Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy says Daisy Ridley’s Rey movie will launch the “next chapter” of the Star Wars franchise.
The Skywalker Saga may have concluded with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but the franchise is far from over. There are several new Star Wars movies in development, including one which will focus on Rey (Daisy Ridley) rebuilding the Jedi Order. While speaking with GamesRadar, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that this movie will start the “next chapter” of the Star Wars franchise.
“I think what’s always great about Star Wars is it’s a big galaxy, and we’re coming off what was a major war with the First Order,” Kathleen Kennedy said. “And now, Rey has made a promise to Luke and that’s really the core of where we’re going and what this story will be. And I think it offers just tremendous opportunity to introduce new characters and start with something fresh, because we culminated with what George [Lucas] was creating, and now we take all of that and move it to the next chapter.”
Kathleen Kennedy also teased that the Rey movie will have connections to another Star Wars project in development. James Mangold is set to direct a movie set 25,000 years before the Skywalker Saga which will explore the first Jedi and the discovery of the Force. “It was something that Jim [Mangold] immediately sparked to, and I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from,” Kennedy explained. “Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.“
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct the Rey movie from a script by Steven Knight. Kathleen Kennedy has previously said that the Rey movie will take place 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. “The First Order has fallen, the Jedi are in chaos – there’s even a question of how many exist anymore – and Rey’s building the New Jedi Order, based on the text that she was given and that Luke imparted on her,” Kennedy said.
It’s not clear when either movie will hit theaters, but Disney recently pushed back many release dates, including ones for several Star Wars projects. At the moment, the next scheduled Star Wars movie will hit theaters on May 22, 2026, followed by another movie on December 18, 2026.