Is the Star Wars Rey Movie Canceled? No Mention of Daisy Ridley film in Kathleen Kennedy’s Exit Interview —

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Is the Star Wars Rey movie still happening?

As a huge Star Wars fan, I was really fascinated by Kathleen Kennedy’s recent interview with Deadline. She basically gave us a peek behind the curtain at Lucasfilm, talking about all the projects that are still in development – some have been stuck for a while, others are just ideas for the distant future. She even mentioned the Ben Solo movie Disney had apparently already decided against, which was a bit of a surprise! It felt like she was finally being really open about everything happening with the franchise.

But one highly publicized project was conspicuously absent.

The new Star Wars film featuring Daisy Ridley, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and sometimes called New Jedi Order, wasn’t mentioned at all.

As someone who’s been following this project, and knowing how involved Kennedy was, leaving that part out really jumps out at you. It’s hard not to notice, honestly.

A Movie Once Positioned as the Future of Star Wars

The new Rey movie was revealed to a lot of excitement at Star Wars Celebration, and Kathleen Kennedy brought Daisy Ridley on stage herself to share the news that she’s returning to the role.

At the time, the movie was positioned as:

  • The theatrical future of Star Wars
  • A post–Skywalker Saga reset
  • A new era centered on Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order

Kennedy chose Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as director, and Obaid-Chinoy quickly focused the film on the importance of Rey being a female Jedi. She openly shared her intention to challenge viewers and even make some men feel uncomfortable, and these comments generated a lot of public discussion about the project.

Whether you agree with that artistic choice or not, the studio definitely planned for the Rey movie to be a key part of the future of Star Wars.

Which makes its absence from Kennedy’s exit interview all the more striking.

A Project Stuck in Development Limbo

Since its announcement, the Rey movie has quietly struggled to gain momentum.

The project has seen several writers come and go, and there’s still no news on when it will begin production, who will star alongside Daisy Ridley, or when filming will take place.

Ridley is now working on more and more projects outside of Star Wars, which is pushing back any potential return to the franchise even further.

Ridley Scott recently confirmed the movie is still in development and said he and Kathleen Kennedy revisited the project recently. However, this positive update clashes with Kennedy’s silence on the matter.

During a recent interview where Kennedy talked about projects delayed, paused, or still years from being made, the fact that no mention was made of a film featuring Rey is particularly striking.

Why Leave This One Out?

Kennedy spoke at length about:

  • James Mangold’s film being “on hold”
  • Taika Waititi’s stalled script
  • Donald Glover’s Lando project
  • The Hunt for Ben Solo, which was already reportedly rejected by Disney

Surprisingly, the Star Wars film Rey was so publicly involved with – the one she presented as continuing the story of the last trilogy and starting a fresh chapter – wasn’t mentioned at all.

This leads to a key question: if a new Star Wars movie starring Rey was actually being developed, why wasn’t it discussed with all the other projects that are still up in the air?

Omissions matter, especially in an exit interview designed to define a legacy and set expectations.

Fan Speculation May Be Closer to the Truth

As a huge Star Wars fan, I’ve been hearing whispers for months that the Rey movie isn’t really happening anymore – that it’s been put on hold or even cancelled. And honestly, the fact that Kathleen Kennedy hasn’t said anything to reassure us just makes those fears feel even more real. It’s frustrating to see so much uncertainty around a project so many of us are excited about.

In fact, it reinforces it.

Lucasfilm often announces projects that ultimately get canceled, and Kathleen Kennedy herself has admitted they have many scripts that never become movies. It seems the planned Rey film is now facing a similar fate – it’s been discussed, but concrete details are lacking.

What This Means for Star Wars

Everyone thought Kennedy leaving would make things clearer for the future of Star Wars movies. Instead, it’s become even more obvious that the films’ direction is still very uncertain.

The absence of the Rey movie from her final accounting suggests that:

  • The project may be far less viable than previously claimed
  • It may no longer fit Lucasfilm’s evolving priorities
  • Or it has quietly joined the growing list of ideas that never advance beyond development

Because Lucasfilm hasn’t officially commented on the Star Wars movie starring Rey, the lack of news is becoming more telling than any statement they could make.

And for a franchise built on grand announcements, silence is rarely accidental.

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2026-01-16 22:58