At Star Wars Celebration earlier this month, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy announced plans for a new movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy that takes place 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Daisy Ridley will reprise her role as Rey, while Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is working on the current draft of the screenplay.
However, this is the same movie that Watchmen and Lost scribe Damon Lindelof was working on alongside Justin Britt-Gibson for a time.
We're not sure what went wrong, but given Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's apparent habit of clashing with creatives, it seems likely there might have been a difference of opinion when it came to the way Rey's story should continue. If nothing else, Lindelof has laid the groundwork for whatever shape this movie takes and recently commented on it for the first time during an interview with Variety (via SFFGazette.com).
Calling the project a "true labour of love," he added: "The movie is still happening, but unfortunately not with me. I wish them all the best of luck. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an incredible director, and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with."
It certainly doesn't sound like Lindelof left this Galaxy Far, Far Away by choice, and we can't help but wonder whether he'll talk more about his contributions post-release.
According to a recent report, the movie is actually expected to be the first of these projects released in theaters, with a December 2025 debut looking like a real possibility. A year later, we would get Filoni's movie, meaning there's time for additional seasons of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka before then.
With the sequel trilogy proving so divisive among Star Wars fans, the hope now is that this follow-up will go some way in making things right and addressing many of the plot holes left by J.J. Abrams after Episode IX.
We'll hopefully have more details to share with you soon as Kennedy did say she plans to reveal more details in the months ahead.