Rey Skywalker’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be тιтled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, has had a dubious future at best for the last several months, but this recent update from Daisy Ridley has finally restored my faith that this thrilling new movie is coming. Star Wars’ upcoming TV shows are incredibly thin, with only Ahsoka season 2 and Andor season 2 officially in the works. Although there are many more upcoming Star Wars movies that have been announced, their certainty has been very much in doubt.

At present, The Mandalorian and Grogu is the only upcoming Star Wars movie with a release date, and many others seem unlikely to ever happen. For the last few months, Rey’s New Jedi Order movie has been on that list, especially in light of Simon Kinberg’s upcoming Star Wars trilogy, which will allegedly see Rey in an Obi-Wan Kenobi role. This recent update from Daisy Ridley suggests that, not only is New Jedi Order actually in the works, but also the story will be a brilliant new addition to the franchise.

Daisy Ridley Is Much More Involved In The Process This Time

Ridley Feels Confident That This Is The Right Direction For Rey’s Story

When Daisy Ridley first accepted the role of Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she was still very new to the world of acting, and she was also quite young. It’s understandable, given that, that she was not all that involved in constructing Rey’s story or choosing her path forward. With so much more experience and a whole decade now under her belt, that has changed.

In a recent interview, Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order update revealed that she is now actively involved in creating Rey’s future in Star Wars. Ridley explained:

“I don’t know that I’d be a producer on it, but I certainly have been very involved. I’m involved in, well, not very involved, but I’m involved in as much as I know what’s going on, I know the story, I know what’s going on with the script, so I’m aware of all that. And I think what’s been really wonderful over the last few years is being more involved from the start to finish, really coming to set knowing this is the absolute best way we can tell this story. These are the best actors for the job. This is the best crew for the job. Having that confidence is so lovely. And it’s not that I didn’t have that before, but I’m much more cognizant of it now. So in that way, I’m looking forward to turning up, really knowing the ins and outs of what the journey has been, and we’re arriving at the absolute best place to tell this particular story.”

Ridley’s confidence as an actor and belief in the direction Rey’s story is taking are both abundantly clear in her comments, not only (seemingly) confirming that New Jedi Order is in fact coming, but also signaling that this will be the perfect follow-up to Rey’s story in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Ridley Signed Up To Star Wars Because Of Obaid-Chinoy’s Creative Ideas

Ridley Was Thrilled About This New Story Even Before She Saw The Script

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is the director of New Jedi Order, and she will no doubt bring a fascinating new point of view to Star Wars as someone who has primarily worked with documentaries. Ridley evidently thought so too, given she signed on for and expressed enthusiasm about the story even before she saw a script. In fact, it wasn’t until very recently that Ridley had seen a script at all.

Nevertheless, Ridley was excited about Obaid-Chinoy’s creative direction for the movie. The details about the story have been kept very much under wraps, but Obaid-Chinoy and Ridley have both made reference to the movie being “something special.” Given the тιтle, it seems safe to ᴀssume that this newest addition to Star Wars movies and TV shows will see Rey establishing and leading her own Jedi Order on the heels of all that happened in the sequel trilogy—about 15 years in the future, to be exact.

Lucasfilm Know How Important Rey Is For Star Wars’ Future

Rey’s Star Wars Movie Has A Difficult Path Forward, No Matter How Brilliant The Story Is

It’s no secret that the sequels continue to be seen as some of Star Wars’ worst movies, and they remain extremely controversial in the franchise. Audiences were immediately displeased with The Force Awakens, particularly because of choices like sidelining Luke Skywalker entirely and repeating many of the themes and concepts from the original trilogy, especially A New Hope. Star Wars: The Last Jedi furthered the frustrations of many viewers for myriad reasons, such as the extent of Luke’s loss of hope.

The Rise of Skywalker was also the final nail in the coffin for many, with the return of Palpatine proving particularly unpopular. With all of this baggage, Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie will have an uphill battle no matter what. Many are still refusing to refer to Rey as Rey Skywalker after she adopted the last name at the very end of The Rise of Skywalker and there has already been plenty of chatter online about certain parts of the fanbase not wanting to see this movie made at all.

New Jedi Order and the sequels are far from the only Star Wars projects to receive this type of response of late, as The Acolyte’s cancelation made clear enough, but it will be particularly challenging for Rey’s movie to succeed in light of this. Lucasfilm is well aware that it is essential to get this movie right, though, so surely this extensive history is front of mind as they apparently move forward with New Jedi Order. Ridley/Rey are even considered Star Wars’ most cinematic ᴀsset by some, suggesting that the franchise’s future may hinge on this movie.

Yes, I’m Frustrated At The Delay… But The Signs Are So Very Positive

The Wait Has Been Long, But It May Very Well Be Worth It

To be clear, I’m not entirely outside the camp that has become very frustrated with Star Wars’ unclear path forward. The fact that so few shows are currently confirmed has long troubled me, and I feel completely unsure about which movies will actually happen, which isn’t necessarily the best business model in my view. As someone who has also been excited to see what happens after The Rise of Skywalker and would love to see a brand-new Jedi Order established, I have been waiting for some sort of concrete update.

Two things give me hope, though. One is this recent update from Daisy Ridley, which at least seems to confirm that New Jedi Order really is in the works. The other is that Star Wars Celebration 2025 is just a few months away, in April. Surely, a whole host of new TV shows and movies will be announced and updates will be given on the shows and movies that have already been announced. Presumably, New Jedi Order will be high on that list.

The story of New Jedi Order is still unknown (although, again, the rumored тιтle drops some major hints), but given Daisy Ridley’s confidence about the direction of the movie, the signs are currently pointing toward the story being just what Star Wars needs. Hopefully, other aspects of the movie, such as the general timeline or even the release date, will also be confirmed soon. For now, I’m just happy that it finally feels like New Jedi Order is definitely among Star Wars’ upcoming movies that are still underway.