in April of 2023, upcoming projects and films were confirmed for the galaxy far, far away. One of the big surprises was confirmation that we haven’t seen the last of Rey Skywalker.
A new film will see the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey, who we last saw in “Rise of Skywalker.” Supposedly, this story will center around an older Rey as she rebuilds/remakes the Jedi order, as a Master. “Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight will be writing the script. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (“Ms. Marvel“) will direct, becoming the first woman to do so for a film in the franchise. (Only took…11 films. More if you count the Ewok Adventures, the animated films, and the Holiday Special.)
This project marks the first time a female character has solely led a film in the franchise. We were recently treated to “Ahsoka,” the live-action series on Disney+ starring Rosario Dawson in the title role, which was the actual first time a female character was the focal point of a release. Of course one could make the argument that the third Skywalker Saga trilogy WAS focused on characters like General Leia Organa Solo (our dearly departed Carrie Fisher) and Rey, it wasn’t. It SHOULD have been, as it was in many ways Leia and Rey’s story. But, some how, Palpatine returned, and took the credit for everything.
That said, this Rey-centric film could be the start of a whole new era for “Star Wars,” tapping into their most under appreciated resource; female fans.
“I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special,” Obaid-Chinoy said. “And we’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.”
While we’re very sad this shift comes so late in the franchise, we’re happy to see it happening at all. We’d go so far as to say the numbers of female fans have never been higher than they are now. Yes, there have been female fans since the first film released in 1977. This doesn’t mean as some loudmouths online would have you believed it’s become a “girl franchise.” It always has been.
Not much is known about the film yet. We expect to get some updates later this year. We’ll let you know what we hear about this and other news.
May the Force be with you.
