All the New STAR WARS Movies Announced, Including Daisy Ridley’s Return as Rey
- We break down the nine new Star Wars movies currently in development or production, including Daisy Ridley’s return as Rey.
After many false starts and canceled projects, Star Wars is finally ready to return to theaters. Lucasfilm announced three new upcoming standalone movies during the opening of Star Wars Celebration 2023. These new Star Wars movies include a story about the founding of the Jedi, a movie that will serve as the finale to this era of interconnected Disney+ shows, and the return of Daisy Ridley’s Rey. On top of that, the once-canceled Rogue Squadron may rise to join the line-up (but nothing official has been reported.) Shawn Levy also teased that he will direct a Star Wars film. And finally, a whole new trilogy of mysterious Star Wars movies also appears to be in the works. That makes a total of 8 new Star Wars movies in production or development.
Lucasfilm
Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg
8 New Star Wars Movies Are On the WayThe galaxy far, far away is finally going back to the big screen, and how. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy revealed James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Dave Filoni (The Mandalorian, Ahsoka), Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel, Saving Face) have all been tapped to direct these new Star Wars movies. Additionally, if what Patty Jenkins says is true, she will direct an upcoming Star Wars movie as well. And Shawn Levy will also direct a Star Wars movie. Finally, Star Wars: Rebels‘ Simon Kinberg has reportedly been tapped to write a new trilogy that may or may not continue the Skywalker Saga. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rey could play a role “in several movies that are being developed, although which ones remains unclear.”
Variety confirmed on November 15, 2024 that Disney had removed one of its untitled Star Wars movies from its original date of December 18, 2026. While which was not confirmed, it was very likely the Rey movie. While Lucasfilm shared few official details about the films, the little they tell us says a lot. Here’s what we know about these new Star Wars movies so far.
James Mangold’s New Star Wars Movie Tells the Story of the ForceJames Mangold’s “will go back to the dawn of the Jedi,” a time set tens of thousands of years earlier than anything we’ve ever seen on screen before. That might mean we’ll meet the figure known as Prime Jedi. That’s the person who founded the Order on Ahch-To 25,000 years before the events of A New Hope. And that is when this film takes place, according to James Mangold’s latest interview with MovieWeb, which you can check out for Star Wars intel in the video below at the 7:30 mark.
Here’s what else Mangold had to say about his upcoming Star Wars film:
“The two aspects that really important are the freedom to make something new, and beau and I have been working on a script in relation to Star Wars and we’ll see what happens, and in relation to Swamp Thing and DC, it’s all about do we find a way on the page to say something original
Part of the reason, the Star Wars movie would be taking place before any known Star Wars movies is because not only its an area and a playground that I was inspired by as a teenager, but also I’m not that interested in being handcuffed by so much lore at this point that it’s almost immovable and you can’t please anybody.”
Fans already know Ahch-To well. They first saw it in The Last Jedi when it served as Luke Skywalker’s hideaway. A release additionally shares, “James Mangold will take audiences deep into the past, telling the tale of the first Jedi to wield the Force and harness it as a liberating power in an era of chaos and oppression.”
Lucasfilm
Mangold further noted to Empire that his new Star Wars movie “takes place 25,000 years before Episode IV, and it’s about the discovery of the Force.” He further shares, “I told Kathy [Kennedy, head of Lucasfilm] I wanted to make a kind of Bible movie, a kind of Ten Commandments of Star Wars – kind of a Cecil B DeMille film about the arrival of the Force, and that’s what I’ve been pecking away at between press events. That’s the idea.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, playwright and screenwriter Beau Willimon will co-write the script with Mangold. In addition to his playwriting career and his Emmy-nominated scripts for House of Cards, Willimon also wrote the prison three-parter in season one of Andor. Writing the best episodes of the best Star Wars show is some real bonafides.
James Mangold’s New Star Wars Movie Connects with Rey’s Next AppearanceKennedy also recently shared that this movie will help inform the new Star Wars movie featuring the return of Rey. She noted to Total Film, “I think it’s a really nice compliment to what we’re doing with moving into the future with Rey, and then understanding a bit more of where this all came from,” she explains. “Because it will be at the heart of creating the new Jedi Order, so to get a real sense of where that might have began with the dawn of the Jedi could be pretty cool.”
According to a new official Star Wars eras list revealed by LucasFilm, this movie will most likely take place in the “Dawn of the Jedi” era, but could even take place earlier than that.
Dave Filoni’s Film Will Bring Together Many Current Disney+ SeriesThe next new Star Wars movie will come from franchise veteran Dave Filoni. His film “will focus on the New Republic and close out the interconnected stories told in The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ series.” That’s huge news for both the television and movie side of Lucasfilm. When we get a release date for Filoni’s film, we’ll know just how many more seasons of The Mandalorian we might see. Clearly, there’s already an end in sight to Din Djarin and Grogu’s story. Although, we suppose they could continue on beyond a culminating movie. A release further shares, “Dave Filoni will orchestrate the escalating war between the Imperial Remnant and the fledgling New Republic.”
