Daisy Ridley is set to reprise her role as Rey in an upcoming “Star Wars” film, with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel”) at the helm as director and Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) penning the script. This marks a historical moment for the “Star Wars” franchise, as Obaid-Chinoy becomes both the first woman and the first person of color to direct a film in the series. Previous directors include George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, J.J. Abrams, and Rian Johnson. While female directors like Deborah Chow have led “Star Wars” TV projects, the film series has not had a woman director until now.
Obaid-Chinoy shared her enthusiasm with CNN, saying, “I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special. We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.”
Details about Ridley’s return in the “Star Wars” universe remain under wraps. The story will continue from where “The Rise of Skywalker” left off in 2019. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy hinted at last year’s Star Wars Celebration that the film will focus on Rey’s efforts to establish a new Jedi Order. Speaking to IGN, Kennedy revealed, “We’re 15 years out from ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ so we’re post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray. She’s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that’s where we’re going.”
Regarding the possible involvement of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker, Kennedy was non-committal, stating, “I don’t know if we’ll spend a lot of time in flashbacks or [on] Force ghosts or things like that, but certainly, the spirit of what he represents to her is going to be significant.”
Ridley, in a November interview with Collider, expressed her excitement about the project, though she hadn’t read the script yet. She knew the story plan and found it “really cool… It’s not what I expected, but I’m very excited.”
Kennedy, in a conversation with Variety, shared Ridley’s thrill at returning to the franchise, recounting a phone call where she said, “Hey, I think we’re getting near being ready… How would you like to go to Celebration?” Ridley’s response was one of extreme excitement.
Apart from Obaid-Chinoy’s film, Lucasfilm is also developing two other “Star Wars” movies: a James Mangold-directed origin story about the Force, and a Dave Filoni-directed film concluding the narrative from TV series like “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka.”
For more exciting updates and curated movie/TV collections, visit https://hitplay.app.
