Daisy Ridley Returns To Lead A New ‘Star Wars’ Film Series

Actress Daisy Ridley is heading back to a galaxy far, far away.

The 30-year-old actress first appeared in 2015's "The Force Awakens," which kicked off the sequel trilogy. She then reprised her role for 2017's "The Last Jedi" and 2019's "The Rise of Skywalker, which brought the nine-episode Skywalker Saga to a close.

Considering how Rey identified as "Rey Skywalker" at the end of the film, it appears that the Skywalker story might just live on after all. On Friday, the annual Star Wars Celebration event kicked off with the news that the "Murder on the Orient Express" actress was returning to lead a whole new film series in a galaxy far, far away.

Fans who traveled all the way to London for 2023's Star Wars Celebration were shocked to learn that Daisy Ridley would be returning to lead a new Star Wars film series, which sounds like it just might be the sequel trilogy to the sequel trilogy.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's film, which stars Ridley, will take place 15 years after "The Rise of Skywalker." Obaid-Chinoy went on to add that the story will focus on rebuilding the new Jedi order.

James Mangold and Dave Filoni will also create new movies that focus on the dawn of the Jedi and the New Republic. Filoni's film is said to be in the same timeline as "The Mandalorian," "The Book of Boba Fett," and the upcoming "Ahsoka," which will hit Disney+ in August 2023.

Over the past few months, Ridley has been playing coy about a possible return to a galaxy far, far away. During a February 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss her Sundance film festival hit “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” Ridley claimed that she had “no idea” if she would ever reprise the character of Rey.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I feel like Rey’s story ended in a wonderful way with the last film,” she said at the time. “It’s already been an insane three years since that film came out. I feel like quite a different person. We’ve all gone through a massive change in the last three years, with lots of crazy things happening.”

“So I really don’t know if there are plans. I just don’t know,” she continued. “But ultimately, I loved my experience, I loved what I got to do and I love the people I got to work with. So, should that happen again, even once, was amazing. Because the dream is to really be around nice people that make you feel good and feel heard while you do good work.”

However, that is far from the only time that Ridley has teased a possible return to the franchise. At the Sundance Film Festival a month earlier, Ridley was asked by IMDB, “Do you think you’ll ever revisit the franchise at some point?”

“I mean, I’m… I’m open to a phone call. I’m… I’m looking for employment,” Ridley said at the time.

Just over a year ago, in March 2022, the “Chaos Walking” actress debuted her new pixie cut while walking the BAFTA red carpet. A reporter asked, “Do tell me. Do you miss being Rey? Are you going to make a return to ‘Star Wars’?”

“I’ll always be Rey,” Ridley replied before teasing, “Soundbite!”

Initially, "The Lost" creator Damon Lindelof and “The Strain” writer Justin Britt-Gibson had been tapped to write the script for this new movie. At the time, fans already knew that the movie was set to take place after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker” but Star Wars Celebration was the first time fans heard that Daisy Ridley was attached to lead the film.

Unfortunately, the two left the project only days after turning in their script, according to reports. Late last month, Variety was the first to report that “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight is now set to write the screenplay for the untitled “Star Wars” movie that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson had originally started.

It seems  Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy of “Ms. Marvel” fame is still attached to direct, along with Dave Filoni and James Mangold, who directed the latest Indiana Jones film, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” A new trailer and six minutes of footage were also shown to fans who attended Star Wars Celebration.