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Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Star Wars Movie
If it happens, Obaid-Chinoy’s movie will take place after The Rise of Skywalker. It will mark the return of Daisy Ridley as Rey. Set 15 years after the ultimate defeat of the Sith, she will be trying to build a new Jedi Order. Hopefully, that goes a lot better than her mentor Luke Skywalker’s attempts. According to the new list of Star Wars eras, it seems like this movie will take place in the “New Jedi Order” era.
Unfortunately, most recently, we learned some roundabout information about this Rey Star Wars movie. It was announced that Daisy Ridley would star in a new movie, Killa Bee, a true story about an ICU nurse who became an MMA fighter. That’s not as important as when the movie will film—and that’s Q2 of 2026. So, unless we hear something soon, it feels like the new Star Wars Rey movie will likely have to wait for the second half of 2026 to get started… If it still plans to get started at all.
The latest reports on upcoming Star Wars movies suggest that Daisy Ridley’s Rey Star Wars movie may have been shelved altogether, but nothing official has been shared yet. For all the updates we’ve seen about the Rey movie since 2023, you can expand the below.
All the Updates and Details We’ve Seen About Rey’s Movie Since it Was Announced The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s 12 Writer George Nolfi Joins Rey’s Star Wars Movie—Potentially Titled New Jedi OrderThe Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s 12 writer George Nolfi has come aboard as a writer on Rey’s Star Wars movie, seemingly titled New Jedi Order. This looks to signal the Star Wars film is moving ahead again.
Daisy Ridley recently revealed that she has not seen the latest script, but feels confident about the film. She notes, “I have not read the latest script, but I know what’s happening, and I know the story, and I think what feels really good is that George is a phenomenal writer. I think we’re making sure that this story is the best way, this script is the best way to tell the story, and I think it will be worthwhile. for everyone watching it, and I am very excited, yeah.”
Rey’s Star Wars Movie Lost Its Original WriterRecent rumors speculated that the Rey movie might have been delayed indefinitely due to creative differences between Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and the movie’s former writer Steven Knight. However, according to Gizmodo, Lucasfilm confirmed in January the movie is still moving forward without issue. According to the publication, a source at Lucasfilm noted at the time, “Knight continues to write and be a part of the process. In fact, the company is waiting on his latest draft as you read this.”
But now, Knight appears to be officially out as the writer of the Star Wars film and has departed from the project.
A Release Date for Rey’s New Star Wars MovieAccording to Productionlist.com, which tracks production updates for the Film & Television Industry Alliance, the Rey movie was reportedly meant to start shooting on April 7, 2024 in London. But that does not seem like it came to pass.
Disney had announced two upcoming release dates for Star Wars movies: December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027. Rey’s Star Wars outing will likely not debut in 2026. This was later all but confirmed as Disney removed the Star Wars movie from the December 18 date, replacing it with—is this right?—Ice Age 6.
Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg
The Plot of Rey’s Upcoming Star Wars MovieKathleen Kennedy shared more about the movie with Variety. She noted:
Well, we’re 15 years out from ‘Rise of Skywalker,’ so we’re post-war, post-First Order, and the Jedi are in disarray. There’s a lot of discussion around, ‘Who are the Jedi? What are they doing? What’s the state of the galaxy?’ She’s attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order, based on the books, based on what she promised Luke, so that’s where we’re going.”
Speaking to Empire, Kennedy added, “The First Order has fallen, the Jedi are in chaos – there’s even a question of how many exist anymore – and Rey’s building the New Jedi Order, based on the text that she was given and that Luke imparted on her.” She also offers, “Rey has made a promise to Luke, and that’s really the core of where we’re going and what this story will be. And I think it offers just tremendous opportunity to introduce new characters and start with something fresh, because we culminated with what George [Lucas] was creating, and now we take all of that and move it to the next chapter.”
Lucasfilm
On the topic of a possible Luke Skywalker presence in the new Star Wars movie, Kennedy said: “I don’t know if we’ll spend a lot of time in flashbacks or [on] Force ghosts or things like that, but certainly, the spirit of what he represents to her is going to be significant.”
Ridley previously noted, “I know bits and bobs… I know there’s an introduction of new characters… I don’t know about previous characters.” But she also didn’t rule out anyone’s return. When asked about the popular idea of John Boyega’s Finn returning as a Jedi in the new Star Wars movie, Ridley responded, “That is above my pay grade. [Laughs] I would love to see that, but that is not a decision for me.” She also recently told The Hollywood Reporter that it feels like she and Boyega should reunite in the movie, noting, “Absolutely, of course…It feels like we should, yeah.”
But Ridley does have some information, according to Empire, “she knows the story beats for what the new film will be.” And, as of May 2024, she notes that she still hasn’t read a script “but it is imminently about to change.”
A Jedi Academy Is in Rey’s FutureSharmeen Obaid-Chinoy further noted about the new Star Wars movie, “At the heart of it, for me, is Rey Skywalker, Daisy Ridley, and her story, and taking her on an adventure to a Jedi Academy and sort of creating a world that is a natural dovetail to the story that we’ve seen her go through in the last three episodes.”
Obaid-Chinoy additionally adds, “I’ve had conversations with JJ Abrams. I’ve had conversations with George Lucas and, of course, Dave Filoni, who is a big part of the Star Wars universe now. We speak very often, and Kathy Kennedy, Carrie Beck, and Simon Emanuel – I think the team is really taking time to make sure that we do justice to telling the story of Daisy.”
