And just like that the galaxy is far, far away again. It’s been a whirlwind five years for Star Wars fans watching the Skywalker Saga return with 2015’s The Force Awakens and then find an epic conclusion with the recent release of The Rise of Skywalker. Episode IX answered the trilogy’s questions and offered closure to over 40 years of the saga’s storytelling. It’s still a shocker that Rise of Skywalker was really the end, but each of the cast members do have some exciting projects ahead to look forward to.
Curious about what The Rise of Skywalker cast is doing now that the high-profile trilogy is over? It’s time to explore what’s next in their careers following the Star Wars conclusion.
Daisy Ridley (Rey)
When Daisy Ridley’s Rey first donned those iconic buns in The Force Awakens, it was the British actresses’ first movie role ever. Now Ridley’s one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood and has plenty of new roles for fans to look forward to. She will be paired up with MCU’s Spider-Man Tom Holland for the long-awaited Chaos Walking. The dystopian book adaptation was originally set to be released back in 2019 but it was reportedly “deemed unreleasable”. Due to fan demand it’s now coming in January 2021. Ridley will team up with JJ Abrams once again for the fantasy thriller Kolma, to play World War II spy Virginia Hall in A Woman of No Importance and she will also narrate an IMAX original docu-film called Asteroid Hunters.
Adam Driver (Kylo Ren)
Even with his last appearance as Han Solo and Leia’s Kylo Ren put aside, Adam Driver had a massive 2019. He was in three other movies: The Report, The Dead Don’t Die and his Oscar-nominated role in Marriage Story. You’d think he’d take a break but Driver has two more movies in the works right now. He’ll play a standup comedian alongside Marion Cotillard, who will play his opera singer wife in the musical Annette. The couple finds out that their two-year-old has a unique gift. Also, he’ll be in Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s latest writing collaboration The Last Duel. The medieval-set drama will be directed by Ridley Scott and star Affleck, Damon and Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer.
John Boyega (Finn)
The new trilogy’s Finn may have had a cryptic ending in Rise of Skywalker, but fans of John Boyega can look forward to some intriguing roles from the actor coming up. His next movie is called Naked Singularity which is a crime drama about the unraveling of a New York public defender after losing his first case. Olivia Cooke, Ed Skrein and Bill Skarsgard will also star. Boyega will also be in 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen’s upcoming BBC series Small Axe. The series will be about the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian between 1969 and 1982 and the Star Wars star will have a lead role in the fourth episode. He has also signed on to a Netflix thriller called Rebel Ridge from the director of the underrated horror film, Green Room.
Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron)
Much of the Star Wars cast is steering away from anything like their most beloved roles after Rise of Skywalker, but the Poe Dameron is piloting toward it. Oscar Isaac is set to be in “Star Wars for adults” book adaptation Dune directed by Arrival and Blade Runner 2049’s Denis Villenueve. He will play Timothée Chalamet’s father Duke Leto Atreides in the star-studded epic. The actor will also be in a dark comedy called Big Gold Brick alongside Andy Garcia, Megan Fox, Lucy Hale. Isaac will also play Willam Tale in a movie called The Card Counter with Willem Dafoe, Tiffany Haddish and Tye Sheridan also on board.
Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)
Mark Hamill has been the central character to the Skywalker Saga for some time, but between the time he began his journey and returned to Luke with this new trilogy he has also made a name for himself in the world of voiceover. He’s famously been the animated Joker and following Rise of Skywalker the actor will delve deeper into voice work with four new projects. He’s going to play Skeletor in Netflix’s reboot of Master of the Universe, he’s a part of the animated TV show adaptation of the Image Comic Invincible with the likes of Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen and he’ll have a voice role in the video game Squadron 42.
Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux)
So in the grand scheme of things Domhnall Gleeson wasn’t a huge player in Rise of Skywalker. He’s almost in the comedic relief of the Dark Side in the new trilogy. But, the actor has riches of talent to share outside of Star Wars and he’ll certainly do so in the near future. Coming up on April 12, he will be starring in the new HBO series Run with Merritt Wever and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The rom-com thriller is about a pair of college exes who reunite 17 years later to fulfill their pact to disappear together. Gleeson will also reprise his role as Thomas McGregor in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway… sensing a “runaway” theme here.
Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico)
Unfortunately, much of Kelly Marie Tran’s legacy in Star Wars is clouded by controversy – first due to all the internet hate she got for being in The Last Jedi and then more after Skywalker when she was only in it for 1 minute and 16 seconds. Moving forward from Rose Tico, Tran is also following the voiceover route with two high profile roles. The actress will be a character named Val Little in Disney+’s Monsters Inc TV spinoff Monsters At Work. She’s also going to play a character in The Croods 2 coming at the end of the year amongst a cast including Ryan Reynolds, Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Peter Dinklage.
Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix)
Billie Lourd is the daughter of the late Carrie Fisher and has played the supporting role of Lieutenant Connix in the new Star Wars trilogy. The Force Awakens was her first acting role ever and she’s since become a familiar name in Hollywood. The actress really showed off her chops in Scream Queens and of course as the iconic character of Gigi in Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart. Lourd has also joined Ryan Murphy’s anthology American Horror Story in Cult, Apocalypse and 1984. Billie has been announced to be among the cast of the tenth season of American Horror Story with Kathy Bates, Evan Peters, Finn Wittrock and Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin.
Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata)
We may never see the above lovable humanoid anytime soon now that the Skywalker Saga is over, but the performance behind her Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o certainly isn’t going anywhere. The Black Panther actress is set to be one of the badass female agents in 355 coming next year with Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz and Sebastian Stan. Nyong’o will also be the lead in an upcoming HBO Max series Americanah which tells the story of a young Nigerian couple who face struggles as American immigrants. We of course also hope to see her reprise her role as Nakia in Black Panther 2.
Naomi Ackie (Jannah)
There wasn’t enough Naomi Ackie in Rise of Skywalker. Her role of Jannah brought some background to Finn’s past. She’s a fairly new actress that hasn’t had a ton of notable roles just yet. Ackie did have a role in Netflix’s The End of the Fucking World. The actress has previously been part of headlines for her involvement in the Game of Thrones prequel series called Bloodmoon. It was set 8000 years before the events of the hit television show and a pilot was shot, but it received negative reception by HBO and was effectively cancelled. Ackie is going to be in a movie called The Score which is about “small time crook” characters played by Will Poulter and Johnny Flynn who drive to a cafe to nab a big score.
Harrison Ford (Han Solo)
Harrison Ford’s role in Rise of Skywalker wasn’t much more than a cameo, but he was in the movie and he’s Han Solo, so of course he’s found a place on this list. The future of Ford’s career after Star Wars is interesting because next he’s going back to another famed role of his: Indiana Jones. The actor is signed on to star in Indiana Jones 5 and continue Lucasfilm’s plan to expand its well-known franchises. It was recently announced that Steven Spielberg is no longer directing and James Mangold will be reportedly helming instead. He’s also set to star in a television show called The Staircase which is an adaptation of the docuseries about a man who claims his wife died by falling down a flight of stairs but he’s suspected to be her murderer.
Who out of the Rise of Skywalker cast are you most excited to follow after the end of the Skywalker Saga? Sound off in the comments below.
