Star Wars Celebration2025 began with a shocking bang when Shawn Levy’sStar Warsmovie starring Ryan Gosling,Star Wars: Starfighter, was announced—but what does that mean for Rey’sStar Warsmovie? There had been major rumors that Ryan Gosling was in talks withStar Wars, and in the days leading up to Star Wars Celebration, those rumors even turned directly toward Levy’s movie. However, of all theStar Wars Celebration 2025 revealsthus far, this still felt like one of the most surprising.
This became even more shocking when it was confirmed thatStarfighterwill be the nextStar Warsmovie released afterThe Mandalorian and Grogu, asStarfighter’srelease date is set for July 24, 2025. Yet, this has raised major questions about Rey’sStar Warsmovie, rumored to be titledStar Wars: New Jedi Order. There were already many rumors the movie was delayed or even canceled, and while that’s not confirmed, the announcement ofStarfighterdoes beg the question: why are we getting Ryan Gosling’s moviebeforeNew Jedi Order, when the latter was announced years ago?
Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars Movie Was Announced Two Years Ago
New Jedi Order Was Among The Star Wars Celebration 2023 Announcements
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm announced that Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the sequel trilogy, would be returning toStar Warsin a brand-new movie. Although details were sparse at the time, which is typical ofStar Warsannouncements, it was even confirmed thatNew Jedi Orderwould take place 15 years afterStar Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerintheStar Warstimeline. This announcement heavily hinted thatStar Warsmovies and TV showswere truly about to move on from the Skywalker Saga.
Ridley has consistently been asked about the movie’s progress in interviews because many were expectingStar Warsto have updates on the story, the characters, and a timeline over the last two years. Surprisingly, though,Star Warshas seemingly made very little progress on Rey’s movie. This was evident even before Star Wars Celebration, givenNew Jedi Orderhas already changed writers—from Steven Knight initially to George Nolfi now—and the fact that Ridley repeatedly said she hadn’t seen a script yet.
Star Warshas seemingly made very little progress on Rey’s movie.
Perhaps the most concerning aspect of the progress (or lack thereof) onNew Jedi Order, though, has been the glaring absence of any mentions of the movie from most ofStar Wars Celebration 2025’s panels, announcements, and discussions. Rey’s movie has been mentioned in passing, but it has been far from a focal point. This is a major change from Star Wars Celebration 2023, at which Ridley was a major guest. Evidently,Star Warsisn’t in a rush with Rey’s movie—but why?
The Stakes Are Higher With Rey
Realistically, Star Wars Has A Lot More Riding On New Jedi Order
For better or worse, and whether it’s fair or not,the baggage that is inevitably going to come with Rey’sStar Warsmovie is likely a factor in the timing ofStar Wars’movie releases. The sequel trilogy remains perhaps the single most controversial addition toStar Warsin the franchise’s nearly 50-year history, and many consider those movies to be amongStar Wars’worst movies. The sad reality is, no matter whatStar Warsdoes withNew Jedi Order, it is guaranteed to suffer from at least some backlash.
No matter whatStar Warsdoes withNew Jedi Order, it is guaranteed to suffer from at least some backlash.
That isn’t meant to be defeatist, nor do I think it’s reasonable for audiences to reject a new Rey movie before they even know what it’s about, but it’s difficult to imagine that isn’t front of mind for Lucasfilm as they are deciding the release order for the franchise’s new movies. On the flip side of this, though,Lucasfilm has indicated that Rey is incredibly important to the future of the franchise. Reportedly,Lucasfilm considers Rey their most valuable cinematic asset. If true, then this concern about Rey is as much a positive as it is a negative.
In both cases,the stakes are simply much lower for Ryan Gosling’sStar Warsmovie, especially because it has already been confirmed to be a standalone movie. The franchise will not be riding on the success ofStarfighter, and whileStar Warswill of course want that movie to do well, it isn’t quite the same demand thatNew Jedi Orderwill bring. In fact, even outside Rey’s importance as a character, this movie would presumably define the future ofStar Warsby establishing the franchise’s new Jedi Order—the first on screen since the prequels.
It’s Surely Only A Matter Of Time Before The New Jedi Order Is Unveiled
A New Jedi Order Feels Inevitable Either Way
Truthfully,it is only a matter of time beforeStar Warsintroduces a new Jedi Order, be it in a movie focused on Rey with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at the helm or another project entirely. Yes,Star Warshas made progress in recent years to look beyond just the Jedi and the Sith, but the Jedi will always be an essential part ofStar Wars. With entire decades having passed (withinStar Warsitself but in real life as well) since the last time there was a full-fledged Jedi Order, it’s more than time for this return.
Personally, I remain hopeful this will be Rey’s movie, and I don’t mindStar Warstaking time to get this story right. In fact, there have been rumors specifically regardingStar Warstaking a bit longer withNew Jedi Orderbecause there are a number of story possibilities for Rey currently on the table. While the news from Star Wars Celebration 2025 thatStar Wars: Starfighterwill be the next movie released afterThe Mandalorian and Groguwas genuinely shocking, it makes sense thatStar Warsis timing its new movies this way.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Cast
The tenth mainline installment in the Star Wars franchise is the first movie to follow the sequel trilogy, where Mark Hamill’s Luke, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gave their final farewell. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, development on a direct sequel had become dormant as Disney shifted focus on other parts of the galaxy, namely, Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. However, a movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter is an upcoming entry in the iconic science fiction franchise. Directed by Shawn Levy and staring Ryan Gosling, Starfighter takes place about five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
