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For the past six years, the Star Wars franchise has focused on the past - resisting the urge to go past 2019's Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker in the Star Wars timeline and instead explore pockets of open space in its chronological past with successes such as Disney+'s The Mandalorian series (and its spinoffs), and the distant past with The High Republic. But the future of Star Wars is something we all want to see, and something Lucasfilm wants to see - but it seems to be having trouble mapping it out, like an Astromech droid on the fritz.

The next chapter in the main storyline of Star Wars as told through the nine episodic movies was initially framed to be continuing next with Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey Skywalker in a new Star Wars movie entering into what Lucasfilm was framing as the 'New Jedi Order' era, breaking from the sequel trilogy's 'Rise of the First Order' era. (They have a whole page on StarWars.com about these eras.) But what's happened in the two years since that was originally announced and the last two days calls this into a bit of a question.  

Where (and when) is Daisy Ridley's Star Wars: New Jedi Order movie?

Announced two years ago at Star Wars Celebration 2023, the new Rey Skywalker movie - titled by fans as Star Wars: the New Jedi Order, although Lucasfilm has purposefully not given it an official title as yet - was quickly set up to be specifically 15 years after Rise of Skywalker. That movie was 35 ABY in the Star Wars timeline, making this new movie 50 ABY.

“[Daisy Ridley's movie is] 15 years out from Rise of Skywalker, so we’re post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray," Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy told Variety shortly after the movie was announced. "There’s a lot of discussion around, ‘Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What’s the state of the galaxy?’ She’s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that’s where we’re going."

Since then, however, the only news about the Daisy Ridley Star Wars movie has been about setbacks - with it currently being on its third rewrite (and third set of writers) and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on a bit of a hiatus with no new directing work since two episodes of Ms. Marvel in 2022. Lucasfilm has assured press this weekend that the Ridley movie is still in development, but to date there's been no official announcements on it in years.

Star Wars: Starfighter just flew past Daisy Ridley's Star Wars movie

While the Daisy Ridley Star Wars film was one of the big announcements of Star Wars Celebration 2023, it has nary a presence at the event two years later - and instead a movie that was on the backburner two years ago punching at light speed to get there first with a 2027 release date and the approval to begin filming this year. Ridley's film was set to begin filming in 2024, but everyone now is thinking it's a 2026 start at the earliest - if it gets approval from Lucasfilm

Add to that, and Star Wars: Starfighter is also set after Rise of Skywalker - but a mere five years after it according to a Lucasfilm press release, so 10 years before the Ridley New Jedi Order film assuming that movie holds its original timeframe with all the rewriting going on. Both can co-exist, but being first into that post-sequel trilogy era seems important - and for it to now be a movie that is shaking off all the nostalgia of returning characters and instead aiming to be as original as the first Star Wars movie will be a stark contrast to anything else in the space.

Additionally, giving Star Wars: Starfighter the auspicious release date of the 50th anniversary of the 1977 Star Wars movie instead of the Ridley film once hyped as the future of Star Wars definitely seems like a specific choice.

That being said, the Daisy Ridley Star Wars movie was announced the final day of Star Wars Celebration 2023 - and its possible it could drop out lightspeed like a Millennium Falcon on a good day. And boy would I welcome it. The more Star Wars movies, the better - and like the twin suns of Tattoine Rey Skywalker and BB8 took in in the final scene of Rise of Skywalker, we could be getting twin futures in Star Wars.

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.