Rey’s Future in the New Star Wars Movie
Lucasfilm
But will Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie continue the common franchise trend of introducing new characters that are somehow related to other characters in the world? Daisy Ridley doesn’t really think so. Speaking to Deadline, Ridley noted it seemed unlikely that Rey would have kids in the new Star Wars film. She shared, “I would say she probably doesn’t have children seeing she’s a Jedi.” Of course, we know hypothetically Rey still could have children, like Anakin before her, but it sounds like this won’t be the path of the movie.
Daisy Ridley also notes that Rey will take a different approach to teaching the next generation of Jedi than Luke Skywalker did. Speaking to Den of Geek, she says about Rey’s tactics diverging from Luke’s, “I would say, from what I understand, yes. Short answer.”
Daisy Ridley and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Give Updates on the New FilmDaisy Ridley noted to Collider, “I’m very excited. The story is really cool. I’m waiting to read a script because, obviously, I don’t have any other updates. It’s not what I expected, but I’m very excited.” And additionally told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m genuinely really excited about the next one [Star Wars movie]. I haven’t read anything, but I know the story. It’s really worth telling, worth exploring, and I think people will be excited.”
Daisy Ridley on Returning as ReyThe actress also offered a bit of a further tease about the film to AlloCiné. She said of the upcoming Rey Star Wars movie, “Once I knew what the story was and everything, I knew that it was something I really wanted to do. I think it’s a really fantastic exploration of the Star Wars world. It’s a really cool way of taking the story on in a bit of a different direction.” In conclusion, as Ridley noted to Variety, the story of this Star Wars movie is “cool as sh*t.”
Ridley also recently shared that this time around, she feels more ready to be Rey. “I suppose I feel more like I’m owning it. I suppose I owned it the first time. Basically, I’m an adult now. I certainly did not feel like an adult at the time. Obviously, personally, things have changed, and professionally, I’ve had lots of other experiences, and so I definitely feel like it’s a different thing this time. There’s just a lot of joy with me and these films. Honestly, if I wasn’t excited, I wouldn’t have done it. It feels like a great thing to be a part of.” However, the actress also expressed reprising the role could be a strange experience, saying, “I honestly have had moments where I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I remember what I did [as Rey]… It’s really strange. I think the whole thing will feel so different anyway, with a totally different team. I’m in a very different place than I was. I’m probably going to be one of the adults, and initially, I was the youngest person on set, which is a weird feeling.”
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Tackling a Star Wars StoryMeanwhile, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy noted to CNN, “I’m very thrilled about the project because I feel what we’re about to create is something very special… We’re in 2024 now, and it’s about time that we had a woman come forward to shape a story in a galaxy far, far away.
We couldn’t agree more. But something tells us it won’t be smooth sailing for Rey. The dark side of the Force has a way of always creating shadows over the galaxy far, far away, especially in theaters.
The director also added, “The story that interests me most is in Rey’s journey as a female Jedi. That’s how I can best bring my experiences to it.”
Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Jon Favreau Brings Us The Mandalorian & Grogu // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg
Patty Jenkins Returns to Direct the Once Canceled Star Wars Movie Rogue Squadron
Lucasfilm
In 2020, Lucasfilm announced Patty Jenkins would direct a new Star Wars movie, Rogue Squadron. But the movie was removed from the company’s lineup in 2022. Now, Jenkins has revealed she’s back to work on the film, and she’ll take on the roles of writer and director. You can see what she had to say in full, here.
Shawn Levy’s Star Wars Movie, Star Wars: Starfighter, Will Star Ryan Gosling
Lucasfilm/Marvel Studios
Shawn Levy is set to direct a Star Wars movie of his own, Star Wars: Starfighter. Star Wars: Starfighter was officially announced at Star Wars Celebration 2025. Levy’s Star Wars movie will star Ryan Gosling as well as Flynn Gray, Aaron Pierre, Simon Bird, Jamael Westman, Daniel Ings, Mia Goth, and Amy Adams. . It is written by Jonathan Tropper.
Shawn Levy
Star Wars: Starfighter is “an all-new standalone adventure taking place approximately five years after the events of 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.” The movie, which begins production in the fall, is “an entirely new adventure featuring all-new characters set in a period of time that has not been explored on screen yet.“ Star Wars: Starfighter” will release in theaters on May 28, 2027. It has now officially begun production.
Warner Bros./Lucasfilm
Levy also briefly spoke on his Star Wars movie during a Happy Sad Confused podcast appearance in August. Fresh off of Deadpool & Wolverine, the director didn’t give up too many details. But Shawn Levy did say that his Star Wars movie would not be redundant and that he and writer Jonathan Tropper have a fresh concept in mind.
“…there’s only so many times that Star Wars movies can revisit the same section of the timeline, and so it’s really forced me—because I don’t want to do a Star Wars movie that is redundant to others, nor am I interested in doing one that has to serve another movie,” he said.
