Chill Out, Rey's Star Wars Movie Doesn't Even Have a Title Yet
Rey is getting a new adventure, but it’s not a new beginning.
A new Star Wars movie could be about anything, right up until it gets a title and finally gives us a glimpse of what its story will cover. As of now, there are three Star Wars movies in the works that have yet to be christened: James Mangold’s movie set in the galaxy’s distant past that’s colloquially been called Dawn of the Jedi, Dave Filoni’s Mando-verse wrap-up movie, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Rey-focused sequel trilogy follow-up.
Now, after a wild rumor about the title of Rey’s movie, we finally have a clue as to what it will be about... and the refreshing direction it might take Star Wars in the future.
Recently, rumors were flying that Rey’s upcoming movie would be called Star Wars Episode X: A New Beginning, which implied it would be the start of a new trilogy — or at least another mainline chapter — in the Star Wars universe. However, Cinelinx’s Jordan Maison contacted Lucasfilm about this title and was told it was “categorically incorrect.” Instead, the movie’s working title (with no episode number attached) is New Jedi Order.
Daisy Ridley and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023.
That probably won’t be the official title. Not only is it quite straightforward, lacking the gravitas of The Revenge of the Sith or The Empire Strikes Back, but one of Marvel’s upcoming movies was initially called Captain America: New World Order. Those titles are so similar it seems unlikely Disney would allow them to co-exist.
Still, if the rumored New Begining title is indeed “categorically incorrect,” then it’s likely Rey’s movie won’t be Episode X at all, but will instead exist as a standalone Star Wars story like Rogue One, Solo, and the upcoming Mandalorian & Grogu. If so, it seems Star Wars is moving away from the trilogy structure to explore singular stories that can stand by themselves, without the pressure of adding to the epic nine-part Star Wars saga.
Rey’s story will continue in a Star Wars movie — but not necessarily Episode X.
Rey’s story may have begun in a trilogy, but it doesn’t need to continue into another one. A more anthological-style format going forward would allow Star Wars movies to experiment while letting vital characters like Rey continue their stories. And after how poorly the sequel trilogy was received, that might be for the best.
