Rey is returning to the Star Wars galaxy in a brand new feature film from director Sharmeed Obaid-Chinoy. Daisy Ridley is reprising her role as the hero of the final trilogy in the Skywalker Saga, with the upcoming movie set to take place 15 years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There is plenty to be excited about when it comes to Rey’s anticipated Star Wars return, but don’t put the cart before the horse and start thinking Ridley is ready to lead another trilogy.
On a new episode of the Smartless podcast, Ridley told co-host Sean Hayes that she has only signed on to play Rey in one additional Star Wars movie. At least, that’s the case “for now.” She also said that she expects to get the first pages of the script for the new Star Wars film “soon-ish.”
“It’s very cool,” Ridley said of Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars film, “different writer, different director. It will be quite a different feeling, I imagine.”
The Rise of Skywalker was met with middling reviews when it was released in 2019 and is known as one of the weaker films in the Skywalker Saga. The criticism of the film wasn’t often aimed at Ridley, though, who stood out as one of the strongest and most consistent aspects of the entire Sequel Trilogy. Her return as Rey can only be a good thing, even if she thinks it might take a while to get back into the rhythm she developed over the three previous films.
“I honestly have had moments where I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I remember what I did [as Rey],'” Ridley told TotalFilm. “It’s really strange. I think the whole thing will feel so different anyway with a totally different team. I’m in a very different place than I was. I’m probably going to be one of the adults, and initially, I was the youngest person on set, which is a weird feeling.”
“I would also hope that it’s a lot of the same crew,” Ridley continued. “Obviously, many people shifted, but many people stayed the same through all three films, and there was something wonderful and comforting about that. But I don’t know. It all remains to be seen. I would hope it feels natural in some way, but also like – I don’t know – like it’s a new adventure. I’m hoping it’s sort of a bit of both.”
The new Rey film is one of multiple Star Wars films currently in development. Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian & Grogu is the only one of the bunch with a release date, scheduled to hit theaters in May of 2026. Taika Waititi, James Mangold, and Patty Jenkins also have Star Wars films in the works.