A New Trilogy of Star Wars Movies Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg
Lucasfilm
Recent reports also indicate that Lucasfilm has hired Simon Kinberg to write and produce a new trilogy of Star Wars movies and that these movies will indeed be Episodes X-XII of the Skywalker Saga. It’s news we have mixed feelings about. Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts will direct Star Wars: Episode X.
As we shared in our piece, “According to Knight Edge Media, Star Wars: Episode X will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey Skywalker in ‘a minor role’ that ‘may possibly expand in the sequels.’ No other sequel trilogy stars are attached to the project yet. Instead, Disney is said to currently be casting ‘relatively unknown male and female leads’ for its new Star Wars movie.”
Jump to: James Mangold’s Story of the Force // Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Series Team-Up // Rey Will Return in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Star Wars Movie // Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron Is Back in Play // Shawn Levy Is Set to Direct a Star Wars Movie // A New Trilogy of Films Is on the Way From Simon Kinberg
Originally published on April 7, 2023.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.The post All the New STAR WARS Movies Announced, Including Daisy Ridley’s Return as Rey appeared first on Nerdist.
Trump steals tax dollars to run his old campaign ad
At taxpayer expense, the Trump administration is now running a repurposed ad from President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, as part of efforts to keep a Republican majority in this fall’s midterm elections. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the ad in which Trump promotes the “deep state” conspiracy theory and says he will “cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists” is a…
Anthropic releases Sonnet 5.5, which it calls a significantly cheaper, faster work partner
Mike Johnson Dismisses Public Opinion on Data Centers as a “Psyop”
House Speaker Mike Johnson cares so little about Americans that he’s pretending that public opinion is really the result of brainwashing by the Chinese government.
Speaking on Fox Business Monday, Johnson agreed with host Cheryl Casone’s assertion that the public pushback to artificial intelligence data centers was “coming from China” and being seized on by Democrats ahead of the midterm elections.
“This is what Democrats do. Every election cycle they find something to glom onto and say that this is doom and gloom and everyone will die if we don’t win,” Johnson said. “Don’t buy it. This is a Chinese psyop. I really believe that. That’s not a conspiracy theory.”
Mike Johnson says opposition to data centers "is a Chinese psyop. I really believe that. That's not a conspiracy theory." pic.twitter.com/mQahEOX2gx
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 28, 2026Both Chinese and Russian actors have reportedly tried to inflame public discourse around AI data centers. Jessica Brandt, a former official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who tracked foreign influence efforts during the Biden administration, previously told The New York Times that this doesn’t make Americans’ concerns any less real.
“Foreign actors aren’t manufacturing American debates over the future of AI, they are exploiting them,” Brandt told the Times, adding that the objective was to “deepen our divisions in order to dent our appeal and weaken us from within.”
Nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose data center construction in their communities, while half believe that the construction of new data centers is a bad thing for the country, according to a recent YouGov poll.
The results of that public opinion have been tangible. Over the past six months, the United States has seen a massive mobilization against data centers. Nearly 120 projects valued at an estimated $198 billion were blocked or delayed as states and communities nationwide imposed moratoriums on data center development, according to Data Center Watch.
Johnson has made it pretty clear that he’s not willing to have any daylight with President Donald Trump, an outspoken supporter of the AI industry. Meanwhile, in the Louisiana Republican’s home state, Amazon and Meta plan to spend a combined $72 billion on the construction of new AI data centers. A local health official warned that the projects threaten to increase the harmful toxic exposure from gas-fired plants required to power them.
Meet Kristan Hawkins, the “Charlie Kirk of Abortion”
This story is part of the Life After Roe package, appearing this week, which looks at the surprising resilience of the abortion access movement in the Dobbs era—and at how hardliners are doubling down on their efforts to ban abortion nationwide.
This spring, the Mother Jones team heard a lot of talking points from anti-abortion leader Kristan Hawkins as we followed her around the country for a documentary. The one she most urgently wants progressive readers and viewers to consider: Abortion is wrong and should be banned nationwide.
VideoWatch reporter Amy Littlefield follow Kristan Hawkins as she campaigns around the country.The Mother Jones video team followed Kristan Hawkins during her campus spring tour. Video by Rachel de Leon and Anna YeoHawkins has led Students for Life of America for 20 years, and because of my work—including my recent book, Killers of Roe: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Abortion Rights—she’s been on my radar for much of that time. Hawkins was once a fringe figure, but as the movement has shifted ever further to the right since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, she has become a leader of the anti-abortion mainstream.
Hawkins has been mobilizing conservative students on college campuses since her friend Charlie Kirk was still in middle school, rallying an army of young people to elect hardline politicians and lobby for draconian abortion bans. And many of the strategies she pioneered worked: The day Roe was overturned, she was on the podium outside the Supreme Court, cheering the new Dobbs era.
But four years later, things haven’t gone quite the way the anti-abortion movement planned, thanks to an explosion in abortion-pill access. These days, as she debates on college campuses using the format Kirk popularized, Hawkins is constantly confronted by an even farther-right faction of her own movement that wants to lock women up for having abortions. And she’s losing traction with her target audience, young women, who are more progressive than ever before.
It turns out, being a female version of Charlie Kirk can bring heat from all sides.
