2019’s J.J. Abrams-helmed Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may not be the most fondly-remembered Star Wars outing, but it did introduce some promising characters to the mix, including Resistance fighter Jannah. And now, her actress, Naomi Ackie, wants to give things another shot.
Look, the Star Wars sequel trilogy got a lot of things wrong, but none of it is the actors’ fault. Daisy Ridley, who played Rey, John Boyega, who played ex-stormtrooper Finn, and Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico, all faced a frankly disgusting amount of backlash—much of it rooted in racism and misogyny—for their roles in the saga, leading Tran and Ridley to leave social media after the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Since then, I can’t say the state of the Star Wars fandom has gotten any better (cough, cough, The Acolyte), as online bullying continues to be a very real problem. On the upside, however, Ridley might finally get her Star Wars redemption, as Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was tapped to direct a Rey-centric solo film in 2022. Movement on the project has been slow, but a recent THR report seems to confirm that things are picking up behind the scenes now that The Bourne Ultimatum writer George Nolfi is aboard.
This New Jedi Order movie will hopefully turn things around for one of Star Wars’ most disrespected characters, and may also give someone else her “allow me to reintroduce myself” moment: Naomi Ackie.
Naomi Ackie seemingly open to Star Wars return: “We’ll see what happens”
Jannah, an Imperial defector living on Kef Bir, didn’t get much time to shine in The Rise of Skywalker. However, she did help lead the Resistance to victory with her impressive archery skills, and co-led a pretty badass campaign against the First Order in that climactic battle scene—yes, I’m talking about the space horses. She also may or may not be the long-lost daughter of Lando Calrissian, but I digress.
In any case, Jannah was one of The Rise of Skywalker’s more interesting additions, even if her time in the universe was short-lived, begging the question of whether or not we could see more of her down the road. When asked about her Star Wars future by Screen Rant during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Ackie responded: “Ask them,” referring to the folks over at Disney/Lucasfilm. “Star Wars, get it together! … I get a call, we’ll see what happens, I’ll see if I’m free!”
Ackie has certainly got a jam-packed schedule with two buzzy movies on the horizon: Bong Joon-ho’s Robert Pattinson-led sci-fi flick Mickey 17 and Sorry, Baby, filmmaker Eva Victor’s directorial debut. It’s worth noting that she was able to reprise the character of Jannah for the Disney+ LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy special, but understandably, it might be difficult for Ackie to slot in yet another feature-length Star Wars film.
The inclusion of Naomi Ackie’s Jannah in the New Jedi Order movie makes total sense, actually
While it’s kind of a nothingburger of a response, it does seem like Ackie was enthusiastic about her potential return to the galaxy far, far away—which could happen in the Rey-centric New Jedi Order project. Obviously, the focus here should be on Rey and her efforts to rebuild the Jedi Order, but odds are, she’ll need a little help from her (possibly Force-sensitive) friends. I, for one, would love to see Jannah and Finn get a second chance in the Star Wars universe given the vitriolic attacks they suffered from “fans” during the sequel trilogy.
In terms of Jannah’s actual story, anything is possible. The Rise of Skywalker left things pretty open-ended for her character, aside from that whole bit about Lando (Billy Dee Williams) helping her find her family. Suffice it to say, the door is open for Jannah to return, but only if Disney/Lucasfilm thinks she’s a worthy enough character to receive the “welcome back” treatment.
Published: Jan 30, 2025 08:53 am