Daisy Ridley’s “Star Wars” Project Lands A New Writer

After seeing different high profile writers come and go, it began to seem like production for the upcoming Star Wars movie wouldn’t be happening any time soon. I mean, barely two years after Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced  the project in April 2023 at the Star Wars Celebration held in London, the movie has seen three writers come and go.

The first set to start working on the project Star Wars: New Jedi Order that would be directed by documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy were Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson however, the two wound up quitting the project. In April 2023 after it was announced that Daisy Ridley would reprise her Rey Skywalker role in the movie, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight took up the pen to resume writing. But then, just like the first two, Knight left the project in October 2024.

Now, not so long ago, in January 2025, THR reported that the project has landed another writer in the person of George Nolfi. Although a new writer is now onboard, a release date for Star Wars: New Jedi Order is yet to be set.

Daisy Ridley’s Character, Plot, And Cast

The first time Ridley played the character Rey Skywalker was in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Episode VII. She took the world of Star Wars to a whole new level as the movie became the highest-grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office with $936.6M and the fifth-biggest at $2.07 billion worldwide.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is due to make her narrative feature debut with this project which is said to be set 15 years after the events of 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While rumor has it that Ridley’s character Rey the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine would become a mentor for a new batch of Jedis, nothing about the cast has been made public, yet.

In an interview with Deadline at SXSW last year, Ridley told the outlet, “I know bits and bobs” about the sequel. “I know there’s an introduction of new characters,” before adding, “I don’t know about previous characters.”

In a December 2024 interview published by CITY AM, Ridley spoke about becoming a huge part of the development process for the upcoming movie. She said:

“I’ve been over all of the developments, so I feel more consciously involved [than before] but I remember various things either JJ [Abrams] or Ryan [Johnson] told me, so I was always really made to feel involved. But on this one I’m aware of the route development. It’s also really nice to know that we have the time to do it right, and of course I’m really excited to film and I’m really excited to share developments with the world. It’s all good, it really is!”

Who Is George Nolfi The New Writer For Star Wars: New Jedi Order?

George Nolfi is an American filmmaker whose work with the 2003’s Timeline gave him his first screenwriting credit. He’s known for writing 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve, 2006’s The Sentinel (which he also produced) and 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum. In 2011, Nolfi made his feature film directorial debut with The Adjustment Bureau before going on to make 2015’s Allegiance, 2016’s Birth of the Dragon, 2020’s The Banker, and 2024’s Elevation.

Nolfi wrote the screenplays he directed apart from Birth of the Dragon and Elevation. He also produced all those movies except for Elevation. Additionally, he wrote the screenplay for 2016’s Spectral.

The release date for Star Wars: New Jedi Order is not yet in sight due to the creative delays surrounding it but, it was initially speculated to be released in 2026 in tow with Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian & Grogu. However, from the look of things, it will now follow the upcoming standalone Star Wars movie directed by Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine) with talks to star Ryan Gosling.

I bet the Star Wars fandom can’t wait to get a first look for Star Wars: New Jedi Order. Do you think George Nolfi has come to stay? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media. Keep following the Reel Movie Junkie for more Star Wars content like this.