But Hawkins has kept at it, because she understands changing the law is not enough. Instead, her mission is to make abortion unthinkable. To do that, she knows she needs to change the culture—and reach progressive women—which is why she let us tag along while she put on makeup in an airport bathroom, filmed a botched abortion-pill sting operation in the parking lot of the Space Center Houston, and discussed whether abortion medication might be tainting her favorite energy drink.
Along the way, we saw Hawkins try to defend extreme positions at odds with how the majority of Americans think. It was an illuminating, and unsettling, look not just at Hawkins, but at the entire anti-abortion movement at a critical, and unexpected, crossroads.
Top image: Illustration by Blake Cale; Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty, Allison Shelley/Getty, Anna Moneymaker/Getty
Good News/Bad News About Jon Watts’ STAR WARS: EPISODE X
- Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts will direct Star Wars: Episode X, the start of another Skywalker Saga trilogy.
- Star Wars Rebels co-creator Simon Kinberg is writing the entire trilogy, which will reportedly see Daisy Ridley initially reprise Rey in a minor role in Episode X.
- Nerdist’s Take: We want Lucasfilm to move on from the entire Skywalker family, but if we’re getting another Saga trilogy, there’s reason to hope we’re getting the best possible version.
Two years ago, Lucasfilm tapped Star Wars Rebels co-creator Simon Kinberg to write a new trilogy series for the galaxy far, far away. The initial report said those Star Wars movies might be a new installment of the Skywalker Saga. Now the latest update says Kinberg is in fact writing Star Wars: Episode X and that Disney has already found its director. The Mouse House has turned to someone who has led both a Disney trilogy and a Star Wars series. Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Spider-Man‘s Jon Watts is Disney’s choice to continue its main Star Wars story.
Lucasfilm
And if this news about the Skywalker Saga “somehow” returning has you feeling absolutely exhausted about the future of Star Wars, we don’t blame you. But if we are getting Star Wars: Episode X and a new trilogy, it sounds like we might be getting the best possible version we could hope for.
Jump To:- Who Is Writing, Directing, and Starring in Star Wars: Episode X?
- Why the News About Star Wars: Episode X Is Bad
- The Good News About Star Wars: Episode X
- Nerdist Take: Call Star Wars: Episode X Part of the Skywalker Saga Trilogy, But Tell New Stories Please
Jon Watts will direct Star Wars: Episode X. (Caleb Williams at Knight Edge Media first broke the news, and we heard about it at THR). Star Wars: Episode X will be the first installment of yet another Skywalker Saga trilogy that Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past) is writing. However, it’s unknown—or more likely undecided—if Watts will handle the next two installments.
Disney would obviously trust Watts with taking on the whole trilogy. He helmed all three movies in the first Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland: that includes Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home. He’s also familiar with the galaxy far, far away. Watts co-created and served as co-showrunner on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. It earned critical-acclaim but low viewership numbers on Disney+.
According to Knight Edge Media, Star Wars: Episode X will see Daisy Ridley return as Rey Skywalker in “a minor role” that “may possibly expand in the sequels.” No other sequel trilogy stars are attached to the project yet. Instead, Disney is said to currently be casting “relatively unknown male and female leads” for its new Star Wars movie. It’s possible production on the movie will begin next year.
That’s a lot of Star Wars: Episode X news. And you might not feel good about any of it for one pretty obvious reason.
Why the News About Star Wars: Episode X Is Bad
Lucasfilm
Say what you will about the Star Wars sequel trilogy and The Rise of Skywalker. No, seriously, say whatever you want because I certainly have and will. But even if you think Lucasfilm and J.J. Abrams absolutely crash-landed the Skywalker Saga on the runway, they still technically finished the flight. Disney definitively and intentionally ended the Skywalker Saga with Star Wars: Episode IX. And for that reason alone, it’s clearly time to move on from the family and their tale that has dominated the franchise from the start. When it comes to whatever “main” Star Wars story Lucasfilm wants to tell on the big screen—which is still and forever the most important screen in the franchise—the Skywalkers should not be part of it.
(We’ve long accepted we’re never going to be done with the time period of the Skywalker Saga in standalone movies or Disney+ series. But none of those should revolve around the Skywalker clan like Episodes I through IX, which clearly belong to a category all their own.)
The Star Wars: Episode X announcement has us saying: Just move on. Move on already. (Seriously, how many times can you kill Palpatine?) It’s so easy to do exactly that, too. Lucasfilm could easily move on by going backward in new Star Wars movies if it wants. The galaxy’s history goes back millennia. Better, though, would be going forward. Lucasfilm can move its main story hundreds or even thousands of years into the future and still be set “a long time ago.” Instead, with this Star Wars: Episode X news, it feels like the studio is holding on to the same singular story it just finished telling. It’s frustrating and feels desperate, like it’s afraid to abandon the Skywalker cash cow for uncharted territories. And that refusal to take a risk is coming at the expense of creativity and originality.
Lucasfilm
“Yes, but they botched the Skywalker Saga ending so badly they need to fix it. Star Wars: Episode X is a good thing.” you might say. But no, they don’t. They really don’t! Bad endings happen, and they stink, but they still happen. Besides, eventually people will say they didn’t botch anything. A whole generation of fans will come along in 20 years and say the sequel trilogy was “good actually,” just like the Prequel Truthers have falsely convinced themselves those movies are good. (I can say that because I love the prequel trilogy even though all three movies objectively stink.)
