The upcomingStar Wars: New Jedi Ordermovie, which features Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey, has lostPeaky Blindersscreenwriter Steven Knight. Announced at last year’s Star Wars Celebration, Rey’s imminent return delighted fans of theStar Warssequel trilogy. The movie will be helmed bySharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose pitch caught Lucasfilm’s attention and won Ridley over as well;Peaky Blindersscreenwriter Steven Knight was hired to pen the script.
A new report fromPuck Newsreveals a disturbance in the Force, withSteven Knight leaving the project. “Knight was enlisted last year after previous writers Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were also hired with much fanfare and later dropped into a sarlaac pit,” Puck News report. “Lucasfilm is now hunting for a new writer on New Jedi Order, which almost certainly means the film will not be ready by December 2026, the date Disney has staked out for a Star Wars release.”
What Steven Knight’s Departure Means For Star Wars
The sad truth is that, under Disney, Lucasfilm has developed something of a reputation for behind-the-scenes drama. That’s even been true of critical and theatrical hits likeRogue One: A Star Wars Story, but caused massive problems withSolo: A Star Wars Story- leading toSolo’s eye-watering budget.Star Warshas been focused on Disney+ since 2019’sStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but last yearLucasfilm announced an ambitious slate that would see three movies release in 2026 and 2027. The studio recently recommitted to that goal.
New Star Wars Movies: Every Upcoming Movie & Release Date
Here’s every upcoming Star Wars movie in development - including Rey’s New Jedi Order, the Dawn of the Jedi, and The Mandalorian & Grogu!
Lucasfilm has currently booked three release dates: June 30, 2025; July 14, 2025; and June 20, 2025.The Mandalorian & Groguis currently set to come out in May 2026, and the general assumption was that Rey’s New Jedi Order movie would release in December 2026. That looks extremely unlikely now, andit would make sense for Lucasfilm to shuffle the dates.
Our Take On Steven Knight’s Departure
Steven Knight is a top talent, and his departure is sad news forStar Wars. At the same time, though, the most frustrating issues at Lucasfilm have tended to comeafterthe scripts had been finished, during production; it’s probably better that Lucasfilm iron out plans for theStar Warsmovie will before filming begins.Daisy Ridley recently promised exciting updateson the project, so it’s possible the studio has already found Knight’s replacement.
In truth, shuffling the release dates already seemed like a good idea.The Mandalorian & Groguis releasing against anAvengersfilm, which seems most unwise; it would be prudent to move that to the December 2026 release date, and schedule Ridley’s return for 2027. That would also make theStar Wars: New Jedi Ordermovie part ofA New Hope’s 50th anniversary celebrations - surely where it should always have been set to begin with.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order
Cast
The tenth mainline installment in the Star Wars franchise is the first movie to follow the sequel trilogy, where Mark Hamill’s Luke, Carrie Fisher’s Leia, and Harrison Ford’s Han Solo gave their final farewell. After the release of The Rise of Skywalker, development on a direct sequel had become dormant as Disney shifted focus on other parts of the galaxy, namely, Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. However, a movie starring Daisy Ridley as Rey Skywalker was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
