Doubt on Rey Star Wars Movie News in 2026 — Has This Film Been Canceled?

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Fans hoping for a solo film starring Rey may be disappointed. While promoting her new movie, We Bury the Dead, Daisy Ridley hinted that she doesn’t have plans to return to the Star Wars universe anytime soon. When asked about potential news this year, Ridley said she wasn’t sure about 2026, but left the door open for a possible return ‘sometime in the future.’

A new Star Wars movie centered on Rey, played by Ridley, was revealed at Star Wars Celebration 2023 with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy set to direct. However, there haven’t been any updates about the film since then. Obaid-Chinoy had planned to tell a story about Rey’s journey as a female Jedi, and the project was initially known as New Jedi Order.

The Star Wars series hasn’t been very successful on streaming platforms, and it’s been a while since a Star Wars film was released in theaters—the last one was The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. Any excitement around a potential movie starring Rey seems to have faded. With Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, a strong advocate for the film, recently announcing her retirement, it’s likely this project won’t move forward.

Ridley’s hesitation is part of a larger trend of unclear plans and lack of decision-making about what’s next for the series.

The Star Wars Mystery

When Ridley spoke with USA Today, Kennedy’s possible departure from Lucasfilm was still just speculation. Ridley stated it wouldn’t impact her work, which seemed dismissive. This is significant because whoever leads Lucasfilm will control the film’s production timeline, overall story, and the future of Rey’s character. However, because the movie seems to have been put on hold, changes in Lucasfilm leadership might not matter for Ridley after all.

Ridley acknowledged the excitement surrounding the films and suggested that the mystery around their creation is a good thing. She noted that with so much information readily available today, it’s refreshing to be involved in a project where audiences aren’t fully aware of everything beforehand. She expressed pleasure that people are eager to see the films.

The biggest question right now, with no updates available, is whether the movie starring Rey will actually be made. Even Kathleen Kennedy isn’t saying much about it.

Kathleen Kennedy’s Exit

I just read Kennedy’s interview with Deadline, and she talked about a bunch of other Star Wars projects that are still in the works! It sounds like we have a lot to look forward to.

As a huge Star Wars fan, I was really excited to hear about what’s coming up! She talked about a few projects that are already confirmed, like the next season of The Mandalorian and Grogu and a new movie called Starfighter. But it sounds like things aren’t moving forward on everything. Apparently, movies planned with directors like James Mangold, Taika Waititi, and Donald Glover are either paused or just not happening right now. She even brought up something super interesting – a project called The Hunt for Ben Solo that Adam Driver and Steven Soderbergh had pitched! I heard Lucasfilm initially liked the idea, but Disney ended up saying no, which is a shame.

Interestingly, the title New Jedi Order wasn’t mentioned at all. Even Ridley avoided saying it directly, only commenting, “People are curious, and it will be a nice surprise when it’s finally revealed.”

A New Era or a Lost Passion

The film was intended to be the start of a new direction for Star Wars, moving past the Skywalker family story and introducing a fresh era with Rey as a leading Jedi. However, referring to New Jedi Order simply as “the thing” suggests both Ridley and the rest of the team have lost interest in the project, and lack excitement for its potential.

No news for a Rey Star Wars movie may ultimately be good news—for a franchise in need of direction.

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2026-01-28 23:56