When Star Wars finally does move forward, so many of the things we love about this franchise—the Force, light and dark, Jedi, Sith, good, evil, sassy droids—will still exist. They’ll just exist in a world free of Anakin Skywalker’s presence and memory.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy didn’t go the way anyone hoped. But it did the most important thing fans needed: it revived the franchise. Now it’s time to take its main antagonist’s advice and let the past die. The Skywalker Saga is finished. Leave it that way and tell a whole new story. Give someone the enormous potential of the galaxy far, far away’s sandbox without telling him which action figures he must use. The possibilities of what Disney can do without the Skywalkers far outweigh anything else they can further squeeze out of Darth Vader’s kyber crystal.
Lucasfilm
But since it seems as though we’re not going to get something fresh and new, at least it sounds like we’re getting the most interesting version of Episode X we could hope for. And it will do so in a way that will also address the biggest creative failing of its predecessor trilogy.
The Good News About Star Wars: Episode XThe Watts news also includes the tidbit that Disney has “shelved” Daisy Ridley’s New Jedi Order movie. Rey is a fantastic character who transcended the sequel trilogy’s issues thanks to Daisy Ridley’s performance. But the premise of that movie also felt like more of the same. Since Rey adopted Skywalker as her name and legacy, even a standalone film about her rebuilding the Order felt like a pseudo-Episode X movie. (Especially as the whole premise “rhymed” with Luke’s post-Return of the Jedi life.)
Lucasfilm
This new trilogy will seemingly instead focus on all new characters, with Ridley playing a much smaller role to start. This is a far more interesting creative choice, which means the trilogy won’t be as Skywalker Saga-heavy as it might sound. The new characters were the best part of the sequel trilogy. This approach could even mean Episodes X, XI, and XII end up being more of a fourth Skywalker trilogy in name rather than actuality.
If that’s the point—that Disney wants to capitalize on the financial aspect of saying these movies are part of the Skywalker Saga without actually making this trilogy about the Skywalkers—fine. Fine! Great, even. Make your money, so long as we get good, creative, original, engaging films. If this means Disney is simply going to use the term “Skywalker Saga” as a catchall for its main series of films (told in trilogy form) we’ll adjust our expectations in the best way.
Lucasfilm
Nerdist Take: Call Star Wars: Episode X Part of the Skywalker Saga Trilogy, But Tell New Stories Please
The issue we have with the announcement of Star Wars: Episode X is not telling “more stories.” It’s telling “more Skywalker stories.” If Disney does that in name only, who cares? Just give us a good trilogy about the eternal battle between light and dark. And if you can do that while also including Rey, Poe, Finn, BB-8, Jar-Jar, Mon Mothma, and anyone else from the previous three trilogies, that’s not inherently bad. In many cases, it might be good. It will depend on whether the movies are good.
The easiest way to make them good is to have a plan before making them. The ping-pong nature of the sequel trilogy was a disaster. The Last Jedi felt like it said everything teased in The Force Awakens didn’t matter. The Rise of Skywalker then undid all of the work of the second installment. It was an awful non-strategy to making a trilogy, one Lucasfilm seems intent on avoiding this time. It has hired one writer to write all three films. There is clearly a plan in place this time when there clearly wasn’t one before. And that plan will remain in place whether Watts directs all three or not.
“A new Skywalker Saga trilogy” is the last thing we wanted from Lucasfilm. We want a whole new story set during an entirely different era untouched by Anakin Skywalker and his kids. But what we most want from Star Wars are “good movies.” And, in true Star Wars fashion, there’s at least a reason to hope Star Wars: Episode X will begin a run of three.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow Mikey on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.The post Good News/Bad News About Jon Watts’ STAR WARS: EPISODE X appeared first on Nerdist.
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Monday morning traffic: Highway 1 on-ramp at Park Avenue closed; Highway 9 lane closures
This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 10:01 a.m..
Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…
▼︎ new incidents
Road incidents as of 10 a.m. on September 28- The on-ramp to southbound Highway 1 at Park Avenue in Capitola is facing closures for paving work. The closure is expected to last until Nov. 19.
- Alternating lanes are closed on Highway 9 at Pool Drive in the San Lorenzo Valley because of bridge work. The closure is expected to last until April 30, 2027.
Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
The post Monday morning traffic: Highway 1 on-ramp at Park Avenue closed; Highway 9 lane closures appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.
Trump undercuts Republicans trying to win midterm races
A growing number of Republicans on the ballot this fall have started to distance themselves from President Donald Trump, a desperate attempt at self-preservation in a midterm cycle when voters are furious at Trump. A normal president would allow candidates to do what they need to do to win. But Trump is not a normal president. Instead, he’s an egomaniac who is lashing out at Republicans…
Surprise! MAGA Candidate Convicted of Election Fraud
For all their browbeating about election fraud, it turns out that Donald Trump’s MAGA acolytes aren’t following election laws.
