EntertainmentStreamingJames Mangold directing Star Wars is really the big announcement, not Daisy Ridley returning as ReyRey who? I’d rather see what the Logan director can do in a galaxy far, far awayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentStreamingJames Mangold directing Star Wars is really the big announcement, not Daisy Ridley returning as ReyRey who? I’d rather see what the Logan director can do in a galaxy far, far awayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Rey who? I’d rather see what the Logan director can do in a galaxy far, far away
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Lucasfilm / John MacDougall / Getty Images)
(Image credit: Lucasfilm / John MacDougall / Getty Images)
The move wasrevealedduring Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 where Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that three new live-action films set in a galaxy far, far away would be arriving, set over the past, present and future of the franchise. It comes after several projects - including aRogue Squadron filmfrom Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins – have been left on hiatus following years of silence.
Daisy Ridley’s return to the world of Star Wars is unexpected, at least in terms of how quickly it has come about. The actor first appeared as Rey in 2015’s The Force Awakens before playing the role twice more in 2017’s The Last Jedi and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. The new movie will take place 15 years after the sequel trilogy as Rey “builds a new Jedi Order” with Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy taking charge. Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) will pen the script.
James Mangold will then direct the third film that will go back to the dawn of the Jedi, following his completion of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny later this year. No release dates or release windows were shared.
Kathleen Kennedy, James Mangold, Dave Filoni and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023(Image credit: Lucasfilm)
Kathleen Kennedy, James Mangold, Dave Filoni and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023
Kathleen Kennedy, James Mangold, Dave Filoni and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023
(Image credit: Lucasfilm)
Naturally, people online have been most vocal about the return of Rey but I’d argue the other two projects warrant more excitement. It’s nothing against Daisy Ridley – who put in a fine performance in The Force Awakens yet floundered under poor scripts in the follow-ups – but having the man who made Logan and Ford v Ferrari behind the camera holds more promise in my books. As it’s described as a “Biblical epic” set 25,000 years before the Skywalker Saga, I’m hoping for a simple, standalone film that dives into the mythos of the Jedi and the Force. Nothing interconnected. Nothing setting up half a dozen sequels. Nothing more. Just a solid movie.
That same excitement could equally be shared with Filoni. Arguably, there’s no one else in Hollywood right now that knows more about the space opera franchise than him, with The Mandalorian (season one, especially) delivering the best live-action Star Wars we’ve had sinceDisneyacquired the IP. In some ways, there’s something for everyone in these announcements.
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Either way, surely waiting a bit longer than just four years before bringing back Rey would have been more impactful. Is this another move to only confirm what many already ponder: is Star Wars creatively bankrupt? Potentially. We’ll have to wait and see what these three new movies deliver… if they see the light of day at all. At the very least, there’s one project here that has an Oscar-caliber director and writer behind it.
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