What do you do when an actor talks about leaving a role that they made iconic? It is an all-too familiar conversation in today’s film world. With studios ramping up all of their properties into shared universes, having to see other actors take on established roles will soon become common place. Robert Downey Jr. has voiced that he is nearing the end of his time as Tony Stark for Marvel, as has Chris Evans with Captain America. It won’t be long before the Star Wars universe also deals with this issue.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Daisy Ridley stated that she doesn’t want to be Rey after J.J. Abrams finishes with Episode IX:
“No,” she says flatly. “For me, I didn’t really know what I was signing on to. I hadn’t read the script, but from what I could tell, it was really nice people involved, so I was just like, ‘Awesome.’ Now I think I am even luckier than I knew then, to be part of something that feels so like coming home now.”
But, um, doesn’t that sort of sound like a yes? “No,” she says again, smiling a little. “No, no, no. I am really, really excited to do the third thing and round it out, because ultimately, what I was signing on to was three films. So in my head, it’s three films. I think it will feel like the right time to round it out.”
J.J. Abrams goes on to say that Episode IX feels like the end for the Skywalker Saga. “I do see it that way,” he says. “But the future is in flux.”
Does that mean that Star Wars will move on in the wake of Carrie Fisher’s passing? It appears as though Abrams and Lucasfilm are trying to find a way to conclude the Skywalker storyline, and moving forward. With Daisy Ridley not wanting to continue playing Rey on-screen, does this mean that the storyline could shift from the Rey-centric course it is currently on? Ridley did say that if she was asked to come back after her three-film contract concluded that she would. After all, who could turn down that amount of money? This could also be why Rian Johnson is leading an entirely new trilogy of Star Wars films.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15. Star Wars Episode IX is set for a December 20, 2019 release date.
