Alleged Disney Insiders Admit Lucasfilm Struggling To Find Direction For Future Of Star Wars Franchise: “Rey Is The Most Valuable Cinematic Asset, In Some Ways Maybe The Only One”

Rey dodges laser fire on Francesco Francavilla's cover to Star Wars Adventures Vol. 2 #1 (2020), IDW Publishing
Rey dodges laser fire on Francesco Francavilla's cover to Star Wars Adventures Vol. 2 #1 (2020), IDW Publishing

To the surprise of absolutely no one who has experienced any given Star Wars production in recent years, a number of Disney insiders have reportedly admitted that Lucasfilm is absolutely struggling to come up with a concrete plan for the future of the once-beloved franchise.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) defies the legacy of Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney
Rey (Daisy Ridley) defies the legacy of Sheev Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney

RELATED: ‘Star Wars’ Lead Daisy Ridley Says She Pays No Attention To Negative Criticisms Of Rey’s Character: “I Cannot Change The Way That Some Men See Women”

This insight regarding the supposed turmoil in a galaxy far, far away was first brought to light by The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit, who himself learned of the information after having personally spoken to the alleged insiders.

Claiming to have personally spoken to said insiders, Kit reported on November 7th that according to them, the reason behind Disney’s decision to have Rey star in both a solo movie and a new Star Wars trilogy (wherein, per noted entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider, she will serve as the story’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’) was, simply put, the fact that they literally have no other ‘recognizable characters’ on which they could focus the franchise.

Rey confronts her past on Mike Del Mundo's cover to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation Vol. 1 #4 (2016), Marvel Comics
Rey confronts her past on Mike Del Mundo’s cover to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Adaptation Vol. 1 #4 (2016), Marvel Comics

And though the group of insiders widely denied that either of those projects would need to ‘fight for the right’ to use the Daisy Ridley-portrayed character in their respective stories, they further admitted that there was “a internal deliberation within Lucasfilm as to what do with the heir to Skywalker next.”

Said one alleged insider, “She is the most valuable cinematic asset, in some ways maybe the only one, Star Wars has right now.”

To this end, Kit claims that numerous sources informed him that “Rey is set to play a role in several movies that are being developed, although which ones remains unclear.”

Offering their own take on Disney’s decision to go all in on Rey as the main pillar of the franchise’s future, one source told the THR mainstay, “The closet [of characters] is a little bare.”

Rey (Daisy Ridley) clashes with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney
Rey (Daisy Ridley) clashes with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney

RELATED: Star Wars Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Says Rey Is The Key To The Franchise’s Future: “At The Heart Of It, For Me, Is Rey Skywalker”

But outside of the heroine’s promotion, said sources indicated that when it came to planning the future of Star Wars, Lucasfilm was basically flying by the seat of their pants.

“There are numerous Star Wars movies being developed that overlap characters or timelines. They are not related but whatever one were to come out first, could, in a domino effect, then impact the ones after it,” recapped Kit of his sources’ information. “Some Lucasfilm directors are aware of what others are working on while others are not.”

Yet another source told Kit that these issues extended to the franchise’s writing, with Lucasfilm unable to move the franchise past the original trilogy due to their inability to reach a consensus on just how to do so.

Rey (Daisy Ridley) ignites her lightsaber in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney
Rey (Daisy Ridley) ignites her lightsaber in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), Disney

“You’re being asked to create the new New Testament,” said an individual who is said to have worked on prior Star Wars films. “And no one can agree on anything and there’s a lot of second guessing about meanings.”

Likewise, another insider observed that the franchise’s problems boil down to the fact that “Star Wars is a nostalgia-based enterprise and they are running out of ways to create nostalgia.”

As such, said a further insider, “To make standalone movies or continuing the Skywalker Saga in any form is a fundamental question the company faces as it tries to move forward.”

Rey (Daisy Ridley) prepares to fight alongside Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Last Jedi (2017), Disney
Rey (Daisy Ridley) prepares to fight alongside Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Last Jedi (2017), Disney

As of writing, outside of it being helmed by director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and the fact that it will see the aforementioned Ridley reprise her role as the titular Force user, absolutely zero official information is currently known regarding the upcoming Rey movie.

NEXT: Upcoming Rey Solo Film Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Says “It’s About Time That We Had A Woman Come Forward To Shape The Story” Of Star Wars

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