With the movie having just lost its writer, Daisy Ridley has addressed the rumors of Star Wars: New Jedi Order‘s 2026 release date. Development on the new film in the Lucasfilm franchise has been underway since late 2022, with Ridley reprising her role of Rey from the sequel trilogy and reports that the story would pick up 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Steven Knight had been attached to penning the script for Star Wars: New Jedi Order, though was revealed in October 2024 to have departed the project at some point in the past, with filming delayed to late 2025.
During a recent interview with The Playlist‘s Discourse Podcast for her new thriller Magpie, Ridley was asked for an update on her Rey-focused movie. When asked specifically about rumors that the movie was set for Christmas 2026 in the slot Disney set aside for an unspecified film from the franchise, the star confirmed Star Wars: New Jedi Order does not have a release date set, affirming that the studio and creative team are ensuring they have everything situated accordingly before they consider setting a date for it. See what Ridley said below:
We don’t have a date. I think the creative process is one that is really a journey. And I’m really genuinely excited. And I have said I’m very excited, but I really do mean I’m excited about what’s coming. And I think we really have the luxury of making sure that this is the right [thing]. So when everything is ready to go, we will be going, and it’s very—yeah, it’s good.
What This Means For Star Wars: New Jedi Order
It May Need To Look For A Different Date
While some reports indicate that he actually left the project some time ago, the fact that Knight’s exit from Star Wars: New Jedi Order was only just confirmed makes it understandable why the movie doesn’t have a release date. The sheer amount of post-production that typically goes into an installment of the Lucasfilm franchise necessitates months of work, and without a script in place, going for a Christmas date would likely require some kind of rushing. The last time the franchise encountered such a rush was with Solo: A Star Wars Story, which memorably became a divisive box office bomb.
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Even still, between Ridley’s continued enthusiasm and Disney’s long-term planning with setting up their calendars, there are still other options for Star Wars: New Jedi Order‘s release. In addition to the Christmas 2026 release date, Disney has also set aside December 17, 2027 for an untitled Star Wars movie. While the studio has a variety of projects from the franchise in the works, Ridley’s seems to be one of the closest to happening, beyond James Mangold’s Dawn of the Jedi, which is reportedly set to begin shooting next year, and could therefore land the Christmas 2026 date.
Our Take On Star Wars: New Jedi Order’s Release Status
The Wait Is Sure To Be Worth It
Even though The Rise of Skywalker may have underwhelmed how it closed out the sequel trilogy, I’ve been quite thrilled at the prospect of Ridley reprising her role of Rey, and I think Star Wars: New Jedi Order will be worth the wait. Near the end of the sequels, many of the franchise’s newer stars seemed ready to leave it all behind, so the fact Ridley is so enthused by the story being planned for the new movie gives me hope that the various creative setbacks will see the studio ensuring the movie lives up to fan’s expectations.
Source: The Playlist
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.
- Director
- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
- Writers
- Steven Knight