Daisy Ridley is set to return to the galaxy far, far away in the yet-to-be-titled Star Wars movie. Despite admitting to being still upset about the backlash the sequel trilogy received, released from 2015 to 2019, due to the creative decisions that were said to be against the spirit of the franchise, the actress is ready for her major comeback and stresses she’s accepting the challenge to reprise her role as Rey Skywalker.
In an interview with Esquire for its Star Wars: The Acolyte cover story, Ridley talked about her upcoming Star Wars movie, and there, she revealed her optimism about the franchise’s future despite the divisive response the 2019 Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker received. After the outrage, not to mention the negative reactions to her return, she found it an interesting challenge to come back and figure out what had changed for her as an actor and for her character.
“It feels pretty amazing to continue a character – like, can I even remember how to play her?” she said.
The 31-year-old is now preparing to read the script and couldn’t help but be “curious about it all.” Whatever the film is about to reveal, it’s expected to give a strong basis for Ridley and Rey’s return. That said, she admitted she didn’t have a hard time accepting the project when asked if she wanted to do another Star Wars movie.
“It wasn’t a difficult decision,” she continued. “I didn’t say yes right away, Kathy [Kennedy] was like, ‘Take as long as you need.’”
Evidently, it didn’t take her that long to take the job, even questioning herself why she wouldn’t do it. Knowing how famous and loved Star Wars is, despite the outrage, she believed the franchise still brings “a lot of love and joy to a lot of people.”
Daisy Ridley Ready to Own Her New Star Wars Movie
Five years after the release of The Rise of Skywalker, Ridley admitted to being “a bit more eyes wide open” to the whole new experience of doing a Star Wars movie again. This time, she feels like she’s owning it, especially now that she’s an adult. Ridley was 22 when she was announced as one of the lead characters of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in April 2014. Now that a decade has passed, a lot has already changed, with her working on other projects, like Sometimes I Think About Dying and Young Woman and the Sea.
“I suppose I feel more like I’m owning it. I suppose I owned it the first time. Basically, I’m an adult now,” she explained. “I certainly did not feel like an adult at the time. Obviously, personally, things have changed, and professionally, I’ve had lots of other experiences, and so I definitely feel like it’s a different thing this time.”
With three Star Wars movies to her name and experiencing a huge amount of online hate, Ridley still expressed her love for this movie series. She continued that there’s “a lot of joy” between her and these films, and if she weren’t excited to do it, she wouldn’t do so.
“It feels like a great thing to be a part of,” she added.
What is Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars movie about?
Lucasfilm has been keeping the details of Ridley’s new Star Wars movie under wraps. However, according to reports, it would be set 15 years after The Rise of the Skywalker. Rey is back to establish a new Jedi Order, helmed by the Canadian-Pakistani journalist, filmmaker, political activist, and Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
In an interview with AlloCiné in 2023, Ridley revealed that the film is a “fantastic exploration” of the galaxy far, far away and will take its story in a “bit of different direction.” Alternatively, Obaid-Chinoy told CNN it would be “something very special” and made a promise to Variety that it would be “amazing” and worthwhile.
If the claims are true, Ridley’s new Star Wars movie may be released on December 18, 2026, following The Mandalorian & Grogu’s May 22, 2026, release date. Despite the mixed reactions to Ridley’s return to Star Wars, many are probably still waiting to see how the film will continue Rey’s story.
