Lucasfilm has hired yet another screenwriter to bang out a new script for Star Wars: New Jedi Order. The still-in-development sci-fi sequel is set to bring back Daisy Ridley as Rey, if it can ever lock down a screenplay.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter on January 24, Lucasfilm has hired George Nolfi to write a new script for New Jedi Order. Nolfi is best known for his work on Ocean’s 12 and The Bourne Ultimatum. As pointed out by the outlet, this latest hiring shows that Lucasfilm and Disney are committed to the project, which was announced back in 2023 alongside two other Star Wars movies.
New Jedi Order is set to bring back Daisy Ridley as Rey, who was last seen in the role in 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker. The movie is said to be set about 15 years after the events of Rise and will show Rey training a new generation of young Jedi. Before the film was even announced in 2023, two writers—Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson—had worked on a version of the script. However, by the time Lucasfilm officially announced it at Star Wars Celebration 2023 a new writer, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, was working on New Jedi Order’s story. He dropped out in October 2024 and now Nolfi is writing the movie.
Despite all the screenwriter changes, documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is still attached to direct New Jedi Order. The movie was supposed to arrive in December 2026, but late last year Disney delayed it and removed it from its upcoming schedule.
While New Jedi Order struggles to get off the ground, a different Star Wars film will land in theaters next year. The Mandalorian and Grogu, which wrapped filming in December 2024, is set to hit screens in May 2026. After that, the next Star Wars movie to start shooting will be Shawn Levy’s project—which got a big shot in the arm earlier this week with rumors that Ryan Gosling is joining the cast.
So it’s very likely that New Jedi Order won’t be available in our galaxy until 2027 at the earliest. And that’s assuming George Nolfi can write a screenplay that Lucasfilm likes. If not, we might see a fifth writer hired to try and get this movie’s script finished and approved. One wonders how much longer Obaid-Chinoy and Ridley will wait around.
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