A recent purported leak from Daniel Richtman has sparked renewed interest and skepticism among fans regarding the future of the Star Wars franchise. According to the leak, Lucasfilm is planning an entirely new era titled the "New Jedi Order," set approximately 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. According to various reports, this era – if the rumors are to be believed – will be structured similarly to the Mandoverse, with multiple interconnected stories leading to a culminating event that brings back legacy characters.
The first film in this new era is reportedly the long-awaited Rey-centric movie, with Daisy Ridley reprising her role as the titular character. Expected to be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the movie is likely to focus on Rey's journey to rebuild the Jedi Order. However, even Ridley herself has said she doesn’t know when cameras will start rolling.
Adding to the complexity, another upcoming Star Wars film, Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling and Matt Smith, is set to release in May 2027. This film is described as a standalone adventure set five years after The Rise of Skywalker, and would not likely fit into the wider narrative of the New Jedi Order era.
Disney has, however, done standalone films before, with both Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story, so Starfighter doesn’t necessarily negate the existence of this reported brand new era.
The lack of official confirmation from Lucasfilm has left fans confused. Some express excitement about the potential return of Rey and the expansion of the Star Wars universe, while others remain cautious, with many bringing up the largely chilly reception to the sequel trilogy and the uncertainty surrounding the new projects.
A couple of months ago, when rumors abounded that the New Jedi Order project had been shelved, one fan commented, “Sequels have a lot of baggage attached to them, which makes it hard to do a follow-up to them at this time. Think Disney and Kathleen Kennedy have the right idea right now, which is focusing on stand-alone projects. If you have a couple of those that are successful, then maybe you can go from there and build a new trilogy off that.”
Another felt that the Star Wars team may be taking a step back to focus on quality over quantity, “I have a feeling the strong reception Andor has received may have something to do with that. They've made countless shows and movies that have fallen flat because of poor writing and direction (among many things). So hopefully Disney now has a better idea of how to take this franchise forward?”