A new chapter in Lucasfilm’s leadership has coincided with a reshuffling of its theatrical ambitions. With Kathleen Kennedy having stepped down as president and Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan assuming expanded leadership responsibilities, the studio’s most closely watched film project appears to be Simon Kinberg’s new trilogy, a continuation of the Skywalker Saga that may ultimately be titled Star Wars: Episode X.
Jon Watts is attached to direct the trilogy’s first installment. Reports now indicate the film will be anchored by two new protagonists, with Daisy Ridley’s Rey stepping back into a mentoring capacity. According to insider Daniel Richtman, the Watts film centers on two leads, and Rey will guide them. Richtman also reported that Rey’s standalone feature is on hold rather than abandoned.
Further detail came from Star Wars insider @fiveswalker, as reported by SFFGazette, who said Lucasfilm is looking to cast both a male and a female lead. The insider described a pairing modeled on Rey and Finn (John Boyega) from the sequel trilogy.
“Episode X will have duo leads like Finn and Rey,” the scooper explains. “Their dynamic is very much that archetype, but with a more clearly defined romantic component. [The] male lead comes from a harsh orphaned background just like Rey and is swept up into the story after being implicated in a killing.”
“[The] female lead comes from high society, a perfectionist. Royalty,” they continued. “She and the male lead are caught up in a big adventure together, with her bringing him into the larger ‘world’s stage’ of Star Wars characters we know.”
The described approach echoes the structure of the sequel films, which paired a scavenger with a First Order defector. A more explicit romantic thread, however, would mark a departure in emphasis
Watts’ involvement was first reported by Knight Edge Media and later confirmed in coverage by major trade and entertainment outlets. His résumé includes Sony and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Within Lucasfilm, he co-created Star Wars: Skeleton Crew with Christopher Ford and directed two episodes of the Disney+ series.
Kinberg has spent a few years developing the trilogy. No release date or official plot synopsis has been announced, and the project still awaits approval.
The trilogy’s momentum raises questions about the films Lucasfilm announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe in April 2023. That slate comprised James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, Filoni’s New Republic film, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey movie, which together were set to cover the franchise’s distant past, the timeline of its Disney+ series, and the period following the sequel trilogy.
Obaid-Chinoy’s film, widely referred to as the New Jedi Order, was to follow Rey as she rebuilt the Jedi after Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Its extended development has fueled doubts about its standing, although a mentor role for Rey in Episode X would be consistent with that premise.
Lucasfilm has not said whether the Rey film will be merged with Kinberg’s trilogy, replaced by it, or developed alongside it. The studio has not confirmed any cancellation.
Meanwhile, other titles have advanced ahead of the 2023 announcements. The Mandalorian and Grogu returned the franchise to theaters in 2026, and Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter, led by Ryan Gosling, is dated for May 2027 within the franchise’s 50th anniversary window. The Kinberg-Watts project is reportedly among the studio’s more developed features behind Starfighter.
None of the three Celebration 2023 films has been formally shelved, but shifting priorities mean that the slate no longer reflects Lucasfilm’s near-term theatrical plans. With Starfighter on the calendar and the new trilogy pending approval, the franchise’s longer-range direction will be determined by which projects actually enter production and reach cinemas.
For Rey, that may mean a role as a bridge between generations rather than the center of the story, at least for the time being.
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