It's been all quiet on the Star Wars front since the first season of Ahsoka wrapped-up last October, and for a lot longer than that when it comes to the galaxy far, far away on the big screen. Lucasfilm does have several major film and TV projects on the horizon, however, and we now have some intriguing updates courtesy of reliable insider Daniel Richtman.
Arguably the most-anticipated (depending on how you feel about the sequel trilogy) is the untitled Rey-focused movie, which will see Daisy Ridley reprise her role as Rey "Skywalker." According to Richtman, Disney and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are currently casting three major roles: Rey's two Jedi apprentices, and an unnamed villain.
The movie will reportedly shoot in the UK later this year, and is not expected to be the first film in a new trilogy as previously rumored, but a standalone story.
Specific plot details are still under wraps, but the movie will be set a whole fifteen years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker, and Rey will be a "powerful Jedi master" running her own training academy when we catch up with her.
Last year, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy revealed that work on this movie is further along than we realized.
"We’ve been working on that film for a few years and all of that feeds into our overall storytelling. So we’ve just got to a point now where we’ve got a wonderful writer in Steven Knight, and we’re probably going to see a script in the next month and a half that we’ve been working on for quite a while. So we’re getting close."
Of course, this was prior to the Hollywood strikes, which no doubt had at least some impact on the project's development.
We recently got confirmation that Ahsoka will return for a second season, and Richtman believes filming is on track for later this year, most likely Q4 (between October and December). The Mandalorian and Grogu will also commence production soon, and is rumored to shoot in LA and the UK.
“I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created,” said director Jon Favreau when the project was first announced. “The prospect of bringing the Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting.”
What do you make of these updates? Drop us a comment down below, and keep an eye out for a first look at The Acolyte, which should be coming our way soon.