Rey Skywalker's last appearance in the Star Wars movies was in 2019's The Rise of the Skywalker, and fans haven't seen the last of her. Fortunately, it was revealed back in 2023 that as part of Lucasfilm's exciting movie plans, there's going to be a new film featuring Rey. Not only that, but Daisy Ridley is returning to play the character, who will be a Jedi master. The film's development remains ongoing and, all the while, the British actress gets real on what she’s most “looking forward to," and her comments excite me.
Daisy Ridley recently sat down with Collider to promote her 2025 movie release, Cleaner. It was probably a given that her upcoming Star Wars film would come up in the discussion. As you'd expect, the spoiler-savvy star didn't give away any concrete details, but she did discuss how she's been having an impact behind the scenes:
I don’t know that I’d be a producer on it, but I certainly have been very involved. I’m involved in, well, not very involved, but I’m involved in as much as I know what’s going on, I know the story, I know what’s going on with the script, so I’m aware of all that. And I think what’s been really wonderful over the last few years is being more involved from the start to finish, really coming to set knowing this is the absolute best way we can tell this story. These are the best actors for the job. This is the best crew for the job. Having that confidence is so lovely. And it’s not that I didn’t have that before, but I’m much more cognizant of it now.
So she may not technically be a producer on the film, but it seems like she's been kept in the know when it comes to the story, the cast and the crew. What we know so far is the new sci-fi flick will take place fifteen years after The Rise of the Skywalker, with Rey having become a Jedi master and training Padawans in the hope of forming a new Order.
Given her new responsibilities, the Chaos Walking actress is surely working in tandem with director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who plans to approach the Star Wars spinoff by appealing to young, new audiences with a fresh crop of Force-users. Screenwriter George Nolfi also confirms a connection with George Lucas' OG trilogy in terms of human beings organizing themselves against a common enemy.
Daisy Ridley joined the Star Wars universe when she was cast in 2015's The Force Awakens as Rey, a scavenger who discovers she exhibits powers of The Force and must use them to defeat the First Order. At the end ofThe Rise of the Skywalker, Rey defeated the revived Emperor Palpatine, who she learned was her grandfather, and eventually adopted the surname "Skywalker."
Early on, the Murder on the Orient Express actress experiencing imposter syndrome over joining a beloved franchise that’s been around for over three decades. Now, however, she seems to be much more comfortable and excited as her role expands behind the scenes:
So in that way, I’m looking forward to turning up, really knowing the ins and outs of what the journey has been, and we’re arriving at the absolute best place to tell this particular story.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the next chapter in Rey’s journey, and Daisy Ridley's enthusiasm really has me pumped. Ridley's decision to reprise Rey was due to the fact that she loved the idea of taking the franchise in a new direction. Considering that Ridley herself is a bit older now and has more filmmaking experiences under her belt, she could theoretically serve as a mentor to any younger co-stars she has. They say life imitates art, and it'll be fun to see how Ridley grows as a creative as she works on this upcoming Star Wars movie.
While you wait for more updates on the Rey movie, do yourself a favor by grabbing a Disney+ subscription and streaming the films of the Skywalker Saga now.
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