Lucasfilm officially announced the next Star Wars movie, Starfighter, at Star Wars Celebration 2025 – but it won’t feature Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker, despite a Jedi Order logo. Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars return was announced two years ago; Ridley’s Rey is reportedly considered Star Wars‘ most valuable cinematic ᴀsset, and and she’s set to lead a New Jedi Order in a movie by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
First, though, viewers will see The Mandalorian & Grogu and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter. This newly-announced movie stars Ryan Gosling and is set five years after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, meaning it should show us just what the galaxy looks like after the First Order’s defeat. While both Starfighter and New Jedi Order will take place after The Rise of Skywalker, it was made clear that Levy’s film will be a standalone… and we shouldn’t expect to see Ridley’s Rey.
Star Wars: Starfighter Stars Original Characters
This Means Daisy Ridley’s New Movie Has Been Pushed
Onstage at The Mandalorian & Grogu panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025, Shawn Levy announced that Starfighter will be going into production this Fall, and will only feature all-new original characters. We know Ryan Gosling is starring – presumably acting as the starfighter pilot – but no other casting announcements have been made. Ridley’s Rey, it seems, won’t appear. What makes her absence particularly surprising, though, is the fact that the movie logo features a Jedi Order logo.
\n”‘};
window.arrayOfEmbedScripts[“twitter”] = “”””;
With the news of Starfighter going into production soon, and with its release date of May 28, 2027, it’s clear that Daisy Ridley’s return to Star Wars will be delayed. While the confirmation that Obaid-Chinoy’s film is still in development is good, it does mean that Shawn Levy’s film has jumped the line when it comes to release dates. Both movies will tackle uncharted territory in the Star Wars galaxy, given they’re the first projects to take place after The Rise of Skywalker.
We’re Still Expecting The Force
There May Be A Secret Jedi Connection
The Jedi symbol can clearly be seen in the teaser for Starfighter, meaning there is surely a connection to the Jedi. It’s unclear if Ryan Gosling’s character will be a Jedi or Force-sensitive, but the allusion to the famed Star Wars art from A New Hope is undeniable. What makes this odd, though, is that any Force-related characters in this movie will be operating without an appearance from the founder of the New Jedi Order. Perhaps she’s already trained him; or perhaps he mirrors Luke’s story, discovering the Force as he flies. We’ll hopefully learn more as Star Wars Celebration continues.

Star Wars Celebration
- Dates
-
April 18-20, 2025