We got a series of announcements for the future of Star Wars movies at Star Wars Celebration 2023, and when they announced the post-Rise of Skywalker movie, we all held our breath. That turned into a scream when they announced the future of Jedi Master … REY SKYWALKER! Daisy Ridley joined Kathleen Kennedy on stage to announce a movie about the new Jedi Order from director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy!
We don’t know much about the film other than Rey being with BB-8 (if Kathleen Kennedy’s joke about why he was still on stage is true) and that it will take place 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker. And that’s honestly enough for me right now—mainly because it means Daisy Ridley is BACK!
Ridley played Rey Skywalker in the sequel trilogy and, for some time, it seemed as if she was not going to return to the franchise. But as the new film panel kept teasing a new “Jedi Master’ to usher in the new era of the Jedi Order, my anticipation that they would say Rey was coming back grew and grew. And for good reason: Rey deserves her time.
She was a character who carried us through the sequel trilogy and was a hero to so many. She was our girl, and when we ended with Rey getting a new lightsaber, many of us hoped that we would see her again. And luckily, we are going to have a new movie and a new version of Rey to know and love!
That’s Jedi Master Rey to you
It’s easy to hear news like this and think to yourself that yeah, obviously this is the next right move. But the reality is that it didn’t seem likely for so long. Everyone in the sequel trilogy felt done with the franchise, and the hope that we’d see our favorite characters once more was limited. But the hope remained. and this is the first bit of news about it, and GOD, it was emotional.
Ridley, John Boyega, and Oscar Isaac all deserve more stories and time in the world of Star Wars. And while I don’t love The Rise of Skywalker and what it did for these characters, I do think it leaves some doors open for them in the future of the franchise. And so, Rey being a Jedi Master and helping a new Jedi Order is just what she deserves. And I can’t wait to see what the movie does for Ridley and Rey!
(featured image: Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
