2 Attachment(s)
Star Wars: Daisy Ridley Denies Involvement With Upcoming Film Trilogies
Daisy Ridley denies she is involved in either of the upcoming Star Wars film trilogies. This December's The Rise of Skywalker wraps up the iconic Skywalker saga that's defined the franchise for more than 40 years, but Lucasfilm isn't going to stop there. The studio is hard at work developing new movie series, with two projects spearheaded by Rian Johnson and David Benioff & D.B. Weiss. During Celebration Chicago earlier this year, Kathleen Kennedy mentioned the trio would be working closely together as they figure out the next several years of Star Wars content.
Lucasfilm is currently in the early stages of ironing out the future, recently securing release dates for mystery Star Wars films in December 2022, 2024, and 2026. It's been confirmed the first of these out of the gate will be from Benioff & Weiss, but other details remain firmly under wraps for now. And as fans speculate amongst themselves about what these new movies will be about, one of the sequel trilogy's stars reveals she's not involved at all.
In an interview with BuzzFeed (hat tip Star Wars News Net), Ridley was asked if she would be a part of the next wave of Star Wars movies:
I mean, I can say I’m not in the next trilogy. No. I think, cause Rian always said…if it’s the Rian one…or it’s the guys that did Game of Thrones. I’m not sure. Whichever one it was, they always said it was going to be a separate story. So I’m not. No.
As Ridley indicates, one of the selling points of the new trilogies is that they tell stories entirely separate from the ongoing Skywalker saga, fleshing out the canon in new and exciting ways. Because of that fact, it isn't surprising that Ridley (or, in all likelihood, her sequel trilogy co-stars) won't be in either of them. It's always possible the next phase of films includes references to the Skywalker saga to establish connective tissue, but they wouldn't be anything too overt. It sounds like the point of these trilogies is to showcase the broad scope of the Star Wars galaxy by not relying on a narrative about a singular family. Rumors have suggested Benioff & Weiss' series is set during the days of the Old Republic, centuries before The Phantom Menace on the timeline.
This is probably best for everyone involved. In order for Star Wars to truly thrive longterm into the next decade and beyond, the franchise needs to move beyond the Skywalker saga and related characters. Just about every piece of canon can trace its roots back to the nine-episode tale, and there frankly isn't much left to mine from it (especially with Disney+ series on the way). And though Rey made Ridley a household name and a fan-favorite, there comes a time in any actor's career where they want to play different roles and take on new challenges. It sounds like Ridley will be done with Star Wars for the foreseeable future after The Rise of Skywalker, but Rey's story could continue in other mediums.
Star Wars 9 / Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) release date: Dec 20, 2019
