As we all know, after a long break from theaters and a pivot on Disney+ with TV series, Lucasfilm has ambitious plans to return “Star Wars” to cinemas. While “The Mandalorian And Grogu” might be the next “Star Wars” film to hit theaters (and if it does, the next available release date is May 2026), there’s also another one nipping at its heels. Affectionately known as “Star Wars: The New Jedi Order” by fans—not at all an official title, by the way—we don’t know a ton about the movie, but we know a little. The key element is that documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy—known for directing some episodes of Marvel Studios’ “Ms. Marvel” TV limited series— is directing that feature, which is set 15 years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker” and finds Rey serving as a Jedi Master who’s trying to rebuild a new Jedi Order (hence the fan-given title).
READ MORE: Daisy Ridley “Wasn’t Surprised” By Polarizing Nature Of ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’
Ridley, promoting her new indie, “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” was recently on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and she admitted that when news came about her returning to “Star Wars,” she thought it might be too soon. She said she had breakfast with Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy’s a little while back before the films were announced and she thought it was just going to be casual, not business. But Kennedy said they had an idea and asked if she was interested, and she hesitated initially.
“I did think about it; I was like, ‘I’m not sure, because it feels…soon to me,’ she said, recalling how she felt when Kennedy pitched it to her. “I’d been doing much different [kinds of films], and I was like, ‘How does this fit?’…in a sort of logistical way.”
Ridley said she went to her mother’s house, had one day off from an indie, and then had to mull it over. “I felt like I was 20 again, all these feelings came back, I had to go talk to my mum about it…and there was a day of… thinking,” she said, relating that she had to call her husband, shooting a film in America, and contemplate what this would all mean for her life again.
“But it’s a good problem to have,” she said about coming around on the idea. “I feel really lucky, and as a job is a job, so if I love the script and I love the story, it’s going to be great.”
Asked about the divisiveness of “Star Wars” and how fans disliked “Rise Of Skywalker” and “The Last Jedi,” she said, “Honestly if it wasn’t a story worth telling, I wouldn’t be doing it.”
That said, it sounds like she only knows the basic story and not the details (unless she’s keeping that under wraps, as she admitted she doesn’t know who else is in it. “It’ll probably be different people, I imagine; I don’t know if it’s the same or different,” she said. Asked if she meant crew members, she said, “Cast wise, no, no, I actually don’t [know who else is in it]. So it’s all an adventure. But I was always thrilled to be part of it, even when it’s divisive. I feel like people are generally like good, and people are receptive and interested.”
“It’s a fun direction,” is all she would allow about the story though.
“I’ve spent the majority of my life meeting real heroes battling oppressive regimes, which is why I’m interested in a new Jedi Order,” Obaid-Chinoy said around the time of the initial announcement, which one supposes is another little tease.
The untitled “Star Wars” film is being written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Steven Knight, the creator of the BBC’s “Peaky Blinders” known for also known for writing “Eastern Promises,” “Spencer,” and the FX series “Taboo.”
In a separate interview with Inverse, she recalled the advice director J.J. Abrams gave her. “Understand the scale,” he told her when he offered her the part of Rey. “This is not a role in a movie. This is a religion for people. It changes things on a level that is inconceivable.”
Check out the full Happy Sad Confused conversation for more, and fingers crossed we get some real info on this movie soon.
