‘Star Wars’ Will Not Include Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker in Future Movie
A new era is quietly taking shape in the Star Wars galaxy. Nearly five decades after George Lucas introduced audiences to the Skywalker saga, Lucasfilm is signaling a future that no longer revolves around that legendary family tree.
After years of focusing its storytelling on Disney+, the studio is steering Star Wars back to the theatrical space. The franchise’s next big-screen entry arrives this year, marking the first theatrical release since Star Wars: Episode IX–The Rise of Skywalker in 2019. That return begins with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, slated for release in May, which brings Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his young Force-sensitive companion back to cinemas.
But Lucasfilm’s plans extend far beyond familiar helmets and capes. During Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and chief creative officer Dave Filoni took the stage alongside Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling to unveil Star Wars: Starfighter, a standalone feature currently dated for May 28, 2027.
According to StarWars.com, “Set approximately five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Gosling will play a brand-new character teased by the actor’s appearance on stage.”
The announcement continued: “One of several theatrical projects still in development from Lucasfilm, including films by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, Taika Waititi, and a new trilogy by Simon Kinberg, Levy’s film–Star Wars: Starfighter–will star Gosling and go into production starting this fall.”
Casting announcements since then have expanded the scope of the project. Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, and Amy Adams have joined the ensemble, alongside previously revealed cast members Mia Goth and Matt Smith. Flynn Gray’s involvement has drawn particular attention, with speculation centering on a possible Jedi-Padawan relationship woven into the story.
Unlike recent films, Starfighter appears to intentionally sidestep Rey Skywalker (Daisy Ridley) and the broader Skywalker lineage. Instead, the story unfolds in a post-First Order galaxy attempting to rebuild, introducing new heroes, new conflicts, and unexplored corners of the timeline. Lucasfilm has described the project as “an entirely original story set in a period of time never before explored” and “an all-new standalone adventure.”
For Shawn Levy, directing Starfighter represents a personal milestone. “From the day Kathy Kennedy called me up, inviting me to develop an original adventure in this incredible Star Wars galaxy, this experience has been a dream come true,” said the Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) filmmaker.
Despite Lucasfilm’s messaging, speculation continues that Starfighter could be more than a one-off. Industry rumors last year suggested the film might evolve into a trilogy, possibly featuring a brief appearance meant to bridge future narratives. According to @MyTimeToShineH, Daisy Ridley’s Rey Skywalker could appear as a connective thread leading into her long-developing New Jedi Order film.
Reported plot elements suggest a young boy discovering his Force sensitivity while being protected by his mother, believed to be Amy Adams’ Jedi character. That storyline could eventually converge with Rey’s journey, positioning Starfighter as a subtle entry point into Obaid-Chinoy’s planned “New Jedi Order” story.
With Ryan Gosling leading the cast and Shawn Levy directing from a script by Jonathan Tropper, expectations are already high. Whether Starfighter becomes the foundation for a larger saga or simply introduces ideas that pay off elsewhere, the film is shaping up to be a major pillar in Lucasfilm’s evolving theatrical strategy.
Levy has addressed the speculation directly. Speaking with Collider, he explained: “Well, for one thing, it is different in that it is an all-new non-sequel, non-prequel adventure. It’s new characters, it’s a new timeline. It inherits legacy themes, but it’s really trying to give Star Wars [fans]–and just movie audiences–something fresh, something new,” he said.
He added, “And with a spirit of play and big-hearted adventure with moments of real levity that, frankly, A New Hope had in a revolutionary way.”
Levy also discussed the creative environment surrounding the production. “My crew, my DP, Claudio Miranda, Gosling is my kind of central collaborator in the lead role. It’s certainly been a dream come true. My 10-year-old self is on set with me every day,” he said.
“In fact, he’s going to catch a flight tonight to go back to the set and keep shooting on Monday. But it’s a huge, invigorating opportunity because Lucasfilm has been so encouraging of me doing something new.” He concluded: “There’s no pressure to be derivative or limited by an obligation to what came before. There’s just a love of what came before.”
As speculation around Daisy Ridley’s involvement intensified, writer Jonathan Tropper confirmed that Starfighter will not feature legacy characters. Speaking to ScreenRant, Tropper clarified: “Obviously, lightsabers are a part of that universe and that part of that galaxy. I’m so careful not to reveal anything, but essentially, I think it’s known that we have no legacy characters,” Tropper said.
He added, “You’re not going to see any of the characters you’ve seen in the other movies. So there are certain things that are still hallmarks of Star Wars that it’s good to have in there. But more than that, I can’t say.”
Levy echoed that sentiment elsewhere. “Every time I’ve asked, ‘Should I use this character that was maybe in that movie?’ Every time it’s, ‘You know what? People have seen that. Do something new,’” the Deadpool & Wolverine director told The Playlist.
“There is no mandate or interference other than the constant encouragement, ‘Make this new.’ And that’s the truth,” he continued. “Unlike Solo… unlike Rise of Skywalker, which was a sequel to two other movies and ultimately a ninth film in the Skywalker saga, Starfighter is all new characters based on new ideas that Jonathan and I cooked up alone and together.”
As for Rey Skywalker, the long-anticipated film from Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is widely believed to be stalled, with the character now expected to reappear in Simon Kinberg’s planned trilogy set after The Rise of Skywalker.
In Kathleen Kennedy’s exit interview with Deadline, the Lucasfilm executive—who will soon be succeeded by Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan—confirmed that Kinberg’s script remains in development and that progress updates are expected in March 2026.
With The Mandalorian and Grogu arriving this year and Starfighter following in 2027, Star Wars is entering a phase that favors director-driven storytelling over strict legacy continuation. Whether this approach reshapes the franchise permanently remains an open question, but Lucasfilm is clearly betting on new voices to guide the galaxy forward.
How do you feel about this next chapter of the Star Wars franchise? Let us know in the comments down below!
