Though Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is still almost six months away from release, fans are already speculating on the future of the franchise, and asking who among the current line-up might still be around for the next set of films. For the most part, Lucasfilm and Disney are staying tight-lipped on such matters, but in a recent interview with Vulture, actress Daisy Ridley implied that Rey’s run ends with the Sequel Trilogy.
As per last month’s announcement, Disney has penciled in release dates for three Star Wars movies beyond The Rise of Skywalker, spaced out evenly between 2022 and 2026. So far, there’s little we can say for sure about these upcoming flicks, but when Ridley was asked about the possibility of reprising her role in future films, the star seemed doubtful:
“I can’t actually imagine it right now. The ending to Rise of Skywalker … Rise of the Skywalker? The Rise of Skywalker — sorry, jet lag — it’s very satisfying. It felt like an end. I don’t know what’ll happen in however many years. There are so many characters in the Star Wars world who’ve never been explored. There’s so much for the filmmakers to work on.
“So right now, I don’t think so. But who could say, really? An opportunity might present itself. I love how the movie hasn’t come out and people are like, ‘What about going forward?’ [Laughs.] Right now, it feels like a really nice full stop on the Skywalker series.”
This isn’t the first time Ridley has suggested that Rey’s story concludes with The Rise of Skywalker. Just earlier this month, for instance, the actress told Buzzfeed that she won’t be involved in the next trilogy of movies, explaining that the Lucasfilm team “always said it was going to be a separate story.”
That being said, the star doesn’t seem completely closed off to the idea of reprising her role, and before work began on the Sequel Trilogy, many of us assumed that we’d never see Han, Leia or Luke again. So while Ridley doesn’t seem itching to return just yet, don’t be surprised if she changes her tune somewhere down the line. Either way, we can expect some form of closure to Rey’s journey when Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20th.