Daisy Ridley talks returning as Rey in Star Wars: New Jedi Order movie

Star Wars is going through an interesting period of change right now. Earlier this year The Acolyte premiered on Disney+ and was subsequently canceled after its first season. In December we'll be watching Skeleton Crew, a new show about a bunch of children who go on a spacefaring adventure with Jude Law and face off against fun space pirates. And after that, things will seemingly be quiet on the television front for a while. There's a feeling that shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew were some of the last to be greenlit a few years ago when Lucasfilm and Disney were in a fervor to produce new shows for Disney+, and after this, the board will be clear.

However, as television reorients, we'll be seeing a lot more Star Wars movies again. Star Wars hasn't been on the big screen since The Rise of Skywalker in 2019, which capped off the sequel trilogy starring Daisy Ridley as new Jedi ascendant Rey, John Boyega as ex-stormtrooper Finn, Oscar Isaac as the ace Rebel pilot Poe Dameron, and Adam Driver as the psychotic yet melancholy villain Kylo Ren. That trilogy was extremely divisive among fans for a number of reasons, and since then Lucasfilm has put a bunch more movies into development only to shelve them.

That could be about to change. In 2023 it was announced that there were three new Star Wars films in the works. In 2026 we'll get to see the first of them, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is helmed by Star Wars guru Dave Filoni and will bring a bunch of Disney+ characters like Mando, Grogu and Grand Admiral Thrawn to the big screen. After that, there's Dawn of the Jedi, which is about the first Jedi and directed by James Mangold (Logan), and New Jedi Order, which is directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel) and will see the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey.

Set roughly 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: New Jedi Order is all about how Rey tries to restart the Jedi Order after her clash with Emperor Palpatine. Ridley recently spoke with French publication Premiere while at the Deauville American Film Festival, where she talked about her return to Star Wars. "My thoughts on the subject are quite simple: if I didn't think the story was worth telling, I wouldn't have come back," the actor said.

Daisy Ridley signed on for Star Wars: New Jedi Order before there was even a script

Premiere was especially curious if there was any sort of contractual obligation for Ridley to return to the franchise; there wasn't. This was all her decision. "No, I was simply asked if I wanted to do it, based on an idea, without the script being written yet. But if I had not been convinced by the concept, the film would not have seen the light of day," she explained. "I took the time to think for a day and told myself that I had a great time watching these films. This new adventure seemed fun to me, why say no?"

Ridley also shared how a cool synchronicity helped her make up her mind to say yes: "Also, a strange coincidence happened: two people told me in the same week that they would love to know what Rey was doing now. I had no idea there was interest in it! People really like Rey. I think this new film will be exciting and will move the franchise forward in an interesting way."

As one of those people who liked Rey a lot in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, I'm definitely curious to see what she's getting up to in the years following The Rise of Skywalker. However, Ridley had largely felt the story of her character was over...until this new opportunity came knocking. "I didn't care until I was asked," she reflected, about whether she ever wondered about Rey's future. "I had the feeling that the story had concluded very nicely. So Rey's return had to be worthwhile, and I think it is. I'm also in a very different position: I was 21 when I did the first one, I'm 32 today, and therefore a lot more experience on film sets. It’s very exciting to imagine how my current life will affect the character."

Star Wars: The Force Awakens catapulted Ridley into the public spotlight in a way she had never experienced before that point. She reflected a bit on what that was like, and how her experience on New Jedi Order will likely be very different:

"What was overwhelming to me was that on the day Star Wars 7 premiered, people didn't think Rey would be an important character. I remember my mother saying to me, "They must have thought you were good, because they spent a lot of money on this movie." A lot! [Laughs.] It's very strange going through photos on the red carpet, watching the film and then just going to the bathroom and running into people who are like, "Oh my God, it's you! Suddenly, I was recognized in public life, outside of my work. It’s not necessarily easy to digest. And then I had never traveled. There, I found myself all over the world and had unusual interactions with people. For example, I didn't know what a press junket was. I discovered everything! And then time passes and things calm down. I have perspective on all this now, I know how it goes. So it will definitely be easier to manage."

- Daisy Ridley

But how will fans receive New Jedi Order? It's no secret that there was an intense backlash to the Star Wars sequel trilogy, especially the second movie The Last Jedi. That's become a running theme with the Star Wars fandom, from how Rose actor Kelly Marie Tran was viciously harassed online to racist abuse slung at actors like Moses Ingram (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Amandla Stenberg (The Acolyte). There's a sector of the fanbase that often reacts with predictable toxicity anytime a woman or person of color is on screen in Star Wars; Lucasfilm has even taken to pre-emptively preparing actors of those demographics for it when they sign on to do a Star Wars project. Is that something Ridley is worried about with returning to the franchise?

"No, no, no. I know some people have expressed themselves negatively, but I don't pay attention to it," she said. "Because it doesn't really concern me: I can't change the way some men see women. Unfortunately, this is how society works. And overall, I was very well received. I made the choice to focus on the positive."

Lucasfilm has blocked off May 22, 2026, December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027 for the three Star Wars movies it currently has in the hopper. Since we know The Mandalorian & Grogu is coming on May 22, that means we'll be watching Ridley in Star Wars: New Jedi Order in December of either 2026 or 2027. Or some other date — those are far off enough yet that I wouldn't be surprised if they shifted.

In the meantime, you can catch Daisy Ridley in her later movie Young Woman and the Sea, now on Disney+.

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h/t Games Radar+