The Force is strong with Rey Skywalker fans.
On Friday, Lucasfilm announced a new slate of “Star Wars” films, including one starring Daisy Ridley, reprising her role as intergalactic hero Rey Skywalker.
The news arrived during Star Wars Celebration Europe, an officially sanctioned annual fan gathering, held this year in London. Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will helm the new project, telling a story set 15 years after “The Rise of Skywalker.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Obaid-Chinoy said at the event that the movie is “set in a Jedi Academy with a powerful Jedi master. “
The master? Rey, who’s working to rebuild the order of the Jedi.
Variety described the reveal as a surprise announcement — attendees thought Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was there to announce a single new film. Instead, she brought three!
”This really spawns from what George Lucas said years ago, that he created ‘Star Wars’ to move forward and backward along a mythological timeline,” Kennedy told the audience.
“Now we’re looking to broaden that timeline, building a rich future, expanding upon the present, going deep into the past to tell our stories, and we’re thrilled to be working with some of the best and most passionate filmmakers on projects that will span the past, present and future,” Kennedy said.
Oscar-nominated director James Mangold will head up another new movie in the series, along with “The Mandalorian” producer Dave Filoni on the other.
Obaid-Chinoy, for her part, is a two-time Oscar winner, and the first woman and the first person of color to direct a film for the “Star Wars” franchise.
Much to the fans’ delight, Ridley arrived onstage at the announcement, grinning from ear to ear. The Rotten Tomatoes Twitter account shared a video of the surprise, complete with folks jumping out of their seats:
Daisy Ridley will officially return as Rey in an all-new #StarWars movie set 15 years after the events of Rise of Skywalker.
The story will follow Rey as she creates a new Jedi Academy.
Watch the #StarWarsCelebration fans react to the major announcement: pic.twitter.com/eheOy8QB5w
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) April 7, 2023
Looks like the fans are stoked! No word yet on the film’s title or a potential release date, so keep those Yoda ears open for more to come.
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