Daisy Ridley's STAR WARS Return Hit By Another Setback As Writer Steven Knight Parts Ways With Lucasfilm

Daisy Ridley's STAR WARS Return Hit By Another Setback As Writer Steven Knight Parts Ways With Lucasfilm

Daisy Ridley's return as Rey Skywalker has been hit by another setback with the news that writer Steven Knight is the latest scribe to depart the project. You can find out more about his departure here...

By JoshWilding - Oct 25, 2024 03:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: Variety (via SFFGazette.com)

Kathleen Kennedy's time in charge of Lucasfilm has been dominated by creative differences and movies and TV shows which have been announced but failed to ever actually reach the screen. 

As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) is the latest writer to depart the Rey movie first announced at last April's Star Wars Celebration. Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were originally tapped to develop The Rise of Skywalker follow-up, only for Knight to step in when their vision clashed with Kennedy's.

It looked like Knight might be the one to get this story about Rey, now a Jedi Master looking to create a new Jedi Order while attempting to combat the dark forces that rise up to stop her, across the finish line. Apparently not.

The studio is now in talks with other writers but this should mean production won't start until deep into 2025. 

The Mandalorian and Grogu is the next Star Wars movie and remains on track to be released in May 2026. Whether the mystery titles slated for December 2026 and December 2027 will happen is hard to say.

Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy remains attached to direct this "New Jedi Order" movie which is, for all intents and purposes, Episode X. The expectation is that it will serve as an epilogue to the divisive sequel trilogy which may go some way in redeeming the questionable creative decisions made in those movies. 

Lead star Daisy Ridley was asked about her Star Wars return earlier this week and said, "Things are evolving. I continue to be very excited. There will be an update soon." 

It's getting harder to ignore the cries from fans who believe Kennedy needs to go from Lucasfilm, especially when looking back at just how much the studio has struggled to make the Star Wars franchise a success in theaters. One or two more flops and the brand may be damaged beyond repair.

Earlier this year, Ridley discussed her return and explained why she agreed to play Rey again after the divisive reaction to The Rise of Skywalker.

"I suppose I feel more like I’m owning it. I suppose I owned it the first time. Basically, I’m an adult now. I certainly did not feel like an adult at the time. Obviously, personally, things have changed, and professionally, I’ve had lots of other experiences, and so I definitely feel like it’s a different thing this time. There’s just a lot of joy with me and these films. Honestly, if I wasn’t excited, I wouldn’t have done it. It feels like a great thing to be a part of."

Keep checking back here for updates as we have them. 

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MarvelZombie616
MarvelZombie616 - 10/25/2024, 3:06 PM
Star Wars beyond the Mandalorian & Grogu is dead.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/25/2024, 3:12 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - You're gonna skip out before Filoni's Heir to the Empire?
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 10/25/2024, 3:33 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - Probably dead before Mando and Grogu. That season 3 was abysmal.
jst5
jst5 - 10/25/2024, 5:12 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - Yea this Rey movie is never happening...it's going to be a massive tank job so probably for the best.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/25/2024, 8:14 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - I hate that title. Bringing Grogu back has made even that series a gimmick. He was a good character who needed the Jedi, found Luke....or Luke found him. Then Kennedy decided to retcon and forced Favreau to bring him back front and center. This IP is creatively dead outside of Tony Gilroy's projects.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/25/2024, 8:14 PM
@Clintthahamster - Filoni botched Thrawn.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/26/2024, 9:56 AM
@McMurdo - Where did you see that Kennedy forced Filoni to bring Grogu back? Favreau made it sound like it was his decision.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 10/26/2024, 11:46 AM
@MarvelZombie616 - wait....
Is Star Wars still a thing? huh.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/28/2024, 3:36 PM
@Clintthahamster - there's no "confirmed" validation of this. But the way season 2 ended with him going with Luke to become a Jedi and then not in s3 but a show separate altogether, and before s3, they force him back into the story despite that arcs resolution in s2. It was simply obvious what happened. The original plan was for him to become a Jedi per Luke. Now he's......not. I'm not trying to convince you as your mind is most likely set on this being par the course but if you go on the force.net boards or really anywhere, reddit etc....the large majority of the fandom is confident this was a story decision thrust upon the creative team because of the massive popularity of Grogu. They worried him not being the cute thing in every future episode was a mistake for their viewership when in reality it was a creative mistake a season 3 was lesser for it. The show is called the Mandalorian. Now it's the Mandalorian and Grogu.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/28/2024, 4:12 PM
@McMurdo - "there's no "confirmed" validation of this . . . the large majority of the fandom is confident"

Oh, so LOTS of people believe something without any evidence to support it? Sorry, still not super convincing. I'll say again, y'all sure seem happy to blame Kennedy for everything you hate about star wars, but not give her any credit for anything that you love about it, despite her having essentially the same role in every movie and TV show for the last decade.

"The show is called the Mandalorian. Now it's the Mandalorian and Grogu."

But Grogu had been in every episode of the show for the first two seasons. Grogu is as much a character in the show as the Mandalorian. It's not unusual for a show to be named after a single character, but to have several supporting characters that are integral to the story. That's actually almost every TV show, huh?