Gaea Powell, a Moms for Liberty activist and loyal Trump supporter who ran for the clerk-recorder position in San Luis Obispo County, California, earlier this year, is facing up to eight years in prison after she was found guilty on nine counts of election fraud last week. That included lying about her place of residence, unlawfully registering to vote, and fraudulently voting, according to SFGate.
The charges stemmed from Powell’s previous bids for high office, when she ran for mayor of Arroyo Grande in 2022 and 2024. At the time, Powell campaigned on some of Trump’s own election conspiracy talking points, honing in on the “integrity of local elections.”
Yet at the same time, Powell had lied to local officials about her true place of residence. In campaign filings—and under penalty of perjury—she swore that she lived inside the Arroyo Grande city limits, as required of local mayoral candidates. She did not.
Powell also failed to follow local laws regarding campaign earnings above $2,000. On June 30, 2022, Powell pledged that she did not intend to raise or spend more than that sum. Then she took an “active role” in raising and spending more than that on campaign mailers, without notifying local officials, according to a press release by the district attorney’s office.
Despite the jury verdict (and just like the president), Powell has refused to acknowledge the evidence or admit wrongdoing.
“I respect the jury’s role. But I am deeply disappointed by today’s verdict,” Powell said in a statement obtained by the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “I have maintained from the beginning, and I maintain today, that I did not knowingly deceive anyone and did not act with fraudulent intent.”
She still intends to appeal the verdict.
“I may have lost this battle. But this is not the end of the legal fight,” Powell continued. “I intend to pursue every appropriate post-trial remedy and to appeal this case. And just as importantly, another chapter is only beginning.”
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Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Are Receiving Bipartisan Criticism
President Donald Trump has become the subject of bipartisan pushback after another taxpayer-funded television ad aired during at least two Sunday NFL games.
“We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country,” Trump says in the ad. “We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.”
“Don’t worry, using taxpayer dollars to run ominous campaign ads of the President has been done before and is completely legal… in banana republics,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) posted on X on Sunday night in reaction to the latest ad.
Trump is now using taxpayer money to run his 2024 campaign ad, but changes his campaign logo at the end to “PAID FOR BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT”
— Headquarters (@headquartersnews.bsky.social) 2026-09-28T14:45:17.182ZThe ad is nearly identical to one Trump posted on Truth Social in January 2024, which included Trump’s presidential campaign logo. In place of the logo is now the message: “Paid for by the US government.” The audio of both ads strongly resembles part of a campaign speech he delivered in Claremont, New Hampshire, in November 2023, where he used autocratic language, referring to himself as “a very proud election denier.”
“It’s not like they need a GoFundMe page to have the dollars to do that sort of ad and they could do it,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said about the first ad that aired on Wednesday. “But using taxpayer dollars, it feels like [the former far-right prime minister of Hungary] Viktor Orbán.”
Both Republican lawmakers have a history of criticizing Trump.
On Thursday, congressional Democrats on appropriations committees wrote a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, calling the first ad “the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea.”
“We write to demand that you immediately take this ad off the air and discipline the Federal employees who knowingly violated Federal law in working on and paying for this advertisement,” they continued, asserting the ad violated anti-propaganda law. “In addition, we demand a full account and breakdown of all Federal funds used to create and air this ad.”
On Friday, the White House called the ads “public service announcements” that are “very clearly not campaign ads” as Trump isn’t on the ballot and the president does not request any action. The White House pointed to other administrations who have run public service announcements to “explain policy and make the case for the nation’s direction,” including George W. Bush’s anti-drug ads that played during the Super Bowl and Barack Obama’s ads on the Affordable Care Act.
But as my colleague Sophie Hurwitz noted on Friday, “Trump’s supposed PSA says and does very little beyond extolling Trump. Usually, a public service announcement announces something. This one announces pure right-wing vibes.”
Texas GOP Candidate Has Long History of Calling for Public Executions
A Republican candidate for statewide office in Texas regularly called for public executions in social media posts that he has since deleted.
Bo French, who is running to head the Texas Railroad Commission, posted about publicly executing political opponents including President Obama, CNN reports. The posts span six years, with the most recent post in February 2025, in which French mentioned hangings, gallows, and other forms of public executions.
Those posts were either deleted by French or removed for violating X’s rules, though it remains unclear. French also made similar posts on an account he used in unsuccessful campaigns for the Texas statehouse in 2016 and 2018, before the account was suspended.
In 2020, while President Trump was under investigation for his campaign’s ties to the Russian government, French called for the death penalty for “Obama conspirators,” including then House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff.
“It’s time we drop the hammer on these treasonous bastards and punish them with the full measure of justice. #HangEmHigh,” French posted.
He also called for Obama’s death using the same hashtag.
“The penalty for treason used to be death. Even for a former president. #HangEmHigh,” French wrote.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the state’s Republican Party have thus far refused to disavow French.
The Texas Railroad Commission has the important role of regulating the state’s oil and gas industry, and French ended up winning the Republican nomination in May over incumbent Republican commissioner Jim Wright, who had the endorsements of Republican Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
French’s penchant for capital punishment is only one of his many abhorrent stances. He has openly espoused anti-Muslim views, asking his social media followers who the “bigger threat” to America is, Muslims or Jews, before clarifying that he believed Islam “is the bigger threat.” He wants to “end DEI” and “kick radical Islam out of Texas Energy.” He’s called for deporting 100 million people from the U.S.
