Disney Confirms New ‘Star Wars’ Sequel With Rey and Leia, Synopsis and Release Date Revealed

We finally know what the future of the faraway galaxy looks like on the big screen — at least for the next year or so. Releasing in May 2026, The Mandalorian & Grogu will mark the franchise’s first return to theaters since Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

However, all eyes appear to be on Star Wars: Starfighter, which arrives one year later in May 2027. While Disney has described the Ryan Gosling-starring adventure set five years after The Rise of Skywalker as “standalone”, it will still be the first post-sequel trilogy entry, and as such will offer audiences a glimpse into how the studio plans to explore this otherwise uncharted territory.

Rey’s Future in Star Wars

Meanwhile, there are rumors that Rey (Daisy Ridley) will make an appearance in Starfighter, with many speculating that it could lead into the untitled Rey film that’s reportedly still in development, which is said to take place 15 years after The Rise of Skywalker.

Until then, we’ve no idea when or where Rey will return to Star Wars — at least not on that side of the sequel trilogy.

The character continues to return in other mediums, most recently in the animated miniseries LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy — Pieces of the Past. But for fans looking for something that’s canon, a brand-new sequel was announced during the Lucasfilm Publishing panel at this year’s NYCC (New York Comic-Con).

Rey Will Return in a New Sequel Trilogy Installment

Titled “Star Wars: Legacy”, the all-new adventure from best-selling author Madeleine Roux takes place between Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker and follows Rey (Daisy Ridley) and her new master Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) on a quest to mend the Skywalker lightsaber, and with it, the legacy of the Jedi Order, in the aftermath of the death of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) during the Battle of Crait.

Speaking to StarWars.com about her new book, Roux explains how her obsession with Leia Organa and Carrie Fisher stems from early childhood memories of watching Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980). “I’m such a Princess Leia freak. She’s a very formative character and then Carrie Fisher became kind of a personal idol for my whole life,” she says. “I don’t have a lot of early childhood memories, but one of the ones I do have is being six or seven and standing in front of our television wearing out the VHS of The Empire Strikes Back. I was so obsessed with Leia and Han, I would just replay the moment when he gets frozen in carbonite and they confess their love to each other. My parents were like, ‘You can watch the rest of the movie, too.’”

“They’re almost intertwined,” she says of the relationship between the late actor and the iconic character. “So it’s a huge responsibility and I take it incredibly seriously. I felt a deep, serious kinship with the character and with Carrie Fisher writing this.”

Related: New Sequel to ‘The Last Jedi’ Releasing Imminently From ‘Star Wars’ | Disney Dining

“Star Wars: Legacy” Focuses on Rey, Leia, and Kylo Ren

As well as shining a new light on Leia, “Star Wars: Legacy” will also focus closely on Rey and Kylo Ren in equal parts. Roux explains how she was instantly drawn to Rey when she watched Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015) for the first time. “I remember being in the theater and just crying a lot,” she says, adding how she was moved “to see a funny, capable, strong character and to see her ignite the lightsaber and fight Kylo Ren.”

Roux goes onto explain how her new book brings Rey and Leia closer together following the events of The Last Jedi. “To pick-up with Rey at a moment of a lot of doubt and weakness and confusion was a lot of fun because you couldn’t ask for a messier setup,” she says. “You need to get these two people to like each other and be almost like mother daughter or mentor and apprentice. But this is the mother of the guy who she just had an incredibly messy situation with. It’s really fraught. It’s really confusing. And just the thought of being with that person’s mother is pretty intense. There is a lot of uncertainty.”

“Star Wars: Legacy” releases on July 28, 2026.

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Replaces ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ Releases New ‘The Last Jedi’ Sequel Six Years Later

Another Rey Sequel Has Already Arrived

The future beyond the latest Star Wars trilogy may be ripe for new storytelling, but there’s clearly still plenty of untapped potential during the sequel era, as “Star Wars: Legacy” isn’t the only upcoming story that will focus on Rey’s untold adventures.

Also set between The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker, a new audiobook titled “Star Wars: The Jaws of Jakku” follows Rey as she returns to her home world.

“Following the events of The Last Jedi, Rey struggles to let go of her lonely childhood on the desert planet of Jakku. Hoping to have a breakthrough in her Jedi training, she returns to her home world with Finn and BB-8 in tow,” the official Audible synopsis reads. “When they meet a young girl on a dangerous mission to save her family, they travel through pitch-black tunnels beneath the sand where they encounter scurrying gnaw-jaws, a haunting terror from the past, and maybe—just maybe—hope for them all.”

Written by Cavan Scott and narrated by Helen Sadler, a voice actor who has previously lent her talents to Rey in numerous projects, “Star Wars: The Jaws of Jakku” is available on Audible now.

Are you excited about these new Rey projects? Let us know in the comments!