Daisy Ridley and Taika Waititi recently shared vague but positive updates on their upcoming Star Wars projects during separate interviews. While promoting other films, both actors expressed enthusiasm without revealing specifics. Their comments come amid leadership changes at Lucasfilm.
Daisy Ridley and Taika Waititi, known for their roles in the Star Wars franchise, provided brief insights into their respective projects while promoting new films. Ridley, set to reprise her role as Rey in a film about rebuilding the Jedi Order, spoke to USA Today about the excitement surrounding the project. "I think what’s lovely is people are excited because they want to see (the films) which is great. … It’s really wonderful to be part of something where people maybe don’t know as much. And I love that people want to know, but it will also be a great surprise then when the thing is done," she said.
Taika Waititi, developing an original Star Wars movie first announced in 2020, discussed the tone he aims to capture in an interview with Variety. He emphasized recapturing the fun from the original trilogy while keeping the high stakes. "The stakes are very high, and there’s serious things going on, but there’s also a lot of fun to be had in those films. That’s what I was trying to bring back. I was trying to work in a world that was a little bit separate from that because they’ve got so many things going on within that space. For me to do something there, it would need to be a little different and a little bit more its own thing," Waititi explained. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that Waititi has submitted a script, describing it as "hilarious and great" and noting the project remains "still somewhat alive" despite recent shakeups.
These updates occur as Lucasfilm transitions leadership to Dave Filoni, potentially causing short-term chaos. The broader Star Wars film slate includes The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22, 2026, followed by Shawn Levy's Starfighter in May 2027, a Simon Kinberg trilogy, and a James Mangold film on the earliest Jedi. No release dates or further details were shared for Ridley or Waititi's films, leaving fans awaiting more information, possibly around May 4.