I agree 100% that "The Mandalorian and Grogu" is a terrible name for a movie, and that it was asinine to reunite Mando and Grogu during BoBF instead of, say, making that the story arc of season 3. But Grogu is part of the show, part of what makes it work, and always has been.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/28/2024, 7:12 PM
@Clintthahamster - favreau had to do press explaining why Grogu came back in another show lol. No one's trying to convince you. I get it. And I understand where you stand on the matter and you're entitled to feel that way.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 10/25/2024, 3:08 PM
I can not believe how mishandled this IP has been since Disney bought it. They could not be doing a worse job if they tried.
MG0019
MG0019 - 10/25/2024, 4:38 PM
@TheJok3r - It’s amazing. Sitting on a literal gold mine, only to flush it all down river.
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 10/25/2024, 3:10 PM
Can't catch a [frick]ing break can they
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/25/2024, 3:18 PM
@WakandanQueen - Too many irons in the fire, and no one steering the ship (if I may mix my metaphors.) They've got at least TEN movies in some stage of development, and a handful of TV shows. Just pick one, and finish it, and then start preproduction on the next one while the first one is in postproduction. It's not [frick]ing rocket surgery.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/25/2024, 3:12 PM
This is probably fine. Steven Knight is a very good writer, but nothing about his work to this point indicates that he's the right guy to breathe new life into Star Wars.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/25/2024, 8:19 PM
@Clintthahamster - this is just the newest mishandled project under the leadership of Kennedy. Period. It's become old hat.

Josh Trank's Boba Fett movie - cancelled
Stuart Beattie's Obi-Wan Kenobi movie - cancelled
Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron movie - cancelled
Taika Waititi's movie - cancelled
Benioff & Weiss Trilogy - cancelled
Kevin Feige movie - cancelled
Rian Johnson's Trilogy - cancelled
Acolyte - flopped & cancelled
Droid Story - production hell, likely cancelled
Lando series - production hell, turned into TV-series, likely cancelled
Willow - cancelled and removed from Disney+
Damon Lindeloff - left
Steven Knight - left
Solo - Lord & Miller were fired because "creative differences"
Rogue One - heavy reshoots and rewrites, "creative differences" with Gareth Edwards
Ep. 9 - Trevorow was fired because "creative differences", KK deemed that somehow Palpatine returning instead was better
Book of Boba Fett - forced Favreau to bring back Baby Yoda
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 10/26/2024, 4:24 AM
@McMurdo - That is a lot. They're not really a director-friendly studio are they? And this isn't even counting all the directors they turned away at the beginning, like Robert Rodriguez, Guillermo Del Toro and Zack Snyder (although after seeing Rogue One that was probably for the best).
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/26/2024, 10:01 AM
@McMurdo - "Rogue One - heavy reshoots and rewrites, "creative differences" with Gareth Edwards"

Rogue One is one of the best–if notthe best–Star Wars movies. If that's Kennedy's doing, cool!

"KK deemed that somehow Palpatine returning instead was better . . . forced Favreau to bring back Baby Yoda"

How do you know this? What's your source?

Not trying to say that Lucasfilm has had a smooth run under Disney's regime, but the extent to which y'all are willing to blame Kennedy for everything that's gone wrong, and not give her any credit for what's gone right, is getting kinda old.
LilJimmy
LilJimmy - 10/25/2024, 3:12 PM
LOL

KK should just write the Rey movies herself
krayzeman
krayzeman - 10/25/2024, 3:13 PM
Bring George Lucas back.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 10/25/2024, 3:20 PM

He just learned the last trilogy was absolute garbage and continuing it would be career suicide.

grif
grif - 10/25/2024, 3:21 PM
oh no


TheShellyMan
TheShellyMan - 10/25/2024, 3:23 PM
Star Wars film division is dead.
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 10/25/2024, 3:28 PM
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Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 10/25/2024, 3:35 PM
@harryba11zack - this is how i see life daily
Batmangina
Batmangina - 10/25/2024, 8:25 PM
@harryba11zack - That would be an upward trend at Disney Star Wars
LilJimmy
LilJimmy - 10/25/2024, 3:28 PM
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MisterBones
MisterBones - 10/25/2024, 3:30 PM
This movie shouldn't even be happening
captainireland
captainireland - 10/25/2024, 3:30 PM
"The expectation is that it will serve as an epilogue to the divisive sequel trilogy"

Whose expectation, exactly? Other than on this site, I've seen no indication that this is supposed to be an epilogue. If anything, I would guess it's planned to open a new era for storytelling, if it's successful. I mean, this very site has previously reported "A New Beginning" as a rumoured title for this movie. That doesn't sound like it's meant to serve as an epilogue any more than you could call The Force Awakens an epilogue to the original trilogy. A continuation seems like a more fitting description. Or simply just a sequel to The Rise of Skywalker.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 10/25/2024, 8:21 PM
@captainireland - dude it's literally a REY movie. Rise of Skywalker was yesterday.
captainireland
captainireland - 10/25/2024, 9:42 PM
@McMurdo - it's not an epilogue though. And it revolves around the protagonist of The Rise of Skywalker, so it's definitely a sequel/continuation.
HistoryofMatt
HistoryofMatt - 10/25/2024, 4:06 PM
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TheMarxican
TheMarxican - 10/25/2024, 4:20 PM
User Comment Image
NonPlayerC
NonPlayerC - 10/25/2024, 4:29 PM
MMMWWWAAAAAAHAAAAAHAHHAAAHHAAAA
NickScryer
NickScryer - 10/25/2024, 5:43 PM
Let it go Disney. Star Wars is dead. You killed it.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 10/25/2024, 6:03 PM
Hopefully they just quietly cancel it. They should focus on making movies Star Wars fans have at least some interest in seeing.
Cryptonautaz
Cryptonautaz - 10/25/2024, 7:06 PM
Sorry Disney, except for the Mandalorian+G, you can't make SW movies as good as the CGI 'Rebels'. Give it rest for awhile and then try to do it right without crapping on the old characters anymore.
abd00bie
abd00bie - 10/25/2024, 7:23 PM
Do they postpone legalities with shareholders etc. if they announce something new? I feel like they do this to postpone stuff then announce at a later date something is canceled to appease the higher ups
Batmangina
Batmangina - 10/25/2024, 8:26 PM
Star Wars is ALIVE AND WELL at Disney!!!!


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