“I’m going to say something that’s going to make some people uncomfortable: The problem is, we call it Sharia [law], but the problem is actually Islam,” French said at a panel discussion titled “Don’t Sharia My Texas” at the the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas, in March. “If they can infiltrate Texas and conquer Texas, then what’s going to happen? They’re going to be able to control the United States.”
Earlier this month, French drew a backlash for a racist post about the student section at a University of Texas football game, saying the racially diverse student fanbase was a “problem” that “is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.”
That post led Republican strategist and former adviser to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, to say he would vote for French’s Democratic opponent, Jon Rosenthal, and for Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn to call him “an embarrassment to the Republican Party” who is “going to drag the whole ticket down because of his racist comments.”
These latest revelations won’t help French, and certainly won’t help Texas Republicans in a year where the party is polling historically low.
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Supreme Court conservatives ensure midterm chaos
Here comes the Supreme Court’s faithful conservatives, riding to President Donald Trump’s rescue. They’re eager to remind us all that democracy doesn’t matter, laws don’t matter, the balance of powers doesn’t matter: Only Trump Matters. Yes, Friday afternoon gave us another shadow docket decision where the court’s conservatives intervene to short-circuit the actual litigation and stomp all…
FBI Deputy Chief Overseeing Election “Investigations” Suddenly Quits
FBI co-deputy director and former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey—who helped lead the draconian raid on a Georgia election center in January—has resigned from his post.
“I want to thank President Trump, @AGToddBlanche, and @FBIDirectorKash for the opportunity to serve in the FBI. Under President Trump’s leadership, we have delivered historic results in our mission to Make America Safe Again. With great pride in what we have accomplished, I am announcing that I am stepping down to return to my family in Missouri,” Bailey wrote Monday on X. “I am confident Director Patel will continue to reform the FBI, combat violent crime, defend the homeland, ensure strong organizational accountability, and restore public trust in this institution of excellence.”
Bailey served alongside Dan Bongino, the former talk radio host and conspiracy theorist who himself dramatically resigned from the FBI late last year. He joined the FBI last September, not making it more than one full year of working with Director Kash Patel.
This is a developing story.
Get him, boys!
A cartoon by Clay Bennett. Related | Things almost couldn’t be worse for Republicans…
Trump Says We Have the “Best Poverty Numbers.” What?
America has the “best poverty numbers,” according to our billionaire president.
“We have the best, I guess you could say poverty, they talk poverty. We have the best poverty numbers ever in the history of our country,” Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House Sunday.
Trump was attempting to refer to U.S. economic growth statistics, correcting himself that the U.S. has “less poverty” now than it did before.
Trump: "We have the best, uhh, I guess you could say poverty. They talk poverty. We have the best poverty numbers ever in the history of our country." pic.twitter.com/W3cKHR8ReZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 27, 2026A report published earlier this month by the U.S. Census supports that claim, revealing that poverty had dropped to a historic low in 2025 when just 10.2 percent of the population reported income below the federal poverty line. (That statistic is measured by comparing pretax income to household size. Last year, that threshold was $32,649 for a family of four).
But that doesn’t mean that the rest of the country isn’t still struggling to afford food, housing, gas, health care, childcare, or other basic needs. Affordability is an entirely different metric.
For example, the median household income across New York City in 2025 was $86,900. However, a SmartAsset study found that single New Yorkers needed to make at least $158,954 that year to afford the basics (such as housing, groceries, utilities, and transportation) and cover the costs of a couple of hobbies.
Even in a region such as Texas, where the cost of living is six percent less than the national average, the cost of living outpaced incomes. In 2024, the median household income in the Lone Star State was $78,476. But single Texans needed to make at least $90,771 in order to live comfortably, per the SmartAsset study.
That enormous discrepancy is a part of the reason why the economy and the cost of living are ranked as the top two issues for Americans ahead of the midterm election, according to a Pew Research poll published in July.
Meanwhile, billionaires are making money hand over fist, concentrating and hoarding their assets while shrinking the economic pie for the workers that build their products. A Guardian assessment of global wealth in 2025 found that the richest 10 percent of the world’s population own 75 percent of all personal wealth, while just 0.001 percent of the world’s population—less than 60,000 people—control three times as much as the bottom half of humanity.
Trump himself would fit squarely within that demographic, as the 586th wealthiest person in the world (as of the time of publishing). The policies he’s crafted throughout his presidency have only stressed the wealth gap and abetted the ultra-elite, lining their pockets with millions of dollars while the rest of America’s pocketbooks grew by an average of just $1,200, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress published earlier this month.
“The gains of the past year and a half have been overwhelmingly concentrated among the wealthiest Americans, while millions of families are still struggling with high levels of debt,” said CAP’s chief economist Cristina Tello-Trillo in a statement at the time. “Stock market benefits are not being shared equally, and the tax code has been flipped upside down to provide giveaways to wealthy business owners. The wealth gap is growing, making it harder for families in the middle and at the bottom to build lasting financial security.”