Another day, another hitch in the process to make a new Star Wars movie. Per TheWrap, Disney has removed an upcoming Star Wars film originally set to land in theaters on Dec. 18, 2026 from its schedule, replacing it with Ice Age 6. The movie was probably the long-incoming film about Rey (Daisy Ridley), who was introduced in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. That movie has gone through a lot of hiccups behind the scenes, with the latest being the exit of writer Steven Knight.
Will the Rey movie ever come to fruition, or will it join the pile of forgotten or discarded Star Wars movies, including never-made projects from of Taika Waititi, Kevin Feige, Patty Jenkins,Rian Johnson and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss? Why is it apparently so freaking hard for the people at Lucasfilm to decide on their next move?
The Hollywood Reporter polled some insiders on that question. It sounds like there may be some debate within the company about whether to make new movies with newer characters at their center, or to rely on nostalgia. “To make stand-alone movies or continuing the Skywalker Saga in any form is a fundamental question the company faces as it tries to move forward,” one insider said.
A lot of the characters from the original Star Wars trilogy, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo, are now dead within the canon of the mainline movies, which presents a problem if producers want to go the nostalgia route. As one source put it, “Star Wars is a nostalgia-based enterprise, and they are running out of ways to create nostalgia.”
It sounds like one solution is to focus on Rey, who's a newer character who still has ties to those older movies; if you're unfamiliar, she's the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine and has taken on the name "Rey Skywalker." So if the "Skywalker saga" is to continue, it'll likely be through her. “She is the most valuable cinematic asset, in some ways maybe the only one, Star Wars has right now,” said one source.
THR speculates that there's a bit of a battle going on right now over who gets to use Rey and how; it was recently revealed that Disney had hired writer Simon Kinberg to create a new trilogy of Star Wars films, which could possibly involve Rey. That could be in conflict with the Rey solo movie that just got taken off Disney's schedule, but apparently that's the way the company works. “It’s a different way of development,” said one source. “There’s so much parallel work going on.”
Frankly, it all sounds pretty disorganized to me, especially since the TV side of Star Wars has had no trouble producing new content. Granted, some of the new Star Wars shows have been better than others: The Mandalorian has been a hit and Andor a fan favorite, while The Acolyte tanked so hard it's not getting a second season. But at least there's movement. The TV shows have even led to the first Star Wars movie in years I actually believe will make it to the big screen: The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is due out on May 22, 2026. As for the rest of the Star Wars cinematic universe, I'll believe it when I see it.
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